As an example, if you leave 38 points (double 19) to checkout but hit the single, you’ll then be left on single 19 which doesn’t have an immediate double. Missing a double but still leaving yourself with a shot at a checkout increases your chance of winning the game as you’ll still have darts that can be used to win the game.įor beginners, try to avoid leaving yourself on bad checkouts or bogey numbers.

Other players like to leave 32 points (double 16) for a checkout because if they miss, they’ll leave double 8 and if they miss that, they’ll leave double 4. Personally, I like double 20 and if I miss and hit the single, I’ll leave 20 points meaning double 10 – which is also like. There are literally thousands of different ways to check out because the mathematical permutations of using 20 numbers are endless, however, regular players will shorten that equation by using well-chosen paths, ie they use the same doubles to check out on a regular basis and should they fail initially, they will have already decided which numbers to aim for next. However, if Player A hits a single 20 and another single 20 to score 40 points, this leaves them needing 20 to checkout, and the only double that will achieve that is double 10 ( 2 x 10 = 20). They can attempt to hit double 20 (which is 40 points as double is twice its corresponding number) and if they achieve this with either of their 2 darts then they will win. So for example, if Player A requires 60 to win and has 3 darts and hits a single 20 with their first dart, they now need 40 to checkout. To be able to checkout, a player must be able to reach 0 exactly if they go over this mark then they bust and their score is invalid for that particular throw. There are 20 numbers on a dartboard and so it follows that there are 20 doubles too and any one of these can be hit to checkout. The double is the section of the very outer ring of each number on the dartboard, it’s a small target and therefore takes a certain amount of skill and lots of practice to hit. This is done by means of a double and the only other way this can be done is by hitting a bull worth 50 points with a single dart, therefore not needing to hit a double. So you often hear the word ‘checkout’ in darts and it’s just another way of saying a player has finished the game by scoring the appropriate number of points. Play continues in this manner with scores being subtracted each round until a player reaches a checkout. It’s worth noting that not all people need a visual guide though.

Player B scored 60 points so again, this is subtracted from the remaining total and gives the player a remaining point total of 441.īy showing this visual total, it enables players to formulate their finish and the direction they may need to follow depending on their skill and accuracy. In this example, Player A on their first throw scored 41 points, this was subtracted from the starting total and left a new remaining score which is marked as the starting score for the second round. The first column will show the round, the second column will have the first player along with a starting score of 501 and the third column will have the second player with a starting score of 501. Then add up their scoring darts after every 3 darts thrown, deduct that from their previous score and write down their new running total next to it and this shows the player how much they need to win.Īn example scoring board for 501 darts would look like this: So, make a column for each player on a scoreboard or piece of paper and clearly mark their name. There is no need to start a game of 501 with a double (although you can) so scores will be deducted straight away. The score of the 3 darts is added up and taken from the previous total until one of the players checks out, or hits a double to win the game. To score a game of 501 is relatively easy and the more you do it the easier it becomes as you master the maths involved in deducting scores from a running total.

Dart board scoring