Darts

Overview

Throw three darts per turn at a numbered board, subtracting from a starting score of 501. First to reach exactly zero, finishing on a double, wins the leg.

This entry is checked against the WDF Playing and Tournament Rules (revision 20, 28 February 2018), which World Darts Federation still lists as current. Rule numbers below are the WDF's. Professional PDC events run under the Darts Regulation Authority rulebook, which hasn't been checked for this page.

1. The board and setup

The board is divided into twenty numbered segments, with an outer double ring, an inner treble ring, and a bullseye at the centre.

Target	Value
Segment	Face value
Outer ring	Double
Inner ring	Treble
Outer bull	25
Inner bull	50 (counts as a double)

The highest possible score with three darts is 180 — three treble twenties.

Setup measurements, which are exact and non-negotiable:

• Centre of the bull: 1.73m above the floor (Rule 6.01)
• Back of the oche to the face of the board, measured horizontally: 2.37m (Rule 6.02)
• Diagonal, from the centre of the bull to the back of the oche at floor level: 2.93m, a handy check that both are right (Rule 6.03)

2. Play

Each player throws three darts per turn, then retrieves them.

Start at 501 and subtract each turn's score. First to exactly zero wins the leg.

3. The double-out rule

You must finish on a double — a double segment, or the inner bullseye.

If a throw takes you below zero, to exactly one, or to zero without a double, the turn is a bust: the score reverts to what it was at the start of that turn, and any remaining darts are forfeited.

This is why 170 — treble 20, treble 20, bullseye — is the highest possible checkout, and why 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159 cannot be checked out at all.

4. Throwing rules

Your feet must stay behind the oche, and you mustn't tread on it (Rule 6.04). Throwing from beside it, your feet must stay behind an imaginary line continuing it. A first breach brings a warning from the referee; darts thrown in breach after that warning don't score (Rule 6.06). The rule is about feet, so leaning over is allowed.

A dart that bounces off or falls out of the board can't be thrown again (Rule 1.05), and one that falls out before the throw is finished and the darts retrieved doesn't count (1.06). Nobody may push a dart in or hold it in place to stop it falling (1.07).

5. Match structure

Matches are played in legs, often grouped into sets. "Best of 11 legs" or "best of 5 sets" are typical.

Who throws first is decided by throwing for the bull; the winner starts the match and every odd-numbered leg, or every odd-numbered set (Rule 12.02). Players therefore alternate the throw, which matters: the player throwing first has a one-turn head start.

6. Common checkouts worth knowing

Score	Route
170	T20, T20, Bull
167	T20, T19, Bull
100	T20, D20
81	T19, D12
40	D20
32	D16
2	D1

32 is the preferred finish because missing D16 narrowly leaves 16, then 8, then 4, then 2 — each still a clean double.

7. Other games

Pub and practice games, not covered by the WDF rules:

• Around the Clock — hit 1 through 20 in order.
• Cricket — close out 15 through 20 and the bull by hitting each three times.
• Killer — claim a number, then knock out opponents' lives.
• 301 — as 501, often requiring a double to start as well.

Commonly argued

• You must finish on a double. Reaching zero any other way is a bust.
• Leaving exactly one is a bust, because one cannot be finished on a double.
• A bounced-out dart scores nothing and is not re-thrown.
• You may lean over the oche as long as your feet stay behind it.
• Stepping over gets a warning first. Only darts thrown in breach after that are voided.
• You can't push a loose dart in to stop it falling out.
• The inner bull counts as a double, so 50 is a legal finish.
• The maximum checkout is 170, not 180. 180 is the maximum score.