How to Play Darts: 501, Cricket and Scoring Rules
Updated
In darts you throw three darts a turn at a round board and score what each one hits. In the standard game, 501, you count down from 501 and win by reaching exactly zero with a double or the bullseye. The other common game is cricket, where you close the numbers 15 to 20 and the bull.
The rules below follow the World Darts Federation, with notes where casual games differ.
The dartboard and the throw
The board has 20 numbered segments, with the 20 straight up between the 1 and the 5. A dart scores by the area it lands in.
| Area | Score |
|---|---|
| Wide parts of a segment | The number of the segment |
| Thin outer ring (double) | Twice the number |
| Thin inner ring (treble) | Three times the number |
| Ring around the bull | 25 |
| Bullseye | 50 |
The most you can score with three darts is 180, which is three trebles on the 20.
You throw from behind a line called the oche. Its back edge is 2.37 m (about 7 ft 9 in) from the face of the board, and the center of the bullseye is 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) above the floor.
A dart counts only if its point stays in the board until your turn is over and the score is recorded. If it bounces out or falls out, it scores nothing and is not thrown again.
How to play 501
- Throw one dart each at the bullseye. The closer dart goes first, and a coin toss does the same job at home. The starter then alternates each leg.
- Each player starts on 501. Throw your three darts, add them up and subtract the total from your score.
- You may start scoring with any dart, which is called a straight start. Some formats use a double in, where you must hit a double before your score starts to drop.
- To win the leg, you must reach exactly zero, and your last dart must land in a double or the bullseye, which counts as a double 25.
- If a turn takes you below zero, leaves you on one, or reaches zero without a double, it is a bust. The turn does not count and your score goes back to what it was before you threw.
- The first player to finish wins the leg. A match is played over an odd number of legs, such as three or five, and the player who wins most of them wins the match. Legs can also be grouped into sets.
Because the last dart must be a double, only even scores can be finished with one dart: 40 is double 20, 32 is double 16 and 50 is the bullseye. With an odd score left, you first need an odd single to leave an even score.
For example, from 501 you throw a treble 20, a single 20 and a single 5. That is 85, and you are on 416. The same rules apply to 301.
How to play cricket on a dartboard
Darts cricket is not the bat-and-ball sport, which has its own guide: how to play cricket. It uses only the numbers 15 to 20 and the bull, and each player throws three darts a turn.
| Dart | Marks |
|---|---|
| Single | 1 |
| Double | 2 |
| Treble | 3 |
| Ring around the bull | 1 |
| Bullseye | 2 |
- Three marks on a number close it for you. Marks add up over several turns.
- After you close a number, each extra hit on it scores its value for you until your opponent closes it too. A double counts twice, a treble three times, the ring around the bull is 25 and the bullseye is 50.
- When both players have closed a number, it is dead and scores nothing.
- You win by closing all seven targets while having at least as many points as your opponent.
Common fouls in darts
- Feet over the oche. After a warning, darts thrown with a foot over the line do not score.
- Touching a dart that is in the board before your turn ends. That ends the turn.
- Pushing a dart into the board to stop it falling out. Those darts do not count.
Darts games in your browser
Browser darts swaps the throwing arm for a mouse, a swipe or a timing meter, and each game has its own modes. All of them play free in the browser, with no install and no registration.
- Dart Duell: Timing Champion plays the classic X01 game, where you hit doubles to finish. Click, tap or press Space to lock your aim, then again to stop the power meter and throw. You can play the computer, train or challenge a friend in an online room.
- Darts 501 and more offers a traditional game of 501 or a 9 dart challenge. Swipe with the mouse or a finger to throw, then play a friend or a world tournament against AI opponents.
- Glow Darts has 301, 501, Around The World and Baseball modes. Hold the mouse button to aim and release when the crosshair is in place.
- Darts Pro Multiplayer has a multiplayer mode, a mode against the computer and a mode for a friend on the same device. Tap the screen to set the direction and strength of the throw.
- Interesting Darts changes the rules: a hit near the middle scores more, the red area gives five extra darts, and the bombs among the colored balls are to be avoided.
Around The World, also called Round the Clock, asks you to hit each number from 1 to 20 in order. Only Dart Duell says in its description that you hit doubles to finish, so check a game's mode before you rely on the double-out rule.
For more aiming games, open the sports category or read the sports games guide.
Tips for scoring and finishing
- Aim at the treble 20 while you are far from zero. It scores 60, and a small miss to either side lands on the 1 or the 5.
- Leave yourself a double you like. From 32 you need double 16. If you hit the single 16 instead, you are on 16 and need double 8, then 8 and double 4, and so on down.
- Never leave 1. No double makes 1, so any throw that leaves it is a bust.
- In cricket, work on the number your opponent is scoring on. If you are behind on points, score on numbers your opponent has not closed. If you are ahead, close what is left.
Common questions about darts
How do you score darts?
Add up your three darts and subtract the total from your score. A single counts as the number, a double as twice the number and a treble as three times. The ring around the bull is 25 and the bullseye is 50.
What is a bust in darts?
A bust is a turn that takes you below zero, leaves you on one, or reaches zero without a double or the bullseye. The turn does not count, and your score returns to what it was before the turn.
How far do you stand from a dartboard?
The back of the oche is 2.37 m (about 7 ft 9 in) from the face of the board, measured horizontally.
What is the highest score with three darts?
180, which is three treble 20s. The fewest darts that can finish a 501 leg is nine, called a nine-dart finish.
Know the double finish and the bust rule first, and the rest of darts is arithmetic.
