In darts, each player throws three darts per turn from a throw line 7 ft 9¼ in (2.37 m) from a board whose bull hangs 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) high. In the standard game, 501, every score is subtracted from 501 and the leg is won by reaching exactly zero with a double or the bull. A turn that scores too much, leaves 1 or reaches zero without a double is a bust and does not count. Matches are played over legs, and longer matches over sets.
These are the official steel tip rules of the World Darts Federation (WDF) and of the rule book used at PDC events (DRA), with the German federation (DDV) and the American Darts Organization (ADO) where their rules add something. Soft tip rules follow further down.
| Rule | Standard | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Board height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m), floor to center of the bull | WDF 6.01, DRA 6.5.9, ADO 62 |
| Throw line (oche) | 7 ft 9¼ in (2.37 m) to the face of the board | WDF 6.02, DRA 6.7.1, ADO 62 |
| Darts per turn | up to 3 | WDF 1.03, DRA 6.2.6 |
| Start | straight in: every dart scores | WDF 2.01, DRA 6.3.1 |
| 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 |
| Who starts | a throw at the bull | WDF 12.01, DRA 6.13.1 |
The dartboard and how it scores
The board is a bristle board with the numbers 1 to 20 in the standard clock pattern, 451 mm (about 17.8 in) across (WDF 4.01, DRA 6.5.2). The 20 sits at the top and is the darker segment (WDF 4.02).
| Where the dart lands | Score |
|---|---|
| Single segment | the number |
| Outer narrow ring (double) | twice the number |
| Inner narrow ring (treble) | three times the number |
| Outer bull | 25 |
| Bull (bullseye) | 50 |
A dart counts from the segment where its point enters the board (WDF 3.03) and only if it stays in the board, inside the outer double wire, until the turn is over and the score is recorded (WDF 3.02). That makes treble 20 (60) the highest single dart and 180 the highest turn. The darts explained page shows the X01 basics in short.
Board height and throw line
For steel tip darts, every major rule set uses the same setup:
- Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) from the floor to the center of the bull (ADO 62, WDF 6.01, DRA 6.5.9, DDV §7(8)).
- Throw distance: 7 ft 9¼ in (2.37 m), measured from the back of the raised oche to the face of the board (ADO 62, WDF 6.02, DRA 6.7.1, DDV §9(1)).
- Diagonal check: 9 ft 7⅜ in (2.93 m) from the center of the bull to the back of the oche at floor level (ADO 62, WDF 6.03, DDV §9(2)).
Your feet stay behind the oche while you throw. You may throw from beside it, but only behind an imaginary line extending the oche (WDF 6.04, 6.05). Under PDC rules a dart thrown with the front foot over the line does not score (DRA 6.7.3); under WDF rules the referee warns you first (WDF 6.06).
Darts: length and weight limits
| Rule set | Maximum length | Maximum weight |
|---|---|---|
| WDF (1.01), ADO (56), DDV (§3(3)) | 12 in (30.5 cm) | 50 g |
| PDC events, DRA (6.1.1) | 200 mm (about 7.9 in) | 40 g |
| US soft tip, NDA | 8 in, tip to end of flight | 20 g |
Every steel tip dart has a metal point, a barrel, a stem (shaft) and a flight (DRA 6.1.1).
How a turn works
- A turn (visit) is up to three darts, thrown one at a time from the hand, point first (WDF 1.02, 1.03).
- It ends early if you touch a dart in the board, finish the leg, or bust (DRA 6.2.6).
- A dart that bounces out or falls out is not thrown again and does not score (WDF 1.05, 1.06).
- You take your darts out only after the score is recorded (WDF 3.04).
- Subtract the turn from what you have left. The guide to keeping score shows how to chalk a game by hand.
Starting and finishing: straight in, double out
Unless an event says otherwise, every leg starts straight in: the first dart that hits the board scores (WDF 2.01, DDV §5(1)). It ends double out: the last dart must hit the double that is "one half of the remaining score" (WDF 2.02). With 32 left you need double 16, with 40 left double 20.
Casual games and some leagues change this with double in, master out or straight out. What each one means is in double out, master out and straight out.
The bust rule
If a turn "scores more points than remain", reaches zero 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" (WDF 2.05). The PDC rule book says the same (DRA 6.3.3). Example: with 32 left, T20 is a bust, and so is 20 followed by 12. The 501 rules have more worked examples.
The bull counts as double 25
The bull scores 50 and "shall count as double '25'" (WDF 2.04), so it finishes a leg on 50 (DRA 6.3.2, DDV §5(2)). The outer bull (25) is a single and cannot finish. Because the bull is a double, the highest finish is 170 (T20, T20, bull). Every finish from 170 down to 2 is in our checkout chart.
Legs and sets
- A leg is one game from 501 to zero. The number of legs in a set or match "must be odd" (WDF definitions).
- A set is a group of legs, won by whoever takes the majority. The number of sets in a match must be odd as well.
- Matches are "best of three (five, seven, etc.)", and legs or sets no longer needed are not played (WDF 2.10, 2.11).
- Each event sets its own format (DRA 6.3.1: "unless stated otherwise in the playing format"). A tie-break is allowed if the event sets it out in its rules in advance (DRA 6.16.1).
How the PDC World Championship uses sets and legs is on our World Championship format page.
Who throws first
A throw at the bull decides. Each player throws one dart, and the dart nearer the center starts (WDF 12.03). Under WDF rules the winner starts the first leg and every odd-numbered leg, and in set play every odd-numbered set (WDF 12.02). Under PDC rules the winner may choose to throw first (DRA 6.13.2). At home, any fair method works.
Conduct at the oche
- Stand at least 60 cm (about 2 ft) behind the player who is throwing (WDF 14.06).
- Stay quiet during your opponent's throw (DRA 6.15.4).
- You may ask the referee what you scored or need, but nobody tells you how to finish (DRA 6.15.6). A marker calls "32", never "double 16" (WDF 3.08).
- Arithmetic errors stand unless corrected before your next throw (WDF 3.06), and a score cannot be protested once the darts are out of the board (WDF 3.05).
- Respect your opponent: no offensive language or gestures, no deliberate delays, no interfering with a throw (WDF 15.01).
- Before a match you get 6 practice darts in WDF events (WDF 13.01) and 9 in PDC events unless another number is set (DRA 6.14.1).
Soft tip (electronic) darts rules
Soft tip darts are played on a machine that counts for you, under separate rules.
| NDA (US) | DSAB (Germany) | |
|---|---|---|
| Throw line | 8 ft (96 in) to the face of the target | 2.37 m |
| Bull height | 5 ft 8 in (68 in) | not stated in the league rules |
| Dart weight | up to 20 g | up to 21 g, 5% tolerance included |
| Standard '01 game | any in, any out, whole bull worth 50 | 501 double out, 301 master out or 301 single out, by league class |
| Darts that bounce out | count as thrown, no rethrow | count as thrown, no rethrow |
Under NDA rules, you bust when you score more than you need to reach zero, and "Masters" events play double in, double out with a split bull (25 and 50). In both rule sets the machine's score generally stands (NDA "Scoring on the Electronic Dart Machine", DSAB 2.3.4).
Official darts rules as PDF
- WDF Playing and Tournament Rules, 20th revised edition (World Darts Federation)
- DRA Rules 2026, the rule book for PDC events (Darts Regulation Authority)
- ADO Tournament Rules Booklet (American Darts Organization)
- NDA Rules (National Dart Association, US soft tip, web page)
Score a game by these rules
In Darts Counter, choose Points: 501, Checkout Mode: Double Out and Starting Mode: Straight In for the official rules. On a fresh install the checkout mode is Straight Out, so switch it once. The app then applies busts for you and shows the reason. For best of 5 legs, set Legs to 3: the Legs and Sets settings count what a player needs to win. Start scores from 301 to 901 are available, and Double In, Master In and Master Out are one tap away.
Go deeper
- 501 darts rules: the standard game step by step, with bust examples
- Double out, master out and straight out: every start and finish rule
- How to keep score in darts: chalking 501 and Cricket by hand
- How to calculate your 3-dart average: the formula and a table
- Cut-throat cricket: the Cricket variant where points go to your opponents
- Killer darts: a party game with a printable score sheet
- World Championship format: sets and legs at Alexandra Palace
- Darts explained: X01 in a nutshell
- Checkout chart: every finish from 170 to 2
Sources
Written by FLAME Apps, maker of Darts Counter since 2015. Checked 2026-09-25.
- WDF Playing and Tournament Rules, 20th revised edition (dated 28 February 2018), definitions and rules 1.01 to 6.06, 12.01 to 15.01
- DRA Rules 2026 (in force from 31 March 2026), rules 6.1.1 to 6.16.1
- ADO Tournament Rules Booklet, rules 56 and 62
- DDV Sport- und Wettkampfordnung, §3, §5, §7 and §9 (German)
- NDA Rules: dart machine and equipment specifications, general rules of play, '01 rules
- DSAB-Liga-Regeln 2016, rules 1.1, 1.4.2, 1.4.3, 2.3.3 and 2.3.4, with the 2019 weight change (German)
