How to play Tulip Tuck
The goal
Tuck in all nine tulips to shut the box for a perfect score of 0. If a throw fits nothing first, your turn ends and the numbers on the tulips still open are your score. Lower is better.
A turn
- Press Throw to throw two dice.
- Tap open tulips whose numbers add up to the throw. A throw of 9 can be 9, 8 and 1, 7 and 2, 6 and 3, 5 and 4, 6, 2 and 1, 5, 3 and 1, or 4, 3 and 2. The Tuck button shows what your picks make so far; tap a picked tulip again to unpick it.
- Press Tuck when your picks add up exactly. Those tulips close and bow.
- Throw again. If any set of open tulips makes the throw, you must tuck one.
- When a throw fits nothing, your turn ends. Your score is the total of the tulips still open.
Tuck all nine and you shut the box: a score of 0, which nobody can beat (only tie).
One die
On by default; switch it in New game. Once 7, 8 and 9 are all tucked, you may throw one die instead of two. With only small tulips left, one die is often the safer throw.
Other ways to play
Choose these in New game.
- Solo: one round, just you. Your lowest score, your average and your shut boxes go in your statistics.
- Vs Scienceboos: you and one to three Scienceboos each play a turn on a fresh window box, and the lowest score wins. Ties share the win. Easy tucks any tulips that fit, often just one; Medium plays the old rule of thumb, the biggest tulips first; Hard plays the best possible tulips every throw, and takes more risks when it is behind. Tap a seat to see that player’s window box.
- Pass and play: two to four people share this device, each with a name. The line under the dice says whose turn it is.
- Match to 45: against Scienceboos or friends, play rounds until someone’s total reaches 45 at the end of a round. Then the lowest total wins. The first player moves one seat along each round.
Controls
With the Hint button on in Settings, Hint shows the tulips Hard would tuck, or whether to throw one die, and says why. Show matching sums (on by default) makes tulips that could still help make the throw glow softly.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| R | Throw (two dice) |
| O | Throw one die, when allowed |
| 1 to 9 | Pick or unpick that tulip |
| Arrow keys | Move along the row of tulips |
| Enter or Space | Pick the focused tulip |
| T | Tuck the picked tulips |
| U | Clear your picks |
| H | Hint (when the Hint button is on) |
Tips
- Totals of 6, 7 and 8 come up most with two dice; 2 and 12 least. Keep tulips that can make the middle totals.
- Small tulips fit more throws: when you have a choice, tucking the big ones first usually leaves you more ways to go on.
- Once 7, 8 and 9 are tucked and only a few small tulips are left, one die is usually the better throw.
Questions
Are the dice fair? Yes. Every throw is decided at random as you make it, and nothing changes it afterwards. A reload shows the same dice, so there are no do-overs.
What if two players both shut the box? They share the win.
Do I need an account? No. Your game saves on this device automatically. An optional account adds cloud saves across devices.
