In 501 each player starts on 501 and subtracts the score of every visit of up to three darts. The first player to reach exactly zero, finishing on a double or the bull, wins the leg. If you score more than you have left, leave 1, or reach zero without a double, the visit is a bust: it does not count and your score goes back to what it was before that visit.
| Rule | 501 standard | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Start score | 501 | DRA 6.3.1 |
| Start | straight in: every dart scores | WDF 2.01, DDV §5(1) |
| Darts per visit | up to 3 | WDF 1.03, DDV §4(2) |
| Finish | a double or the bull, to exactly zero | WDF 2.02, DRA 6.3.1 |
| Bull | 50, counts as double 25 | WDF 2.03, 2.04, DRA 6.3.2 |
| Bust | too many points, 1 left, or zero without a double | WDF 2.05, DRA 6.3.3 |
| Match | best of an odd number of legs or sets | WDF 2.10, 2.11 |
How to play 501, step by step
- Decide who throws first. In WDF events, each player throws one dart at the bull and the nearer one starts (WDF 12.01 to 12.03). At home, any fair method works.
- Throw a visit of three darts. Add up where they landed: a single counts its number, the double ring twice, the treble ring three times, the outer bull 25, the bull 50 (WDF 4.01).
- Subtract the total from your score. A dart only counts if it stays in the board until the visit is over and the score is recorded (WDF 3.02). Darts that bounce out are not thrown again (WDF 1.05).
- Take turns until someone has a score they can finish.
- Finish on a double. To win, "the player must land a dart in the double (Double Ring or Bull) of the number equal to one half of the remaining score" (WDF 2.02). On 32 that is double 16, on 50 the bull.
- Stop after the winning dart. "A dart thrown by a player after finishing shall not count" (WDF 2.09).
The bust rule, with examples
WDF 2.05: if a player "scores more points than remain in the leg or match, or the same points as remain without finishing on a double, or leaves a score of one, then that throw shall not count and the score shall remain as it was prior to that throw." The PDC's rule book says the same (DRA 6.3.3).
| You have left | You throw | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | T20 | Bust: 60 is more than 32. Back to 32. |
| 32 | 20, then 12 | Bust: zero, but on a single. Back to 32. |
| 32 | 20, then 11 | Bust: leaves 1, which no double can finish. Back to 32. |
| 32 | 16, then D8 | Checkout: 16 + 16 = 32, finished on a double. |
| 40 | 20, then D10 | Checkout. |
A bust ends the visit at once, even if you have darts left (DRA 6.2.6.3).
The bullseye in 501
The bull (inner bull) scores 50 and "shall count as double 25" (WDF 2.04), so it is a legal finish on 50. The outer bull scores 25 and counts as a single, so it cannot finish a leg. Because the bull counts as a double, the highest finish in 501 is 170: T20, T20, Bull. Some scores up to 170 cannot be finished with three darts at all: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. Every route from 170 down to 2 is in our checkout chart.
Legs and sets in 501
A leg is one game from 501 to zero. A match is played as the best of an odd number of legs, and "the first player that wins a majority of the given number of legs shall be the winner", with the remaining legs not played (WDF 2.10). In bigger matches, legs are grouped into sets, also best of an odd number (WDF 2.11). The exact format, such as how many sets, is set by each event (DRA 6.3.1 allows it to be "stated otherwise in the playing format").
In WDF play the winner of the bull throw starts every odd-numbered leg, and in set play every odd-numbered set (WDF 12.02).
Which darts count
- A visit is at most three darts (WDF 1.03).
- A dart that falls out before the darts are retrieved does not count (WDF 1.06).
- The score counts from the segment where the point enters the board (WDF 3.03).
- The marker may call the score needed but never names the double: "32", not "double 16" (WDF 3.08).
501 variants you may meet
- 301: same rules from 301; some groups add double in.
- 701 and 1001: WDF 3.01 lists them next to 501 as fixed odd start scores.
- Double in, master out, straight out: other start and finish rules, explained in double out, master out and straight out.
Official 501 rules as PDF
- WDF Playing and Tournament Rules (World Darts Federation, 20th revised edition)
- DRA Rules 2026 (the rule book for PDC events; Darts Regulation Authority)
- DDV Sport- und Wettkampfordnung (German federation, in German)
Playing 501 with Darts Counter
In the app's X01 setup, choose Points: 501, Checkout Mode: Double Out and Starting Mode: Straight In for the standard rules. We checked the code for how the rest works:
- Legs and Sets are the number a player needs to win, not "best of". For best of 5 legs, set Legs to 3. Leave Sets at 0 to play legs only.
- The player who throws first changes every leg, and you can turn on a random player order.
- Busts are applied automatically, with the reason shown ("Score exceeded", "No finish possible anymore", "Not finished with double field").
- From 170 down, the app suggests a checkout route after every dart.
- Start scores from 301 to 901 are available in steps of 100.
Darts Counter does the subtraction for you and keeps your 3-dart average for every leg.
Sources
Written by FLAME Apps, maker of Darts Counter since 2015. Checked 2026-09-25.
- WDF Playing and Tournament Rules, 20th revised edition, rules 1.03 to 4.01 and 12.01 to 12.03
- DRA Rules 2026, rules 6.2.6 and 6.3.1 to 6.3.3
- DDV Sport- und Wettkampfordnung, §4 and §5 (German)
- Keep reading: how to keep score in darts, how to calculate your darts average
