Printable Shut the Box score sheet

Score sheet

Write each player’s name across the top and their score for each round below. The lowest cumulative total wins, and a round scored 0 means that player shut the box.

How to score a session with this sheet

The sheet works for the usual scoring, where a round is worth the tiles you failed to shut, and it works for the two common house variations as well.

Standard play: each player takes a turn, and the number written in their column is the sum of the tiles still standing when their turn ends. Ten rounds is a normal session, though nothing stops you playing five or twenty. Add the columns at the end and the lowest total wins, which catches people out the first time because most games reward a high score and this one punishes it.

Some households play that shutting the box ends the session immediately rather than scoring zero for the round. If you play it that way, write 0 in the column and draw a line under the sheet, because there is nothing left to decide.

The other common variation is playing to a target instead of a fixed number of rounds. Pick a number, 45 is a reasonable one on the 9-tile board, and the first player to exceed it is out. That version lasts longer and is better with four or more people, since nobody sits out for long.

What happens if two players tie?

Play a single extra round between the tied players only. It rarely ties twice, and if it does, play another. There is no traditional tie-break for Shut the Box, so any method the table agrees on is as legitimate as any other.

Does this sheet work for the 12-tile box?

Yes. The scoring is identical and only the numbers get larger, since a bad round on a 12-tile board can leave you with a total in the fifties. The combination card below covers the 9-tile board, because that is the board most sets use.

How many players can use one sheet?

Six columns are printed, which covers most tables. With more than six, print a second sheet and carry the round numbers across, or give each player their own row on a shared sheet and total downward instead.

Printing it so it comes out usable

A score sheet that needs a magnifying glass is worse than a scrap of paper, so a couple of print settings are worth checking.

Print in portrait on A4 or US Letter and the table fills the page at a size you can write in with a normal pen. Turn background graphics on if your browser offers the option, since the header row is much easier to find at a glance when it is shaded. Scaling can stay at 100%, and if your printer insists on shrinking to fit, 95% still leaves room to write.

The combination card underneath is worth printing even if you never use the score grid. Beginners routinely miss that a roll of 10 can be shut as 1+2+3+4, and having the list on the table settles that argument before it starts.

Combination reference card

Every way to make each dice total from tiles 1–9, so you never miss a legal move. Keep it with the box.