Shut the box (also called ACKPOT,[1] batten down the hatches[1] or trick-track[2]) is a game of dice for one or more players, commonly played in a group of two to four for stakes.

Traditionally, a counting box is used with tiles numbered 1 to 9 where each can be covered with a hinged or sliding mechanism, though the game can be played with only a pair of dice, pen, and paper.

Unconfirmed histories of the game suggest a variety of origins, including 12th century Normandy (northern France) as well as the mid 20th century Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey), which one source credits to a man known as 'Chalky' Towbridge.

[3] A 1967 edition of Brewing Review describes the game as being native to the Channel Islands, and records it being played in Manchester pubs in the mid-1960s.

[5] Shut the box is the basis of the American television quiz show High Rollers, which ran from 1974 to 1976 and 1978 to 1980 on NBC with Alex Trebek as the host.

After throwing, the player adds up (or subtracts) the pips (dots) on the dice and then "shuts" (closes, covers) one of any combination of open numbers that sums to the total number of dots showing on the dice.