Playing Darts

A game, or "leg", of darts is usually contested between two players, who take turns to throw up to three darts one at a time. Starting from a set score, usually 501 or 301, players must reduce their score to zero. The last dart in the leg must hit either a double or the inner portion of the bullseye and must reduce the score to exactly zero. Successfully doing so is known as "doubling out" or "checking out". A throw which reduces the score to one, or below zero, does not count, and the score is reset to what it was before that turn. As the double areas of the board are small, doubling out is usually the most difficult and tense part of a leg. Longer darts matches tend to be divided into sets, each set being comprised of a number of legs.

Although playing straight down from 501 is standard in darts, other variations exist, notably "doubling in" where players must hit a double to begin scoring, and all darts thrown before said double contribute nothing to a player's score. Other games are also commonly played which do not involve the usual scoring methods. These include "Round The Clock", in which players must hit each numbered section in turn to win.