Your 3-dart average is the points you scored divided by the darts you threw, multiplied by three. A 501 leg finished in 15 darts gives 501 / 15 x 3 = 100.2. A bust counts as a full visit of three darts with no points, and a checkout with one or two darts counts only the darts you actually threw.
| What you want | Formula | Example (501 in 18 darts) |
|---|---|---|
| 3-dart average | total points / darts thrown x 3 | 501 / 18 x 3 = 83.5 |
| 1-dart average (points per dart) | total points / darts thrown | 501 / 18 = 27.83 |
| Darts needed for an average | 501 x 3 / average | 501 x 3 / 83.5 = 18 darts |
The 3-dart average formula
A visit in darts is up to three darts. The 3-dart average tells you how many points you score per full visit, which is why it is multiplied by three. In the standard definition, "the total amount of points scored is divided by the number of darts thrown, and then multiplied by three" (Wikipedia, "Three-dart average").
Two details decide whether your number is right:
- Busts count three darts. "If a player busts their score on their first or second throw in a visit, then that counts as a complete visit and is counted as three darts thrown" (same source). The Darts Regulation Authority rule book also treats a bust with fewer than three darts as a complete visit (DRA Rules 2026, 6.2.6.3).
- A short checkout counts only the darts thrown. "If the winning dart is in the first or second dart thrown in a visit, only those darts are counted as thrown for that visit" (same source). The DRA rule book agrees that a visit ends when the leg is won with fewer than three darts (6.2.6.2).
Worked example: one leg of 501
Here is a leg you win, visit by visit:
| Visit | Darts | Scored | Left |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 100 | 401 |
| 2 | 3 | 60 | 341 |
| 3 | 3 | 85 | 256 |
| 4 | 3 | 140 | 116 |
| 5 | 3 | 41 | 75 |
| 6 | 3 | 45 | 30 |
| 7 | 2 (10, D10) | 30 | 0 |
| Total | 20 | 501 |
3-dart average: 501 / 20 x 3 = 75.15.
A common mistake is to divide by visits instead of darts: 501 / 7 = 71.57. That is lower because it treats your two-dart checkout as if you had used all three darts, so it is not the 3-dart average.
The same leg with a bust
Now say that on 30 you throw a single 20, then a single 10. You reached zero without a double, so the visit is a bust: the score goes back to 30, and the visit counts as three darts with zero points. Next visit, you hit D15 with your first dart.
- Darts: 18 (visits 1 to 6) + 3 (bust) + 1 (D15) = 22
- 3-dart average: 501 / 22 x 3 = 68.32
One bust cost you almost seven points of average in this leg.
3-dart average chart for a 501 leg
If you win a leg of 501, your average for that leg depends only on how many darts you needed. We calculated this chart with the formula above:
| Darts to win the leg | 3-dart average | 1-dart average |
|---|---|---|
| 9 (nine-darter) | 167.00 | 55.67 |
| 12 | 125.25 | 41.75 |
| 15 | 100.20 | 33.40 |
| 18 | 83.50 | 27.83 |
| 21 | 71.57 | 23.86 |
| 24 | 62.63 | 20.88 |
| 27 | 55.67 | 18.56 |
| 30 | 50.10 | 16.70 |
| 36 | 41.75 | 13.92 |
| 45 | 33.40 | 11.13 |
| 60 | 25.05 | 8.35 |
For a leg you lose, use the points you actually scored, not 501. If you scored 360 points in 24 darts before your opponent finished, your average for that leg is 360 / 24 x 3 = 45.
How to work out your average over a match
For a match or a whole evening, add up all points and all darts, then apply the same formula. Averaging your leg averages gives a different number, because a short leg and a long leg then count the same.
| Points | Darts | Leg average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg 1 (won) | 501 | 18 | 83.50 |
| Leg 2 (lost) | 360 | 24 | 45.00 |
| All darts | 861 | 42 | 861 / 42 x 3 = 61.50 |
| Mean of the two leg averages | (83.50 + 45.00) / 2 = 64.25 |
Both numbers are correct for what they measure. When you compare your average with published statistics, use the all-darts method.
1-dart, 9-dart and first 9 averages
- 1-dart average is points per dart: total points / darts thrown. The US soft tip body NDA uses it as its official skill rating for '01 games under the name PPD, with the example 301 points in 12 darts = 25.08 PPD. Multiply by three and you have the 3-dart average (75.25).
- First 9 average measures only the first nine darts of each leg, normalized to three darts and averaged over all legs (definition from the German darts glossary dartraum.de). It leaves out the finish, so it shows your scoring without the doubles. If your first nine darts score 100, 60 and 85, your first 9 average for that leg is 245 / 9 x 3 = 81.67.
- "9 dart average" in searches usually means one of the two above. A 9-dart leg of 501 has an average of 167, the highest possible for a won leg.
How TV averages are calculated
The averages shown on TV use the same formula: points divided by darts, times three, with busts counted as three darts and short checkouts counting only the darts thrown (Wikipedia, "Three-dart average"). The same page lists Michael van Gerwen's 123.40 against Michael Smith in the 2016 Premier League as the highest televised match average (checked 2026-09-25).
How Darts Counter calculates your average
We read the app's scoring code to describe exactly what it does:
- During a leg, the average next to each player is points scored in that leg / darts thrown x 3, rounded to two decimals.
- A bust counts as three darts with no points, whichever dart busted.
- A checkout counts only the darts you threw: a one-dart finish adds one dart.
- Double In: darts thrown before your opening double score nothing but still count as darts thrown.
- The match summary and the statistics screen show the mean of your leg averages, so every leg counts the same, like the 64.25 in the table above. If you want the all-darts number, the summary shows your total darts thrown.
If you would rather not do this arithmetic at the oche, Darts Counter keeps your 3-dart average up to date after every dart and saves it for every player.
What about a good average?
We do not publish "good average" bands, because we have not found a data source behind the ones that circulate. The most useful comparison is your own average over time.
Sources
Written by FLAME Apps, maker of Darts Counter since 2015. Checked 2026-09-25.
- Wikipedia: Three-dart average (formula, busts, checkouts, televised record)
- DRA Rules 2026, rule 6.2.6 (definition of a visit; Darts Regulation Authority)
- NDA Rules (Points Per Dart, Official Skill Rating Procedure)
- dartraum.de: First 9 Average (definition, German)
- More on scoring: how to keep score in darts, 501 rules, checkout chart
