How Darts Scoring Works
A dartboard looks busy, but scoring comes down to two things: which number the dart is in, and which ring.
The numbers
The board is split into 20 wedges numbered 1 to 20. They're deliberately mixed up so big numbers sit next to small ones — miss the 20 and you'll likely hit 1 or 5. Clockwise from the top:
20 · 1 · 18 · 4 · 13 · 6 · 10 · 15 · 2 · 17 · 3 · 19 · 7 · 16 · 8 · 11 · 14 · 9 · 12 · 5
The rings
| Area | Score |
|---|---|
| Single (the big areas) | The number |
| Double (thin outer ring) | 2 × the number |
| Treble (thin inner ring) | 3 × the number |
| Outer bull (green ring) | 25 |
| Bullseye (red centre) | 50 — counts as a double |
| Outside the double ring | 0 |
So a dart in the treble 20 bed scores 60 — the most a single dart can score — and three of them make 180, the maximum visit.
Which darts count?
- A dart scores where its point is in the board — if it's on a wire, it counts in the area the point went into.
- Darts that bounce out or fall out before you collect them score nothing (house rules sometimes allow a re-throw — agree before you start).
- A dart that misses the scoring area scores 0 but still counts as one of your three darts.
Scores that are impossible
No single dart can score 23, 29, 31, 35, 37, 41, 43, 44, 46, 47, 49, 52, 53, 55, 56, 58 or 59. With three darts, every total from 0 to 180 is possible except 163, 166, 169, 172, 173, 175, 176, 178 and 179 — handy for spotting a scoring mistake.
Finishing is a different question: with double out, 159, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169 can't be checked out. See the checkout chart.
Darts words you'll hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Visit | One turn of three darts |
| Leg | One complete game, e.g. 501 down to zero |
| Oche | The throwing line (say “ockey”) |
| Ton | A visit of 100 or more |
| Ton-80 | 180, the maximum |
| Tops | Double 20 |
| Madhouse | Double 1 — the last resort |
| Bed | A treble or double segment, e.g. “the 20 bed” |
| Bed and breakfast | 26 — single 20, 5 and 1, the classic near-miss |
| Checkout | The darts that finish a leg |
Play it free
Tap where your darts landed — the ChillDarts scorer is laid out like a real board and does all the maths.