🎯 Darts, explained
Players throw three darts a turn to race from 501 to exactly zero, finishing on a double — the home of the 180 and the nine-darter.
What am I watching?
Professional darts is a race: both players start a leg on 501 points and take turns throwing three darts each, subtracting whatever they score from their total. The board's numbered segments score their face value, the outer ring doubles it, the thin middle ring trebles it, and the centre offers the outer bull (25) and the bullseye (50). The maximum with three darts is 180 — three treble 20s — and the crowd's roar for a 180, echoed by the referee's elongated 'one hundred and eiiiighty', is the sport's signature sound. The catch is the finish: you must reach exactly zero, and the final dart must land in a double (or the bullseye, which counts as double 25). Go below zero, hit zero without a double, or leave one, and you 'bust' — the turn is void and your score resets to where it stood.
Matches are structured in legs, and in longer formats in sets: a leg is one race from 501, a set is typically first to three legs, and matches are first to a stated number of legs or sets. Players alternate who throws first in each leg, which matters enormously: the thrower with the advantage is 'holding throw', and winning a leg against the opponent's throw is a 'break', exactly as in tennis. Big matches, like the PDC World Championship at London's Alexandra Palace, are played in sets in front of a fancy-dress crowd that treats every night like a festival.
Watch two numbers on screen: the three-dart average, which is the all-in-one measure of scoring power (top professionals live near or above 100), and the checkout percentage, which shows how efficiently a player kills legs when they reach a finishable number. The drama compresses into checkouts — combinations down from 170, the highest possible finish — and into the rare nine-dart finish, a perfect leg completed in the minimum nine darts, darts' equivalent of a maximum break in snooker.
How scoring works
Each turn ('visit') is three darts. A dart scores the number of the segment it lands in: 1 to 20 around the board, with the thin outer ring counting double and the thin inner ring counting treble. The centre has two scores: the outer bull is worth 25 and the inner bullseye 50. Three treble 20s make the maximum score of 180. Darts that miss the scoring area, bounce out, or fall off score nothing, and a dart must remain in the board to count.
In the standard game, 501, each player's visit total is subtracted from their remaining score. The leg is won by reaching exactly zero with a final dart in a double — the outer ring — or in the bullseye, which counts as double 25. This 'double out' rule defines the endgame: a player on 32 wants double 16; a player on 40 wants double 20 ('tops'). If a visit would take the score below zero, to exactly one, or to zero without finishing on a double, the player is bust: the visit scores nothing and the score returns to what it was before the turn.
The highest checkout is 170 — treble 20, treble 20, bullseye — and certain totals (169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159) are 'bogey numbers' that cannot be finished in three darts at all. Matches are decided by legs and sets: a leg is one game of 501; where sets are used, a set is usually first to three legs, and the match is first to a stated number of sets. Most PDC events outside the World Championship are legs-only. Players alternate throwing first each leg, and deciding legs in some formats require a two-clear-legs margin or a sudden-death leg per the event's rules.
- Three darts per turn; segments score face value, outer ring doubles, inner ring trebles
- Outer bull scores 25, bullseye scores 50 (and counts as a double for finishing)
- Maximum score with three darts: 180 (three treble 20s)
- You must finish on exactly zero, with the last dart in a double or the bullseye
- Bust: going below zero, leaving exactly 1, or hitting zero without a double — the whole visit is void
- Highest possible checkout is 170 (T20, T20, bull)
- 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159 cannot be checked out in three darts
- A leg is one game of 501; sets (usually first to three legs) are used in the biggest events
Formats
501 double out
Sets play
Legs-only play
Double in, double out
Team darts
The rules
The board and the throw
A standard dartboard is divided into 20 numbered wedges arranged so high numbers sit beside low ones — 20 is flanked by 1 and 5 — punishing near-misses. The thin outer ring doubles a wedge's value, the thin inner ring trebles it, the outer bull scores 25 and the bullseye 50. The board hangs with the bullseye at 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) from the floor, and players throw from behind a line called the oche, 7 feet 9.25 inches (2.37 m) from the face of the board.
What counts
A dart scores where its point touches the board within the scoring rings, and it must stay in the board until the player or a marker calls the score. Bounce-outs and darts that fall before being scored count nothing and may not be re-thrown. Leaning over the oche is allowed; stepping on or past it is not.
The game of 501
Both players start each leg on 501 and subtract each visit's score. The skill splits into two crafts: scoring — piling up 140s and 180s through the treble 20 — and finishing, the art of taking out the remaining total. Professionals aim to reach a finish inside nine or twelve darts, and the transition moment, when a player leaves themselves a number they can check out, decides most legs.
Setting up a finish
Good players don't just score — they navigate to preferred doubles. Many engineer routes to 32 (double 16) because a missed double 16 leaves 16, then 8, then 4, halving cleanly each time without a 'madhouse' visit to double 1.
Doubles, checkouts and the bust rule
A leg can only end on a double: the final dart must land in the outer ring or the bullseye (double 25) to bring the score to exactly zero. Any visit that would go below zero, leave exactly one, or reach zero without a finishing double is a bust — the visit is annulled and the score reverts. The highest checkout is 170 (treble 20, treble 20, bull), celebrated on TV graphics as 'the big fish'. Checkout charts list standard three-dart routes for every finishable number from 170 down.
Bogey numbers
Seven totals — 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159 — cannot be finished with three darts, so leaving one of them is a small tactical failure. Commentators call them bogey numbers, and professionals steer their previous visit to avoid them.
Legs, sets and the order of throw
A leg is a single game of 501. In legs-only formats the match is simply a race to a target number of legs. In sets formats, legs are grouped — a set typically goes to the first player to win three legs — and the match is decided on sets. Throwing first in a leg is a real advantage (the thrower reaches a finish first with normal scoring), so players alternate first throw between legs, and pre-match, the right to throw first in the opening leg is decided by a bull-off: nearest to the bullseye wins.
Holds, breaks and deciders
Winning a leg you threw first in is holding throw; winning against the throw is a break, and matches often swing on a single one. Deciding legs or sets in some events require being two clear, with sudden-death provisions per the tournament's rules once a cap is reached.
Match conduct and officials
A referee (the 'caller') announces each visit's score and the famous 'game shot!' when a leg ends; markers chalk or key in the remaining totals. Players must not distract an opponent mid-throw; crowd noise, by contrast, is constant at PDC events and considered part of the game. Professional matches run under the Darts Regulation Authority's rules on conduct, equipment and dress, and disputes over where a dart landed are settled by the officials, whose call is final.
Equipment
Players supply their own darts — up to a maximum weight and length set by the rules (professional darts typically weigh in the low-to-mid 20s of grams) — with tungsten alloys standard because thin barrels group tighter in the treble 20. Boards at professional level are sisal-fibre with thin wiring to reduce bounce-outs, rotated regularly to spread wear. There are no equipment timeouts: a dropped or damaged dart is simply replaced from the player's case.
The professional landscape: PDC and WDF
The sport's dominant professional body is the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), formed in the 1990s when top players split from the older British Darts Organisation (BDO). The PDC runs the World Championship at Alexandra Palace ('Ally Pally'), the Premier League, the World Matchplay and a deep tour of floor events; qualification is via Tour Cards earned at Q School and defended through the money-list Order of Merit. The World Darts Federation (WDF) governs the amateur and national-federation game worldwide — the route most players, including those from India and the rest of Asia, take toward the professional tour.
The nine-dart finish
The perfect leg: 501 cleared in the minimum possible nine darts. The classic route is 180, 180, 141 (treble 20, treble 19, double 12), though several routes exist. Nine-darters are the sport's rarest televised feat, historically carrying six- and seven-figure bonus prizes at the biggest events, and each one is replayed for years. Its difficulty is compounding: eight perfect darts mean nothing if the ninth misses the double.
Glossary — 37 terms
Stats decoded
| Stat | Unit | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 3-dart average | points/3 darts | Total points scored divided by darts thrown, times three. The sport's headline stat: mid-90s is solid professional level, 100+ is elite, and averages above 110 mark all-time great performances. |
| First-nine average | points/3 darts | The 3-dart average over only the first nine darts of each leg, before finishing begins. It isolates raw scoring power and is usually several points above a player's match average. |
| Checkout % | % | Doubles hit as a percentage of darts thrown at doubles. The efficiency stat that decides close matches — around 40% is respectable at professional level, and hot finishing nights run well above 50%. |
| 180s | count | Maximums hit in a match, tournament or season. A raw power stat that correlates with averages but rewards streaky heavy scorers; season 180 counts are followed as a race in their own right. |
| Highest checkout | points | The biggest finish completed, capped at 170. Tournaments often carry a high-checkout prize, and a career-best checkout is quoted alongside averages in player profiles. |
| Breaks of throw | count | Legs won when the opponent threw first. The momentum stat in legs formats: matches between well-matched players are usually decided by whoever lands one more break. |
| Leg win % | % | Legs won divided by legs played. More granular than match record, and split by with-throw and against-throw it reveals whether a player wins on scoring or on stealing. |
| Darts per leg | darts | Average number of darts used to win a leg. Twelve to fifteen darts is elite territory in 501; the theoretical floor is nine, and lower means legs are being killed before the opponent reaches a finish. |
| Average checkout | points | Mean value of the finishes a player completes. A high figure signals a player comfortable taking out three-figure combinations rather than grinding down to tops. |
| Nine-dart finishes | count | Career perfect legs in professional play. Rare enough to be individually remembered; even among world champions, many have none on television. |
| Order of Merit rank | rank | Position on the PDC's two-year rolling prize-money ranking, which controls seedings and major qualification. The number that defines a professional's standing and Tour Card security. |
| Match win % | % | Matches won divided by matches played across a season or career. Best read alongside averages: a high win rate on a modest average marks a clutch finisher. |
Quick answers
How does scoring work in darts?
Both players start a leg on 501 and alternate visits of three darts, subtracting what they score. Each board segment scores its number, the outer ring doubles it, the inner ring trebles it, the outer bull is 25 and the bullseye 50 — so the best visit is 180, three treble 20s. To win the leg you must reach exactly zero, and your final dart must land in a double or the bullseye. Matches are races to a set number of legs, sometimes grouped into sets.
What is a checkout in darts?
A checkout is the finishing combination that takes your remaining score to exactly zero, ending on a double. For example, 100 is commonly finished treble 20 then double 20, and the highest possible checkout is 170 — treble 20, treble 20, bullseye. Checkout percentage (doubles hit per dart thrown at a double) is the standard measure of finishing skill, and seven awkward totals — 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159 — cannot be finished with three darts at all.
What does 'bust' mean in darts?
A bust is a failed finishing visit. If your darts would take you below zero, leave you on exactly 1, or bring you to zero without the final dart landing in a double (or bullseye), the whole visit is cancelled and your score goes back to what it was before the turn — your opponent then throws as normal. It exists because legs must end precisely on a double, so the endgame is about leaving the right numbers, not just scoring fast.
What is a nine-dart finish?
It is the perfect leg: finishing 501 in nine darts, the mathematical minimum. The best-known route is 180, 180, then a 141 checkout of treble 20, treble 19, double 12, though other routes exist. It is the rarest feat in darts — the sport's equivalent of snooker's 147 maximum — and televised nine-darters have historically carried large bonus prizes and permanent fame.
What is the difference between a leg and a set in darts?
A leg is one complete game of 501, from the opening throw to the winning double. A set is a group of legs, usually first to three. Shorter tournaments are played legs-only (first to, say, 11 legs), while the PDC World Championship uses sets — first to a target number of sets wins. Sets create tennis-like swings: it is possible to win more total legs than your opponent and still lose the match.
How far is the dartboard throw line and how high is the board?
The oche (throw line) is 7 feet 9.25 inches — 2.37 metres — from the face of the board, and the bullseye is hung 5 feet 8 inches — 1.73 metres — above the floor. Players may lean over the oche as far as balance allows but must not step on or beyond it. These measurements are standard worldwide for steel-tip darts, so a home setup can exactly match what professionals play.
What is the PDC in darts?
The Professional Darts Corporation is the sport's dominant professional organisation, created in the 1990s when leading players broke away from the British Darts Organisation. It runs the biggest events — the World Championship at Alexandra Palace, the Premier League, the World Matchplay — and its two-year prize-money Order of Merit is the sport's world ranking. Players qualify for the tour by winning a Tour Card, usually at the annual Q School. The WDF governs the amateur, national-federation side of the sport worldwide.
Why do darts players go for double 16 instead of double 20?
Because of what a near-miss leaves. Miss double 16 into the single and you are on 16 — still a clean double (8), and after another single miss, 8 leaves 4: the number keeps halving neatly. Miss double 20 into the single 20 and you are on 20, fine, but miss into the neighbouring 5 or 1 and the numbers turn ugly. Many professionals therefore steer their setup shots toward 32, while others simply back their favourite double — 'tops' (double 20) remains the most iconic finish in the game.