In Cricket you only play 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and the bull. Hit each one three times to close it: a single counts one mark, a double two, a triple three, the outer bull one and the inner bull two. Once you have closed a number, every further hit on it scores its value for you until your opponent closes it too. The first player to close all seven targets with the higher or an equal score wins. These are the American Darts Organization's rules (ADO rules 49 to 55); the US soft tip body NDA words the win the same way.
| Hit | Marks | Points once the number is yours |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 1 | the number (20 for a single 20) |
| Double | 2 | twice the number |
| Triple | 3 | three times the number |
| Outer bull | 1 | 25 |
| Inner bull | 2 | 50 |
The numbers and the marks
"Cricket is played using the numbers 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and both the Inner and Outer Bull" (ADO rule 49). To close a number "the player/team must score three of that number", with the double counting 2 and the triple 3, so you close with three singles, a single and a double, or a triple (rule 50). For the bull, "the Outer Bull counts as a single, and the Inner Bull counts as a double" (rule 52).
You may close the numbers "in any order desired", and "calling your shot is not required" (rule 53).
How points score
"Once a player/team closes a number, he/they may score points on that number until the opponent also closes that number" (ADO rule 51). A double or triple scores two or three times the number. When both sides have closed a number, it is dead: nobody scores on it again.
Points are what decide the game when both players close at a similar pace. A player who closes 20 early and keeps hitting it builds a lead the opponent can only stop by closing 20 as well.
How to win at Cricket
The ADO rule 55 has three parts:
- The side that "closes all the numbers first and has the highest numerical score" wins.
- If both sides are tied on points, or have no points, the first to close all numbers wins.
- If you close everything first but are behind on points, you "must continue to score on any number not closed" by your opponent until you catch up, or until the opponent closes all numbers.
The US soft tip body NDA puts it in one line: the player "that closes all numbers and the Bull's Eye first, and has a greater or equal point score, wins".
Worked example: two players, three rounds
Mia and Tom play Cricket. We scored every dart below with the same logic Darts Counter uses.
| Turn | Darts | What happens | Mia | Tom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mia | T20, 20, miss | T20 closes 20; the single 20 scores 20 (Tom has 20 open) | 20 | 0 |
| Tom | T19, 19, 1 | T19 closes 19; the single 19 scores 19; the 1 is not a Cricket number | 20 | 19 |
| Mia | 20, 20, T18 | 40 more on her 20; T18 closes 18 | 60 | 19 |
| Tom | T20, D19, 18 | T20 closes 20 for Tom, so 20 is dead; D19 scores 38; one mark on 18 | 60 | 57 |
| Mia | 19, D19, 17 | 19 and D19 close 19 for Mia (19 is now dead); one mark on 17 | 60 | 57 |
| Tom | T18, D17, 25 | T18 closes 18 (Mia has it closed, so no points); two marks on 17; one mark on the bull | 60 | 57 |
After three rounds both have closed 20, 19 and 18. Mia leads 60 to 57 and still needs 17, 16, 15 and the bull; Tom already has two marks on 17 and one on the bull. Whoever closes the rest first while ahead on points, or pulls ahead by scoring on a number the other has open, wins.
Cricket with three or more players
The ADO rules are written for two sides, a player or a team against another. With three or more players, agree before you start when a closed number stops scoring. In Darts Counter you keep scoring on a closed number as long as at least one opponent still has it open.
With three or more players many groups prefer Cut-throat Cricket, where your points go to the opponents instead and the lowest score wins.
Cricket variants
- Cut-throat Cricket: points go to every opponent who has the number open; the lowest score wins. Full rules: cut-throat cricket.
- No-score Cricket: only closing counts; the first to close everything wins. In Darts Counter this is the Close All First win condition.
- Tactics: the German Wikipedia describes a longer version with the numbers 20 down to 10 plus the bull (regionally down to 11), and notes that on electronic machines it is 20 to 15.
- Soft tip Cricket: the NDA plays "with a double Bull's Eye": the outer bull counts 25 and the inner bull 50.
Marks per round (MPR)
Cricket has its own average. The NDA defines marks per round as the total marks divided by the darts thrown, times three. Its example: 59 marks in 46 darts is an MPR of 3.85. The NDA uses MPR, together with points per dart for '01 games, to rate league players.
Darts Counter does not show MPR. Its Cricket statistics and end-of-game screen show your hit rate per number, the average darts you needed to close each number, points per scoring throw and your highest turn score.
Strategy basics
- Close the 20 first. It is the biggest number, and a treble 20 (60) outscores any other single dart in Cricket, the inner bull (50) included.
- Score before you close the rest. Points only count while your opponent has the number open, so a lead is easiest to build early.
- Close what your opponent owns. Every number they have closed and you have not is a number they can score on.
- Do not leave the bull for last if you are behind. It is the smallest target, and you may have to score there to catch up.
Cricket in Darts Counter
Darts Counter scores Cricket on your own or with several players. In the Cricket setup you choose Regular or Cut Throat and a Win Condition: Highest Score (the ADO rule above) or Close All First. You tap the segment you hit; for a miss you pick the number you aimed at, so your hit rate stays accurate.
We read the app's code to check it against the rules above, and found one difference to know: in Regular Cricket, extra marks on the dart that closes a number do not score. With two marks on 20, a triple 20 closes the number, and the two extra marks are lost; they only score on a later dart. The ADO rules do not settle this case in so many words, and the app's Cut Throat mode does count those marks, so agree on it before you play.
Statistics are kept per player, and an accuracy heatmap is part of Advanced statistics, which you unlock with a short video, a one-time purchase or Darts Counter Plus. You can count all games for free.
Want the closing-dart marks counted in Regular Cricket? Tell us
Sources
Written by FLAME Apps, maker of Darts Counter since 2015. Checked 2026-09-25. The worked example and the app behavior were checked against the app's code (version 2026.5.1).
- ADO Tournament Rules Booklet, rules 49 to 55 (American Cricket rules)
- NDA Rules, "Rules of Play: Cricket" and "Official Skill Rating Procedure" (MPR)
- Wikipedia (German): Darts, section on Tactics and Cricket
- Keep reading: cut-throat cricket, how to keep score in darts, darts rules
