To start playing darts you need a board, three darts each, and the right setup: the center of the bull 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) above the floor and the throw line 7 ft 9¼ in (2.37 m) from the board face. Players take turns of three darts. In the standard game, 501, you subtract every turn from 501, and the first player to reach exactly zero, with the last dart in a double or the bull, wins the leg. Everything else in darts builds on that.
Start here, in this order:
| Step | Read | What you learn |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steel tip vs soft tip | which board and darts to get |
| 2 | Dartboard height and distance | how to hang the board and mark the line |
| 3 | Darts explained | X01 in a nutshell |
| 4 | 501 darts rules | the standard game, step by step |
| 5 | What is a bust in darts? | the rule that trips up every beginner |
| 6 | How to keep score in darts | chalking a game by hand |
| 7 | How to get better at darts | practice with a measuring stick |
What you need
- A board. A bristle (sisal) board for steel tip darts, or an electronic board for soft tip darts. The differences, including dart weights and throw distances, are in steel tip vs soft tip; all board types are compared in types of dartboards.
- Three darts per player. A turn is at most three darts (WDF 1.03). Official limits for steel tip darts are 30.5 cm and 50 g (WDF 1.01). Weight, barrel and flights are explained in how to choose darts.
- A throw line at the right distance, and some free space behind it.
- A way to keep score: a chalkboard, paper, or an app (what to look for in a darts scoring app).
Set up the board
Hang the board so that the center of the bull is 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) above the floor and the 20 is at the top. Mark the throw line 2.37 m (7 ft 9¼ in) from the face of the board, measured along the floor, not from the wall. Check it with the diagonal from the bull to the line at floor level: 2.93 m (9 ft 7⅜ in). These figures are the same in the WDF, PDC (DRA), ADO and German DDV rules; soft tip leagues in the US use 8 ft. The details, including how much room you need, are on dartboard height and distance.
How the board scores
| Where the dart lands | Score |
|---|---|
| Single segment (the wide part) | the number |
| Outer thin ring (double) | twice the number |
| Inner thin ring (treble) | three times the number |
| Outer bull (the ring around the center) | 25 |
| Bull (bullseye, center) | 50 |
That is the WDF specification (4.01). The highest dart is treble 20 (60), so the highest turn is 180. A dart only scores if it stays in the board until the turn is over (WDF 3.02), and a dart that bounces out is not thrown again (WDF 1.05).
Your first game of 501
- Decide who throws first. Officially, each player throws one dart at the bull and the nearer one starts (WDF 12.01 to 12.03). At home, any fair way works.
- Throw three darts and add them up.
- Subtract the total from your score. Both players start on 501.
- Take turns until someone can finish.
- Finish on a double. With 32 left you need double 16; with 50 left, the bull. With an odd number left, you first need a single that leaves an even number.
- Watch out for busts. Scoring more than you have left, leaving 1, or reaching zero without a double means the turn does not count (WDF 2.05). The edge cases are in what is a bust in darts.
Want a shorter game? 301 uses the same rules with fewer points to get through (301 darts rules). Every finish from 170 down is in our checkout chart, and how finishes work is in darts checkouts explained.
Straight out for your first evening
Double out is the official finish, but for your first games you can agree to play straight out, where any dart that reaches exactly zero wins. You only bust by scoring too much. Switch to double out once the subtraction feels easy. All the finish rules are in double out, master out and straight out.
The rules beginners ask about most
- All the official rules in one place: darts rules.
- Does the bull count as a double? Yes: it scores 50 and counts as double 25, so it finishes a leg on 50 (WDF 2.04). The outer bull does not.
- What are legs and sets? A leg is one game; a set is a group of legs. Explained in sets and legs.
- How do you keep score? Write the score after each turn and subtract, as shown in how to keep score in darts.
- What is a 3-dart average? Points scored divided by darts thrown, times three: how to calculate your 3-dart average. Whether yours is good: what is a good darts average?
- What do all the terms mean? Ton, oche, bed and breakfast and the rest are in the darts glossary.
Other games to try
- Cricket: you close the numbers 15 to 20 and the bull instead of subtracting: Cricket darts rules. Its variant where points go to your opponents is cut-throat cricket.
- Killer: a party game for a group, where you take other players' lives: Killer darts rules.
Getting better and finding a league
- Throwing: stance, grip, aim and release in how to throw darts.
- Practice: a plan with a measuring stick in how to get better at darts.
- Playing with others: how to find and join a darts league.
Watching darts on TV
The PDC World Championship is played in sets of legs; how it works is on the World Championship format page. The 3-dart average in match statistics is explained in how to calculate your 3-dart average.
Official darts rules as PDF
If you are looking for "darts rules for beginners" as a PDF, the official rule books are free to download:
- WDF Playing and Tournament Rules (World Darts Federation, 15 pages)
- ADO Tournament Rules Booklet (American Darts Organization)
- DRA Rules 2026 (the rule book for PDC events; Darts Regulation Authority)
Your first game in Darts Counter
If you would rather throw than subtract, Darts Counter does the counting, and you can count all games for free. We checked the app for how a first game works:
- Create your players in the Players tab, then tap X01 on the home screen and Choose Players.
- Pick the game: Points 301 or 501. On a fresh install the Checkout Mode is Straight Out; set it to Double Out for the official rules, and leave Starting Mode on Straight In.
- Leave Legs at 1 and Sets at 0 for a single game, then tap Start Game.
- Tap each dart as it lands: Double or Triple first if needed, then the number. The 25 button is the outer bull, Double and 25 together are the bull. "Missed" enters a miss, "Undo" takes back the last entry.
The app applies busts automatically, suggests a checkout from 170 down and saves 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 1.01 to 1.05, 2.02 to 2.05, 3.02, 4.01, 6.01 to 6.03 and 12.01 to 12.03
- ADO Tournament Rules Booklet, rule 62
- DRA Rules 2026, rules 6.5.9 and 6.7.1 (Darts Regulation Authority)
- DDV Sport- und Wettkampfordnung, §7(8) and §9 (German)
- Keep reading: darts rules, 501 rules, how to get better at darts
