A 501 game ends when you reduce your score to exactly zero with a dart that lands in a double or the bullseye. This is the double-out rule. The highest possible finish is 170 (Treble 20, Treble 20, Bullseye). The seven scores that cannot be finished in three darts are 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. The full checkout chart below lists a verified combination for every score from 170 down to 2.
Every combination in the tables on this page was checked by calculation: each listed finish sums exactly to its score and ends on a double or the bullseye. The chart covers all 160 finishable scores between 2 and 170.
How does a darts checkout work?
A darts checkout in 501 is the sequence of darts that takes your remaining score to exactly zero, where the final dart must land in a double segment or the inner bullseye (worth 50, counted as a double). The double-out rule is the standard finishing condition in PDC and BDO/WDF tournament play. If a dart would take you below zero, exactly to one, or to zero without a double, the throw is "bust" and your score reverts to what it was at the start of that turn.
The dartboard's outer ring is the double ring. Each number from 1 to 20 has a double (D1 through D20, worth 2 to 40), plus the inner bullseye worth 50. This gives 21 possible finishing targets. The treble ring (the inner band, worth three times the number) is never a finishing dart but is the engine of high checkouts, since Treble 20 scores 60 in a single dart.
Notation used on this page: T20 = Treble 20 (60), S20 = Single 20 (20), D20 = Double 20 (40), Bull = inner bullseye (50, counts as a double), 25 = outer bull single (25). A finish is read left to right in throwing order, so the rightmost value is always the double you finish on.
What is the checkout chart from 170 to 100?
The 170-to-100 range covers the three-dart finishes built around Treble 20. The 170 finish (T20, T20, Bullseye) is the highest possible checkout in darts, and is the only finish that requires two trebles and the bull. According to standard PDC tournament charts, the recommended high finishes lead with Treble 20 to leave a single treble plus a double, the simplest two-dart leave after the first scoring dart.
| Score | Recommended finish |
|---|---|
| 170 | T20 · T20 · Bull |
| 167 | T20 · T19 · Bull |
| 164 | T20 · T18 · Bull |
| 161 | T20 · T17 · Bull |
| 160 | T20 · T20 · D20 |
| 158 | T20 · T20 · D19 |
| 157 | T20 · T19 · D20 |
| 156 | T20 · T20 · D18 |
| 155 | T20 · T19 · D19 |
| 154 | T20 · T18 · D20 |
| 153 | T20 · T19 · D18 |
| 152 | T20 · T20 · D16 |
| 151 | T20 · T17 · D20 |
| 150 | T20 · T18 · D18 |
| 149 | T20 · T19 · D16 |
| 148 | T20 · T20 · D14 |
| 147 | T20 · T17 · D18 |
| 146 | T20 · T18 · D16 |
| 145 | T20 · T19 · D14 |
| 144 | T20 · T20 · D12 |
| 143 | T20 · T17 · D16 |
| 142 | T20 · T14 · D20 |
| 141 | T20 · T19 · D12 |
| 140 | T20 · T20 · D10 |
| 139 | T20 · T13 · D20 |
| 138 | T20 · T18 · D12 |
| 137 | T20 · T19 · D10 |
| 136 | T20 · T20 · D8 |
| 135 | T20 · T17 · D12 |
| 134 | T20 · T14 · D16 |
| 133 | T20 · T19 · D8 |
| 132 | T20 · T16 · D12 |
| 131 | T20 · T13 · D16 |
| 130 | T20 · T18 · D8 |
| 129 | T19 · T16 · D12 |
| 128 | T18 · T14 · D16 |
| 127 | T20 · T17 · D8 |
| 126 | T19 · T19 · D6 |
| 125 | T20 · T19 · D4 |
| 124 | T20 · T16 · D8 |
| 123 | T19 · T16 · D9 |
| 122 | T18 · T20 · D4 |
| 121 | T20 · T11 · D14 |
| 120 | T20 · S20 · D20 |
| 119 | T19 · T12 · D13 |
| 118 | T20 · S18 · D20 |
| 117 | T20 · S17 · D20 |
| 116 | T20 · S16 · D20 |
| 115 | T20 · S15 · D20 |
| 114 | T20 · S14 · D20 |
| 113 | T20 · S13 · D20 |
| 112 | T20 · S12 · D20 |
| 111 | T20 · S11 · D20 |
| 110 | T20 · S10 · D20 |
| 109 | T20 · S9 · D20 |
| 108 | T20 · S16 · D16 |
| 107 | T19 · T10 · D10 |
| 106 | T20 · S14 · D16 |
| 105 | T20 · S13 · D16 |
| 104 | T18 · S18 · D16 |
| 103 | T20 · S3 · D20 |
| 102 | T20 · S10 · D16 |
| 101 | T20 · S9 · D16 |
| 100 | T20 · D20 |
Scores 100 and above are three-dart territory for most players, since a single dart can score at most 60. The bogey numbers 169, 168, 166, 165, 163 and 162 fall inside this range and are absent from the chart on purpose, because no legal three-dart double-out exists for them.
What is the checkout chart from 99 to 41?
The 99-to-41 range is where most legs are actually won, because a player who scores well leaves a two-dart finish here after the first nine darts. Almost every score in this band is a single-dart score (a treble or single) followed by one double, which is why these are the finishes worth committing to memory first.
| Score | Finish | Score | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | T19 · S10 · D16 | 69 | T19 · D6 |
| 98 | T20 · D19 | 68 | T20 · D4 |
| 97 | T19 · D20 | 67 | T17 · D8 |
| 96 | T20 · D18 | 66 | T10 · D18 |
| 95 | T19 · D19 | 65 | T19 · D4 |
| 94 | T18 · D20 | 64 | T16 · D8 |
| 93 | T19 · D18 | 63 | T13 · D12 |
| 92 | T20 · D16 | 62 | T10 · D16 |
| 91 | T17 · D20 | 61 | T15 · D8 |
| 90 | T18 · D18 | 60 | S20 · D20 |
| 89 | T19 · D16 | 59 | S19 · D20 |
| 88 | T20 · D14 | 58 | S18 · D20 |
| 87 | T17 · D18 | 57 | S17 · D20 |
| 86 | T18 · D16 | 56 | S16 · D20 |
| 85 | T15 · D20 | 55 | S15 · D20 |
| 84 | T20 · D12 | 54 | S14 · D20 |
| 83 | T17 · D16 | 53 | S13 · D20 |
| 82 | T14 · D20 | 52 | S20 · D16 |
| 81 | T19 · D12 | 51 | S19 · D16 |
| 80 | T20 · D10 | 50 | Bull |
| 79 | T13 · D20 | 49 | S17 · D16 |
| 78 | T18 · D12 | 48 | S16 · D16 |
| 77 | T19 · D10 | 47 | S15 · D16 |
| 76 | T20 · D8 | 46 | S14 · D16 |
| 75 | T17 · D12 | 45 | S13 · D16 |
| 74 | T14 · D16 | 44 | S12 · D16 |
| 73 | T19 · D8 | 43 | S11 · D16 |
| 72 | T16 · D12 | 42 | S10 · D16 |
| 71 | T13 · D16 | 41 | S9 · D16 |
| 70 | T18 · D8 |
The 50 finish is the bullseye itself, the only single-dart finish above 40. Bullseye counts as a double under the double-out rule, so landing the inner bull from a score of 50 is a legal one-dart checkout.
What is the checkout chart from 40 to 2?
The 40-to-2 range is the doubles-only finishing zone, where a single dart can win the leg. Every even number from 40 down to 2 is a direct one-dart double (40 = D20, down to 2 = D1), and the odd numbers require a single first to leave an even double. The 40 (D20) and 32 (D16) finishes are the two most-practised doubles in the game because the table below routes most awkward leaves back to them.
| Score | Finish | Score | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | D20 | 20 | D10 |
| 39 | S7 · D16 | 19 | S3 · D8 |
| 38 | D19 | 18 | D9 |
| 37 | S5 · D16 | 17 | S1 · D8 |
| 36 | D18 | 16 | D8 |
| 35 | S3 · D16 | 15 | S7 · D4 |
| 34 | D17 | 14 | D7 |
| 33 | S1 · D16 | 13 | S5 · D4 |
| 32 | D16 | 12 | D6 |
| 31 | S15 · D8 | 11 | S3 · D4 |
| 30 | D15 | 10 | D5 |
| 29 | S13 · D8 | 9 | S1 · D4 |
| 28 | D14 | 8 | D4 |
| 27 | S11 · D8 | 7 | S3 · D2 |
| 26 | D13 | 6 | D3 |
| 25 | S9 · D8 | 5 | S1 · D2 |
| 24 | D12 | 4 | D2 |
| 23 | S7 · D8 | 3 | S1 · D1 |
| 22 | D11 | 2 | D1 |
| 21 | S5 · D8 |
What are the bogey numbers in darts?
Bogey numbers are scores that cannot be finished with a legal double-out in three darts: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. There are exactly seven of them, confirmed by checking every three-dart combination against each score. Even a perfect thrower cannot check out a bogey number, so when you are left on one, you must throw a scoring dart first to set up a finishable leave for the next turn.
| Bogey number | Why it cannot finish in 3 darts |
|---|---|
| 169 | Highest three darts before the double is T20+T20 (120), leaving 49, which is odd and above the 40 double cap |
| 168 | Maximum two-dart setup cannot leave a reachable even double; no valid combination exists |
| 166 | No three-dart route lands on a double; first two darts cannot leave a finishable number |
| 165 | Odd target with no setup that leaves an even double inside the 40 (or 50 bull) range |
| 163 | No combination of two scoring darts plus a double sums to 163 |
| 162 | No three-dart double-out exists despite being below 170 |
| 159 | Lowest of the seven bogey numbers; no valid three-dart finish |
One detail surprises new players: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163 and 162 all sit just below the highest checkout of 170, yet none of them can be finished while 170 can. The reason is that 170 uniquely uses the bullseye as a 50-point double; the bogey numbers cannot be reduced to a reachable double with the two scoring darts available before the finishing throw.
How should you choose which double to finish on?
Choosing a checkout route is about leaving yourself a double you trust, not just hitting the mathematically tidiest path. According to standard PDC tournament strategy, most professionals route awkward scores back toward Double 16 or Double 20 because those doubles sit beside friendly singles. The key principle is to keep an even number above the double, so that a single miss into the single bed still leaves a workable second-dart double.
The D16 fallback rule: If you miss D16 (32) into the single 16, you are left with 16, which is D8. Miss that into single 8 and you have D4. This "halving" path (32 to 16 to 8 to 4 to 2) is why many players favour finishes ending on D16; a missed dart still leaves a clean double every time.
The most important habit is to avoid leaving an odd number on your last scoring dart. An odd remainder forces you to throw a single before you can reach a double, costing a dart. Players report that planning the setup dart one turn ahead, so the leave is even and bounces back to a friendly double, is the single biggest scoring improvement after raw accuracy.
Expert tips for finishing legs faster
The checkout chart tells you what to aim at, but finishing consistently comes from a small set of habits that experienced players build over time. The four below address the mistakes that cost recreational players the most legs.
- Memorise the 99-to-41 band first. These two-dart finishes (one treble or single, then one double) decide most legs. Knowing 98 = T20 D19 instantly saves the mental arithmetic that breaks rhythm mid-throw.
- Set up Double 16, not Double 1. Aiming to leave 32 (D16) gives you the halving fallback. Leaving 2 (D1) gives you no margin; a single miss leaves you on the same tiny target.
- Throw a setup dart when stuck on a bogey number. On 162, do not chase an impossible three-dart out. Throw for a single or treble that leaves an even, finishable number such as 130 or 110 for the next turn.
- Keep your double consistent. Picking a "favourite" double and routing toward it builds a repeatable target. A confident, repeatable release matters more than the chart, which is why the right darts for your grip and weight help consistency. The MyDartFinder tool matches barrels to your throw so your finishing dart lands the same way every time.
For the equipment side of consistency, the way your barrel, shaft, and flight work together affects how repeatably the dart enters the board. See the dart setup guide for how to tune those three components around your throw.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest checkout in darts?
The highest checkout in darts is 170, thrown as Treble 20 (60), Treble 20 (60), Bullseye (50). It is the only finish that combines two trebles with the bull and is often called "the big fish." No score above 170 can be finished in three darts, because the maximum three-dart total is 180 (three Treble 20s), which does not end on a double.
What are the bogey numbers in darts?
The bogey numbers are 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. These are the only seven scores between 2 and 170 that cannot be finished with a legal double-out in three darts. When left on a bogey number, you must throw a scoring dart first to leave a finishable number for your next visit.
Why does the last dart have to be a double?
Standard 501 uses the double-out rule, meaning the dart that takes your score to exactly zero must land in a double segment or the inner bullseye, which counts as a double worth 50. There are 21 finishing targets in total: D1 through D20 (worth 2 to 40) plus the 50-point bull. Reaching zero without a double, or going below zero, results in a bust and your score reverts to the start of that turn.
What is the best double to leave yourself on?
Double 16 (32) and Double 20 (40) are the two most-recommended doubles. Double 16 is favoured for its halving fallback: a missed dart into the single 16 leaves 16, then 8, then 4, then 2, all clean doubles. Double 20 is favoured because it sits at the top of the board and is the most-practised single target.
How many possible checkouts are there from 2 to 170?
There are 160 finishable scores between 2 and 170, because 7 of the 167 scores in that range (the bogey numbers) cannot be checked out in three darts. Every finishable score has at least one valid double-out, and many have several routes depending on which double you prefer.
A repeatable finishing dart starts with darts that suit your grip and weight. The Finder scores the full database against your throw so your double lands the same way every time.
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