Shut the Box
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shut the Box, Tric-Trac, Canoga, Klackers (or Batten down the Hatches or High Rollers) is a game of dice for one or more players, mostly played in a group of two to four (possibly for stakes, gambling). Traditionally a counting box is used with tiles numbered 1 to 9 where each can be discretely covered with a hinged or sliding mechanism. Alternatively it could be played with a sheet of paper. Variations exist where the box has up to 10 or 12 tiles.
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[edit] Play
On a turn a player repeatedly throws the dice to cover the tiles of the box, it ends when no tile can be covered on a throw and the players penalty score gets calculated. The goal is to cover all numbers, that is, "shut the box", which results in a penalty score of zero.
[edit] Rules
A round consists of each player playing a turn. At the start of a player's turn all tiles are uncovered. Two dice are rolled and the corresponding tile of partitioned numbers of the sum are covered, e.g., the dice show a 2 and a 3, so 5, 1 + 4 or 2 + 3 tiles could be covered. If every numbered tile higher than 6 is covered you could use one die. The turn ends if no tile could be covered on a throw of the dice. A player's score is the sum of the numbers remaining uncovered at the end of his turn. The player with the lowest score wins.
[edit] History
The origin is not known but there exist references from at least the 12th century to the Normandy (northern France) or the Channel Islands (English Channel, United Kingdom)[citation needed]; others also mention fur trappers from the Hudson's Bay Company[citation needed]. The game has been popular among sailors and fishermen[citation needed].
Evidence exists in England from the middle of the 20th century and it is quite sure that it did not originate there[citation needed]. Timothy Finn writes in Pub Games of England that it came from the Channel Islands in 1958 by a Mr. 'Chalky' Towbridge. It is said that versions have also been played in Barotseland (Zambia, central Africa). The game is also popular in the beer bars of Thailand.
Shut the Box is also the basis of the popular TV quiz show High Rollers, which ran from 1974-76 and 1978-80 on NBC and syndication with Alex Trebek at the helm. It also resurfaced in syndication from 1987 to 1988 with Wink Martindale as emcee.
