Both are dice games that take minutes to learn. In Shut the Box you add up your dice and flip tiles; in Pig you roll one die and decide when to stop.
| Shut the Box | Pig | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 1 to 4 | 2 to 6 |
| Played with | 2 dice and a Shut the Box board | 1 die, plus pen and paper |
| Type | Adding up | Push your luck |
| Level | Easy | Easy |
| How long | 10 to 20 minutes | 10 minutes |
| The goal | Close tiles that add up to your dice, and finish with the lowest total of open tiles. | Be the first to reach 100 points by rolling a die and holding before you roll a 1. |
| How you win | After everyone has had a turn, the lowest total wins, and shutting the box wins at once. | The first player to reach 100 points wins. |
Choose Shut the Box if
- you want to play alone as well as with up to three others
- you like adding up and choosing which tiles to shut
- you have, or will buy, a Shut the Box board
Choose Pig if
- you have one ordinary die and a pen
- you want to push your luck against up to five others
- you want a race to 100
