1: Each player starts on 301.Two players is the usual game. For 501, only the starting number changes.
2: A turn is three darts, thrown one at a time from behind the throwing line.No part of a foot may pass the front edge of the line. Leaning over it is allowed.
3: Add up the three darts and subtract the total from your score.Every dart counts from the first throw. No double is needed to start.
4: A dart scores only if its point stays in the board until you collect it.One that bounces out, falls out or is knocked out by a later dart scores nothing.
5: Take turns, counting down, until a player can reach zero.Players call that being on a finish.
6: Finish on exactly zero, with a double or the bullseye.On 40, double 20 wins. On 50, the bullseye wins.
7: Go below zero, land on exactly 1, or hit zero without a double: you are bust.Nothing from that turn counts.
8: After a bust your score goes back to what it was when the turn began.Any darts still in your hand are not thrown.
9: The first player to finish wins. The winning turn can end on any of its three darts.A match is a set number of games, each called a leg.
1: Each player starts on 301.Two players is the usual game. For 501, only the starting number changes.
2: A turn is three darts, thrown one at a time from behind the throwing line.No part of a foot may pass the front edge of the line. Leaning over it is allowed.
3: Add up the three darts and subtract the total from your score.Every dart counts from the first throw. No double is needed to start.
4: A dart scores only if its point stays in the board until you collect it.One that bounces out, falls out or is knocked out by a later dart scores nothing.
5: Take turns, counting down, until a player can reach zero.Players call that being on a finish.
6: Finish on exactly zero, with a double or the bullseye.On 40, double 20 wins. On 50, the bullseye wins.
7: Go below zero, land on exactly 1, or hit zero without a double: you are bust.Nothing from that turn counts.
8: After a bust your score goes back to what it was when the turn began.Any darts still in your hand are not thrown.
9: The first player to finish wins. The winning turn can end on any of its three darts.A match is a set number of games, each called a leg.
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501 9
1: Each player starts on 501 and throws three darts a turn.The same game as 301, with 200 more points to clear.
2: Subtract each turn's total from your score, from the very first dart.Straight down from 501 is the standard way to play.
3: The most one turn can score is 180: three darts in the triple 20.Players call it a ton 80. A ton is 100 points.
4: Win by reaching exactly zero with a double or the bullseye as the last dart.The highest finish with three darts is 170: triple 20, triple 20, bullseye.
5: Below zero, exactly 1, or zero without a double is a bust, as in 301.The score returns to where it stood before the turn.
6: One game of 501 is a leg. A match is a fixed number of legs.Say how many before the first dart.
7: A long match is split into sets, each a fixed number of legs.Not every match uses sets.
8: A leg of 501 cannot be won in fewer than nine darts.The commonest way: 180, 180, then 141 with triple 20, triple 19 and double 12.
9: With two teams the start is sometimes raised to 701 or 1001.The rules stay the same.
301 with a double to start 8
1: Each player starts on 301 and throws three darts a turn.A double starts the game and a double ends it.
2: Your score does not move until one of your darts lands in a double.This is doubling in.
3: Darts thrown before your first double count for nothing.A triple 20 thrown before you are in leaves you on 301.
4: The double that gets you in is your first score.Double 16 to start puts you on 269.
5: The bullseye counts as a double for starting, as it does for finishing.It takes 50 off your score.
6: Once you are in, every dart counts and the score comes down turn by turn.From here it is the standard game.
7: Finish on exactly zero with a double or the bullseye.The bust rule is the one of the standard game.
8: Doubling in is played with 501 too.One professional tournament uses it.
What each part of the board scores 9
1: The board has 20 numbered sections, worth 1 to 20 points.The two large parts of a section score its number once.
2: The thin outer ring scores double the section's number.Double 20 sits at the top of the board and is called double top.
3: The thin inner ring, about halfway in, scores triple.Triple 20 is worth 60, the most one dart can score.
4: The ring around the center scores 25.It is called the outer bull or single bull.
5: The center circle, the bullseye, scores 50.It counts as a double, so it can start or finish a game.
6: A dart that lands beyond the outer wire scores zero.So does one that misses the board.
7: A dart that falls out before you collect it does not score.On an electronic board it does, once the board has registered the hit.
8: A dart resting on other darts scores only if its point touches the board.The point has to be in or against the playing surface.
9: Scores are written T for triple and D for double.A finish of 138 could be T20, T18, D12.
Busts and finishes 9
1: Bust one: the turn takes your score below zero.On 20, a triple 20 is a bust.
2: Bust two: the turn leaves you on exactly 1.The smallest double is worth 2, so a score of 1 can never be finished.
3: Bust three: you reach zero, but not with a double or the bullseye.On 20, a single 20 is a bust. Double 10 wins.
4: After any bust your score goes back to what it was when that turn started.The darts you had left are forfeited.
5: Variation: the score returns to its value before the one dart that bust.In London this is called a Northern Bust.
6: Why it matters: left on 5 with one dart, a player may bust on purpose.That brings back the earlier, easier score. Under the variation they would stay on 5.
7: An odd score cannot be finished with one dart. Hit an odd single first.On 9, a single 1 leaves 8, which is double 4.
8: After a miss, work out the new finish before the next dart.On 93, a single 19 leaves 74: triple 14, then double 16.
9: A checkout chart lists a way to finish each score.Regular players come to know the common ones by heart.
Hanging the board 8
1: Hang the board with the center of the bullseye 1.73 m above the floor.That is 5 feet 8 inches.
2: Mark the throwing line 2.37 m from the board's face.That is 7 feet 9 1/4 inches. The line is called the oche.
3: Measure from the face of the board, not from the wall.A thick board or a cabinet moves the line back by its own depth.
4: The 20 goes at the top.That is why double 20 is called double top.
5: In a casual game any mark on the floor will do for the line.A chalk line, a mat or a block.
6: The thrower's feet stay behind the front edge of the line.Standing anywhere along it is fine.
7: Keep the score where both players can see it.Many boards hang in a cabinet whose doors are chalkboards.
8: Agree before the first dart: 301 or 501, and whether a double is needed to start.Our advice, not a rule.
How this list was compiled: Written for this site on 2026-10-09, in our own words. Darts has more than one rule-making body and many house rules; these sheets give the common game and are not an official rule book. Every row was checked on 2026-10-09 against English Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, in its article Darts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darts. From that article: three darts a turn from behind the throwing line; a start of 301 or 501; the score counted down; the finish on exactly zero with a double or the bullseye; the three ways to go bust and the score going back to the start of the turn; the variation that goes back one dart; doubling in, and the professional tournament that uses it; legs and sets; 701 and 1001 for teams; what each part of the board scores; darts that fall out; the most a turn can score; the highest finish; the nine-dart leg; the finishes of 138 and 93; and the height of the board and the throwing distance, which the article gives in meters as the World Darts Federation's standards. The measures in feet and inches, the sums in the other examples, the reason a score of 1 is a bust and the rule of thumb for odd scores were worked out from those rules. The row on what to agree before the first dart is our own advice. The article does not say who throws first, so no sheet does. Licence: own work
How it works
301 and 501 are one game with two starting scores. 501 straight down is the standard match game. 301 is the shorter one, and some tables want a double before your score moves. House rules vary, so agree on yours.
Read the full guide
How to play 501 darts: two turns, worked
On 501 you throw a triple 20, a single 20 and a single 5. That is 85, so you are on 416. Much later you are on 36 and need double 18. Your first dart lands in single 18 and leaves 18, which is double 9. The second lands in single 9 and leaves 9. No double finishes an odd number, so the third goes at single 1, to leave double 4.
301 rules and 501 rules: what differs
Only the starting score. A leg of 501 cannot be won in fewer than nine darts, and matches of it are counted in legs and sets. In 301 the finish comes sooner: three triple 20s leave 121.
Leave yourself 32. A miss into single 16 leaves 16, then 8, then 4: a double every time.
Settle the bust rule before the first dart: back to the start of the turn, or back one dart.
Questions and answers
How do you play darts 301?
Each player starts on 301 and throws three darts a turn, subtracting the total. The first to reach exactly zero wins, and the last dart must land in a double or the bullseye. A turn that overshoots is a bust and scores nothing.
What are the 501 darts rules?
The same as 301 from a start of 501: three darts a turn, count down, and finish exactly on zero with a double or the bullseye. One game is a leg, and a match is a fixed number of legs.
Do the 301 dart game rules make you double in?
Only if the table plays it that way. Usually every dart counts from the start. Where doubling in is played, nothing counts until a dart lands in a double or the bullseye, and that dart is your first score.
What is a bust in darts?
A turn that takes you below zero, leaves you on exactly 1, or reaches zero without a double or the bullseye. Your score goes back to what it was when the turn began, and any darts left are lost.
How to play darts 501 games with two teams?
Teams take turns, one player throwing three darts at a time, and each team counts down one score. The start is sometimes raised to 701 or 1001. Nothing else changes.