How darts scoring works
By Pierre, updated
A board, three darts, and a sum to do in your head while everyone waits. Here's what each area is worth, how a visit adds up, and how a leg of 501 is finished.
The board
A traditional dartboard is split into 20 segments, numbered 1 to 20 in a mixed-up order: 20 at the top, between 5 and 1. Each segment has two single areas, a double ring right on the outside and a treble ring in the middle. In the centre, the bull.
What each area is worth
- Single
- The number's value
- Double, the outer ring
- Twice the number
- Treble, the middle ring
- Three times the number
- Outer bull, the ring around the centre
- 25
- Bullseye
- 50, and it counts as a double
- Outside the doubles, or a dart that falls out
- 0
A visit
Each player throws three darts, then you add them up: that's the visit. Treble 20 (60), single 5 (5) and double 1 (2) make a visit of 67.
A dart that bounces out or falls from the board scores nothing, even if it hit a treble.
The maximum: 180
Treble 20 is the highest-scoring area: 60, more than the bullseye. Three treble 20s make 180, the highest possible score in one visit.
Finishing on a double
In 501 and 301, each visit comes off what you have left, and the leg is won by hitting exactly zero with a double. The bullseye counts as a double (50).
Going below zero, being left on 1 or finishing without a double is a bust: the visit doesn't count, and you go back to your score before it.
The highest possible checkout is 170: treble 20, treble 20, bullseye.
A few checkouts worth knowing
- 40: double 20
- 32: double 16
- 50: bullseye
- 100: treble 20, double 20
- 110: treble 20, bullseye
- 121: treble 20, single 11, bullseye
Seven scores under 170 can't be finished in three darts: 159, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169.
Cricket is counted differently
In Cricket, you count marks: a single is one, a double two, a treble three. Three marks close a number, and the extra marks score points as long as your opponent hasn't closed it.
Stop counting in your head
On Bullcast, everyone enters their darts or their visit's total on their phone. What's left is worked out for you, busts included, and the TV shows the scores and the checkout to aim for before you throw. 301 and Cricket are free, without an account.
Start a gameQuestions
What's the bullseye worth?
50. The green ring around it is worth 25. In 501, the bullseye counts as a double and can finish a leg.
What's the highest score with three darts?
180, with three treble 20s.
What's a bust?
In 501 or 301, a visit that takes you below zero, leaves you on 1 or finishes without a double. It doesn't count, and the player goes back to their score before it.