games

Popular Darting Games

1. 301
2. 501
3. Suggested dart finishes
4. Cricket

There are many ways to enjoy darts - many games that will challenge your skills. Below, to get you started, are the basic rules for three of the most popular dart games. The first four points are common to all of these games.

Each player takes a turn in rotation, throwing 3 darts.

Each player throws one dart at the bullseye to decide who will start; the one closest begins the game. (If you prefer, a coin toss may be used.)

Each dart thrown counts against the three in the player's turn. But any dart that misses, bounces off or falls from the board, earns no score. If a dart sticks in another dart, it counts as a throw but gets no score.

The score earned by any dart that sticks in the target is based on the point of entry within the wire divisions and not the colour.
 

•  301

A player must hit a "double" before any score is counted. See diagram 2 indicating the wires on the outer rim of the board. When a double is thrown, that dart will count, as will any following it.

A player's score is determined by subtracting from 301 the count of each dart. As shown on the diagram, the outer counts double; the smaller inner ring counts triple the designated score.

To win, a player must reduce his score to exactly zero, and the last dart must be a double. For example, if you need 41 to finish you could do it with a single 9 and a double 16.

When a player scores more than the exact score needed, his turn of three darts does not count; his score remains ~ as it was before that turn. That means if 20 is required and the player scores 21, his score remains at 20. Also note that if the player hits a single 20, that turn does not count; his score remains at 20. And if 19 if hit, the throw does not count because you cannot go out on a single 1.
 

• 501

Except that the "double" is not required to begin scoring, "501" is played the same as "301". Scores are subtracted from a starting point of 501, and the rules to finish on a double are the same as 301.

For team play, the score may be increased to 601 or higher, depending on the number of players. 501 is the game used for most tournament or championship matches.

• Suggested dart finishes:

• Cricket

The only numbers played in Cricket are 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and the bull. 1. The object is to 'close out' each number by scoring three 'marks' in each. For each number, it can be one triple, a double plus a single, or three singles. Since, there is no triple for the bull, you close it out with either one double and one single bull, or three bulls. 2. After a number is 'closed', additional points may be scored only if the other player has not yet scored three hits and closed it. 3. Your opponent cannot earn points on any number you have closed, but can prevent you from scoring more points when he scores three hits to close it. 4. To win, you must close all of the numbers and have higher points than your opponent.

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