Darts Rules & Popular Games Explained: 501, Cricket & More (2026)

Darts is scored by subtracting the points you hit from a starting total, with the outer ring doubling a number, the inner ring trebling it, the outer bull worth 25 and the inner bull worth 50. The most popular game is 501, where two players race from 501 to exactly zero and must finish on a double. Other common games include 301, Cricket, Around the Clock, Killer and Halve It.

How Does Scoring on a Dartboard Work?

Scoring on a dartboard works by adding the value of each segment your dart lands in, with two thin rings that multiply a number and a two-part centre. The 20 numbered wedges each have a single bed, a double ring on the outer edge worth twice the number, and a treble ring partway in worth three times the number. The centre has an outer bull worth 25 points and an inner bull, the bullseye, worth 50 points.

A standard dartboard is divided into 20 numbered wedges arranged so high and low numbers sit side by side, which punishes a missed throw. Reading clockwise from the top, the sequence is 20, 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, 10, 15, 2, 17, 3, 19, 7, 16, 8, 11, 14, 9, 12, 5. The 20 segment at the top is flanked by 1 and 5, so a slightly off throw aimed at 20 lands in a low number rather than another big score.

The treble 20 is the single highest-value bed on the board, worth 60 points, which is more than the 50-point bullseye. The treble ring is the narrow band roughly halfway between the centre and the edge, and the double ring is the narrow band on the very outer rim. Three treble 20s in one turn score 180, the maximum possible with three darts, often called a maximum.

Dartboard scoring at a glance

Area	What it is	Value
Single	The large body of a numbered wedge	Face value (e.g. 20 = 20)
Double	Thin ring on the outer rim	2× the number (double 20 = 40)
Treble	Thin ring partway in	3× the number (treble 20 = 60)
Outer bull	Green ring around the centre	25
Inner bull (bullseye)	Red dot in the centre	50, counts as a double

In British and PDC usage the inner ring is called the "treble"; American sources often call the same ring the "triple". Both terms mean three times the number.

What Is the Regulation Setup for a Dartboard?

The regulation setup for a steel-tip dartboard places the centre of the bullseye 1.73m (5ft 8in) from the floor, with the throwing line, the oche, set 2.37m (7ft 9.25in) from the face of the board. These two measurements are the World Darts Federation and PDC standard, and they are the same height and distance used in televised professional matches.

The 2.37m oche distance is measured horizontally from the front of the board to the throwing line, not along the floor diagonally. Setting the board to this 1.73m height and 2.37m distance at home means the angles you practise are identical to a match or a pub league, so the muscle memory you build transfers directly. For a full walkthrough of mounting and measuring, see our dartboard setup guide.

How Do You Play 501 Darts?

You play 501 by starting both players on 501 points and subtracting the score of each three-dart turn until one player reaches exactly zero. The final dart must land in a double or the bullseye to win, a rule known as double-out. If a turn would take a player below zero, leave a score of 1, or reach zero without a double, the turn is a bust and the score resets to where it stood before that turn.

501 is the standard professional format used by the PDC, and a single game from 501 to zero is called a leg. The bust rule keeps the finish honest: a player on 40 who throws a single 20 is left on 20 and can try again, but a player on 40 who throws a single 19 is left on 21, which is a number that cannot be finished on a double in one dart. Players plan their final throws around "checkout" numbers that end on a double.

• Starting score: both players begin on 501.
• Each turn: throw 3 darts, then subtract the total from your remaining score.
• The finish: reach exactly zero, and the dart that takes you to zero must be a double or the bullseye (the bull counts as double 25).
• Bust: going below zero, leaving 1, or hitting zero without a double resets the turn, with no score deducted.
• Double-in option: some leagues require your first scoring dart to also be a double, called double-in, though the PDC plays straight-start.

The checkout is where 501 is won, and learning a few common finishes speeds up your game quickly. A classic example is a remaining score of 40, finished with a single double 20. Our darts checkout chart lists the standard finishing routes for every checkout number.

How Is 301 Different From 501?

301 is identical to 501 except that both players start on 301 instead of 501, making the game shorter. Every other rule is the same: subtract each three-dart turn, finish on a double or the bullseye, and reset the turn on a bust. Casual players often choose 301 for a faster game, while leagues and professionals favour 501.

301 is also the game most often played with the double-in rule added, because the shorter format makes the slow start less frustrating. With double-in, none of a player's darts count until the first dart that lands in a double, after which scoring proceeds normally toward a double-out finish. According to standard pub and league practice, double-in, double-out 301 is a common casual format, while the PDC uses straight-start 501.

How Do You Play Cricket Darts?

Cricket darts is played using only the numbers 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and the bull, where each player races to "close" all seven targets by hitting each one three times. A single counts as one mark, a double as two marks and a treble as three marks toward closing a number. Once you have closed a number that your opponent has not, every further hit on it scores points until they close it too.

Cricket darts rewards both attack and defence, which is why it is one of the most popular pub games. To close a number you need three marks on it: a treble closes it in one dart, a double plus a single closes it in two, or three singles close it across up to three throws. On the bull in Cricket, the outer bull counts as one mark and the inner bull counts as two marks.

• Targets: 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and the bull, nothing else scores.
• Closing a number: hit it three times in total (treble = 3 marks, double = 2, single = 1).
• Scoring points: once you have closed a number and your opponent has not, each extra hit adds that number's value to your score.
• Winning: the winner has closed all seven targets and has a points total equal to or higher than their opponent.

Cricket strategy centres on a single decision each turn: build your own lead by scoring on a closed number, or shut your opponent out by closing the number they are scoring on. A player who closes the 20 first can pile up points three at a time on the treble 20 until the opponent finally closes it, which is why the high numbers are usually contested first.

How Do You Play Around the Clock?

Around the Clock, also called Around the World, is a solo-friendly accuracy game where you hit every number from 1 to 20 in order, then finish on the bull. Any hit on the current target counts, so a single, double or treble all advance you to the next number. The first player to work through 1 to 20 and hit the bull wins.

Around the Clock is the game most coaches recommend for beginners because it forces you to aim at every part of the board rather than only the 20. Each player throws three darts per turn and moves up one number for every successful hit, so a good turn can advance you several numbers at once. By default any single counts, but a stricter variant requires you to hit the double or treble of each number to move on.

What Other Darts Games Should Beginners Try?

Beyond 501 and Cricket, several classic games build different skills and suit groups of three or more players. Killer sharpens doubles and trebles under pressure, while Halve It rewards consistent target hitting and punishes a wasted turn. Both are popular pub games that scale well to larger groups.

Killer

Killer is an elimination game where each player is assigned a number, often by throwing with the non-dominant hand, and must first earn lives by hitting their own number. Hitting your number scores lives equal to the segment value: a single gives one life, a double two and a treble three, and reaching three lives turns you into a "killer". A killer then hits other players' numbers to remove their lives, and a player is eliminated once they reach zero lives and are hit again. According to the standard ruleset, a killer who loses any of their own lives drops back below killer status until they rebuild to three.

Halve It

Halve It is a target game played over a fixed list of rounds, where each round names a specific target such as 20, 19, the double or the bull. If you hit the round's target at least once with your three darts, you add the score to your running total; if you miss with all three, your total is halved. The player with the highest total after the final round wins, so a single bad round can swing the game dramatically.

Expert Tips for New Darts Players

Start every practice session with Around the Clock to warm up your whole board, not just the 20. Hitting 1 through 20 in order forces you to adjust your aim across the full face of the dartboard, which exposes weak spots a 20-only routine hides. Players who warm up across the board tend to settle their grouping faster once they switch to 501.

Learn three checkouts before you worry about big scoring. Memorising the finishes for 40 (double 20), 32 (double 16) and 36 (double 18) means you can close out a leg of 501 the moment you land on one of those numbers. According to common coaching guidance, beginners lose far more legs to missed doubles than to low scoring, so doubles practice pays off fastest.

Play Cricket against a stronger opponent to learn board control under pressure. Cricket forces decisions about when to score and when to block, which trains the same shot selection used in competitive 501. A beginner who can reliably hit the trebles of 20, 19 and 18 in Cricket already has the scoring foundation that 501 rewards.