Darts rules and glossary
How a leg works
Each player starts a leg on 501 points and takes turns throwing three darts. Whatever a visit scores is subtracted from the player's total. The first to reach exactly zero wins the leg, and the dart that gets there must land in a double or the bullseye.
If a player scores more than they have left, leaves exactly 1, or reaches zero without a double, the visit is a bust: nothing counts and their score goes back to what it was before that visit.
The board
The board has 20 numbered segments. The thin outer ring doubles a segment's value and the thin inner ring trebles it. The outer bull is worth 25 and the bullseye 50, which also counts as a double. The highest single dart is treble 20, worth 60, so the most three darts can score is 180.
Legs, sets and match formats
Most tournaments are played over legs: "best of 11 legs" means the first player to win six takes the match. Some events, including the World Championship, are played in sets. A set is usually the best of five legs, and the match goes to whoever wins the required number of sets first. A score written as 6-4 means the winner took six legs or sets and the loser four.
Players throw for the bull before the match to decide who starts, then alternate throwing first in each leg. Winning a leg in which your opponent threw first is a break of throw.
Glossary
- 180 (maximum)
- Three treble 20s in one visit, the highest possible score.
- Average
- The mean score per three darts across a match. Around 100 is a top-level performance.
- Big fish
- A 170 checkout: treble 20, treble 20, bullseye. It is the highest finish possible.
- Bogey number
- A score that cannot be finished in three darts: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159.
- Break of throw
- Winning a leg the other player started.
- Bust
- Scoring too many, so the visit is cancelled.
- Checkout (finish)
- The score a player takes out to win a leg, ending on a double.
- Checkout percentage
- How often a player hits a double when they throw at one to win a leg.
- Double
- The outer ring of the board, and the only way to finish a leg.
- Hold of throw
- Winning a leg you started.
- Leg
- One race from 501 down to zero.
- Madhouse
- Double 1, the last double left when a player keeps missing.
- Nine-darter
- A perfect leg: 501 finished in the minimum nine darts.
- Oche
- The line players stand behind to throw, 2.37 metres from the board.
- Set
- A group of legs, usually best of five.
- Shanghai
- A single, double and treble of the same number in one visit.
- Tops
- Double 20.
- Whitewash
- Winning without the opponent taking a single leg or set.