Darts in short: each player throws three darts per turn at a board divided into 20 numbered segments. In the standard game, 501, you subtract every score from 501, and the first player to reach exactly zero, with the last dart in a double or the bull, wins the leg. This page covers the rules, the most played games and the questions players ask most, with a link to the full guide for each topic.
What darts is
Darts is a throwing game. The board has 20 segments, each with a single area, a narrow double ring on the outside and a narrow treble ring in the middle, plus the outer bull (25) and the bull (50). A treble 20 is worth 60, so the most you can score with three darts is 180. New to the game? Start with darts for beginners, then read the official darts rules, explained.
The board and the setup
- Height: the center of the bull is 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) above the floor.
- Throw distance (steel tip): 7 ft 9 1/4 in (2.37 m) from the face of the board to the throw line, called the oche. US soft tip leagues under NDA rules use 8 ft (about 2.44 m).
- Check your setup: the diagonal from the center of the bull to the back of the oche at floor level is 9 ft 7 3/8 in (2.93 m). If that matches, height and distance are right.
How to hang and measure a board: dartboard height and distance. Which board to buy: dartboard types and steel tip vs soft tip.
X01: 501 and 301
X01 is the family of games where you count down from a start score, most often 501 or 301. Every visit of up to three darts is subtracted from what you have left. You must land on exactly zero. Under double out, the rule of WDF, PDC (DRA) and DDV events, the last dart must hit a double or the bull. Master out also allows a treble, and straight out lets any segment finish. Some games also start with a double (double in): darts before your first double score nothing.
If a visit scores more than you have left, leaves 1 under double out, or reaches zero without a double, it is a bust: the whole visit is void and your score goes back to what it was before it.
Full rules: 501 darts rules, 301 darts rules, double out, master out and straight out and what is a bust.
Cricket
Cricket is played on 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and the bull; every other number scores nothing. A single is one mark, a double two and a treble three, and three marks close a number. Once you have closed a number, further hits on it score its value while your opponent still has it open. Close all seven targets first with the same or a higher score and you win. In Cut-Throat Cricket the points go to your opponents and the lowest score wins. Full rules: cricket darts rules.
Other darts games
Most fun games have no official rule book; they are played by house rules, so agree the details before the first dart.
- Killer: every player gets a number. Hit your own double to become a killer, then hit the other players' doubles to take their lives. The last player left wins.
- Shanghai: round 1 is played on the 1s, round 2 on the 2s, and so on. A single, double and treble of the round's number in one visit is a "Shanghai" and wins at once.
- Around the Clock: hit 1 to 20 in order, moving on only once you hit the current number. Solo, count how many darts you need.
- Bob's 27: doubles practice. Start on 27 and aim three darts at each double from 1 to 20; hits add the double's value, three misses take it away.
- Halve-it: one agreed target per round. Miss it with all three darts and your whole score is halved.
Short rules for many more games, and which ones the app scores: darts games. Terms like "madhouse" or "ton": darts glossary.
Scoring, averages and checkouts
On a score sheet, write the score of each visit and the new remainder below the last one; after a bust, write 0 for that visit and repeat the score you had before it. Your 3-dart average is the points you scored divided by the darts you threw, times three: a 501 leg finished in 18 darts is 501 / 18 x 3 = 83.5. A checkout is the visit that takes you to exactly zero; the highest is 170 (treble 20, treble 20, bull). Matches are played in legs, or in sets of legs.
Step by step: how to keep score in darts, how to calculate your darts average, what is a good darts average, darts checkouts explained, the 170 checkout, sets and legs and the checkout chart from 170 to 2.
Leagues, tournaments and getting better
How the big events are played: darts World Championship format, darts tournament formats and PDC vs WDF. Playing yourself: joining a darts league, how to throw darts, how to choose darts, how to get better at darts and the mental game.
Let an app do the counting
Keeping score in your head slows the game down. Our Darts Counter app scores X01 from 301 to 901, Cricket and Cut-Throat Cricket, shows a checkout suggestion for your remaining score and keeps your 3-dart average and statistics per player. It handles sets and legs, any number of players, and has an undo button and a tablet layout. A fresh install starts on straight out, so set the finish rule to double out before a 501 match. You can count all games for free; the app shows ads. Darts Counter Plus removes the ads and unlocks all app designs. More in what a darts scoring app does.
Common questions
How high is a dartboard?
The center of the bull is 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) above the floor. WDF, PDC (DRA), ADO and the US soft tip body NDA all use this height. Details and a measuring guide: dartboard height and distance.
How far do you stand from a dartboard?
For steel tip darts the throw line is 7 ft 9 1/4 in (2.37 m) from the face of the board. In US soft tip leagues under NDA rules it is 8 ft (about 2.44 m).
What does bust mean in darts?
A bust is a visit that does not count because it broke the finishing rule. Under double out that means scoring more than you have left, leaving 1, or reaching zero without a double. Your score goes back to what it was before the visit. More in what is a bust.
Does the bullseye count as a double?
Yes. The bull scores 50 and counts as double 25, so it finishes a leg on 50. The outer bull scores 25 and is a single.
What is a checkout in darts?
The visit that takes your remaining score to exactly zero and wins the leg. The highest checkout is 170: treble 20, treble 20, bull. Every finish from 170 to 2 is in our checkout chart.
What is a good darts average?
We have not found a data source that measures beginner or pub averages, so we do not give a number. For scale: at the 2026 World Matchplay, Luke Littler averaged 111.04 (PDC). Compare yours with your own earlier legs; see what is a good darts average.
What is the difference between sets and legs?
A leg is one game, for example one 501 from 501 down to zero. A set is a group of legs: whoever wins the agreed number of legs takes the set. How many legs make a set is decided by each event. More in sets and legs.
Who throws first in darts?
In WDF events a bull throw decides: the player nearer the center throws first in the match and in every odd-numbered leg. In casual games, players often agree on it or take turns.
What is the difference between steel tip and soft tip darts?
Steel tip darts have metal points and are thrown at a bristle board, and a player or scorer keeps the score. Soft tip darts have plastic tips and are thrown at an electronic board that counts for you. More in steel tip vs soft tip.
Sources
Written by FLAME Apps, maker of Darts Counter since 2015. Rules checked 2026-09-25 against the WDF Playing and Tournament Rules (20th revised edition), the DRA Rules 2026, the ADO Tournament Rules Booklet, the NDA Rules and the PDC report on the 2026 World Matchplay. Fun-game rules follow Wikipedia: Darts and the sources in our darts games guide. App features were checked in the Darts Counter code. Each linked guide lists its own sources.
Darts Counter: Scoreboard
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