Darts Scoring Rules for Beginners: The Board, Turns and Points
Darts basics · Scoring · Updated 2026-08-04
Darts scoring is far simpler than it looks from the wrong end of a pub. Three rules cover almost everything: a dart scores the number of the segment its point sits in, the two thin rings multiply that number by two or three, and a turn is exactly three darts. Everything else - busts, checkouts, chalking - is built on top of those three facts.
This guide takes a complete beginner through the board layout and its exact number order, what every ring is worth, the wire rules that settle close calls, how a turn works in a 501 game, worked scoring examples, and a glossary of the jargon you will hear around any board. By the end you should be able to keep score on a chalkboard or an app without pausing to think.
The board: 20 numbers in a very deliberate order
A standard dartboard carries the numbers 1 to 20 arranged around a circle, with the 20 sitting at the top. Reading clockwise from the 20, the order is 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, 10, 15, 2, 17, 3, 19, 7, 16, 8, 11, 14, 9, 12, 5. It looks random. It is anything but.
The layout is built to punish greed. The 20 is the most valuable segment on the board, so it is flanked by the 1 and the 5: drift slightly left or right of the 20 bed and your dart is suddenly worth almost nothing. The same trap guards the second-best number - the 19 sits between the 3 and the 7. Every big number has small neighbours, which is why accuracy, not ambition, wins darts matches. A wobbly thrower aiming at 20 all night will average worse than a steady thrower parked on a safer part of the board.
What each ring is worth
Every numbered wedge is divided into four scoring areas by thin wire rings, and the centre of the board holds two more targets of its own. Here is the complete breakdown, working from the edge of the scoring area inwards.
| Area | Where it sits | What it scores |
|---|---|---|
| Double ring | Thin outer ring at the edge of the scoring area | Twice the number (double 20 = 40) |
| Fat single (outer) | Large area between the double and treble rings | Face value of the number |
| Treble ring | Thin inner ring roughly halfway to the centre | Three times the number (treble 20 = 60) |
| Fat single (inner) | Large area between the treble ring and the bull | Face value of the number |
| Outer bull | Green ring around the centre | 25 points |
| Inner bull (bullseye) | Red circle at the exact centre | 50 points, and it counts as double 25 |
Two ceilings follow from that table and they are worth memorising on day one. The highest single dart is treble 20, worth 60. The highest possible visit of three darts is 180, which is three treble 20s. And note the small print on the bullseye: the inner bull scores 50 and counts as double 25, which makes it a legitimate finishing double in games that must end on a double.
What a dart actually scores: the wire rules
Close calls at the board are settled by a single principle: a dart scores the segment its point sits in. Not where the flight leans, not where most of the barrel appears to hang - where the point entered the board. The wires exist to make that judgement easy.
- A dart scores where it sticks. If the point is inside the treble 19 bed, that dart is 57, however ugly the angle looks from the oche.
- Bounce-outs score zero and cannot be rethrown. If a dart strikes a wire and falls to the floor, that dart is simply spent. There are no second throws.
- Misses score nothing. A dart in the wall, the floor or the black band outside the double ring scores zero, and it still counts as one of your three darts.
- A dart lodged in another dart scores zero. The famous Robin Hood shot looks spectacular, but the second dart never touched the board, so it counts for nothing.
Turns, visits and the running total
A turn in darts is called a visit, and a visit is three darts. You throw all three, add them up as one number, and the scorer records that total. In X01 games such as 501, the visit total is subtracted from your remaining score, so the game is a countdown: 501 becomes 441 after a 60 visit, then 356 after an 85, and so on towards zero. Players alternate visits until somebody finishes the leg.
Who throws first? The traditional decider is a bull-up, sometimes announced as middle for diddle: each player throws one dart at the bull and the closer dart takes the first visit. Going first matters, because the player who starts a leg usually gets the first realistic crack at a finish.
How a beginner's 501 game flows
- Start on 501: Standard play is straight in: your first visit counts immediately, with no double needed to get going. Every player or team begins the leg on 501 points.
- Throw three darts and subtract: Add up the visit and take it off your total. Scoring big early is the whole job, so most players simply aim at treble 20 and accept the singles that come with it.
- Set up a finish: Once you are on 170 or below, a finish can be on, although a handful of bogey numbers such as 169 and 168 have no three-dart route. Beginners should aim to leave a friendly even number such as 32 (double 16) or 40 (double 20).
- Finish on a double: The leg ends when you hit the exact double that takes you to zero. The inner bull counts as double 25, so 50 is a valid finish too.
- Avoid the bust: If a visit takes your score below zero, to exactly 1, or to zero without ending on a double, the whole visit is void. Your score returns to what it was at the start of the visit and your turn ends. For checkout routes and deeper tactics, our full guide to playing 501 picks up from here.
Worked scoring examples
The fastest way to make scoring second nature is to run a few visits on paper. Every one of these is a situation you will meet in your first week of playing.
| Darts thrown | The maths | Visit total | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single 20, single 1, single 5 | 20 + 1 + 5 | 26 | The classic wander: both neighbours of the 20 punished a loose throw |
| Treble 20, single 20, single 5 | 60 + 20 + 5 | 85 | One treble transforms an ordinary visit |
| Treble 19, single 19, single 3 | 57 + 19 + 3 | 79 | The 19 bed is the standard fallback when the 20 is blocked |
| Outer bull, inner bull, single 18 | 25 + 50 + 18 | 93 | Bull work scores well, but trebles score better |
| Treble 20, treble 20, treble 20 | 60 + 60 + 60 | 180 | The maximum visit and the loudest shout in darts |
| Treble 20, treble 20, inner bull | 60 + 60 + 50 | 170 | The highest possible checkout in a double-out game |
Questions every beginner asks
Does hitting a double double my whole score? No. A double multiplies that one dart only. Double 20 is worth 40, and the other two darts in the visit score whatever they score. Nothing in darts ever multiplies your running total.
Is the bullseye the best target? No, and this surprises almost everyone. The inner bull scores 50, but treble 20 scores 60, so the highest-value bed on the board is a thin sliver near the top, not the centre. Players aim at the bull when a finish or a particular game demands it, not for general scoring.
Do I have to score exactly? Only at the very end of an X01 leg, where you must reach zero exactly and finish on a double. For the rest of the game every dart simply counts for what it hits.
Can I switch targets mid-visit? Yes. You may throw each dart at any number you like, and good players change targets constantly, moving from treble 20 to treble 19 when a stray dart blocks the bed they wanted.
Darts jargon: a beginner's glossary
You will hear every one of these within an hour of stepping up to a pub board, so it pays to know them before someone shouts them at you.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Visit | One turn of three darts |
| Leg | A single game, for example one countdown from 501 to zero |
| Set | A group of legs; matches are often played as best-of-five-leg sets |
| Oche | The throw line, 7 ft 9.25 in (2.37 m) from the board face for steel tip |
| Ton | A visit of 100 or more, as in a ton-forty for 140 |
| Ton-eighty (180) | The maximum visit: three treble 20s |
| Madhouse | Double 1, the nerve-shredding last double left once you have whittled your score to 2 |
| Shanghai | Single, double and treble of the same number in one visit |
| Bust | A visit that goes below zero, to exactly 1, or to zero without a double; the visit is void |
| Checkout | The finishing combination that takes you to exactly zero, ending on a double |
Chalking: how scores are kept, then and now
Traditionally scores were kept on a chalkboard beside the dartboard by a chalker, also called a marker. The chalkboard has two columns, one per player or team. After each visit the marker writes the visit score in the outer column and the new remaining total in the inner one, so a first visit of 85 in 501 goes up as 85 beside 416. Good markers subtract instantly in their heads, and doing a stint on the chalk is still the classic way to learn darts arithmetic and earn your place in a pub team.
Most games today hand the job to an app instead. A scoring app does the subtraction, enforces the bust rules automatically, and flags when a finish is on, which removes the two most common beginner mistakes: subtracting wrongly and never realising a checkout was available. It also frees everyone at the oche to think about throwing rather than arithmetic, which is exactly where a beginner's attention should be.
Let the scoreboard do the maths. Darts Scorer & Dart Scoreboard keeps the countdown for you: it subtracts every visit, enforces the bust rules, and shows checkout hints automatically on every finishable score. It covers 501 and every X01 variant, American Cricket, Around the Clock and party games for up to 8 players, tracks your averages and checkout percentage as you improve, and works fully offline with a true-black pub display that stays awake through a match. Learn more about Darts Scorer & Dart Scoreboard.
Frequently asked questions
Does hitting a double or treble multiply my whole score?
No. A double or treble multiplies only the single dart that lands in it. Double 20 scores 40 for that dart, and your running total is never multiplied by anything.
What happens if my dart bounces out of the board?
It scores zero and cannot be rethrown. The same applies to darts that miss the board entirely; only darts whose points stick in a scoring segment count.
What is the highest score in darts?
The highest single dart is treble 20, worth 60, and the highest three-dart visit is 180. The highest checkout in a double-out game is 170, finished treble 20, treble 20, bullseye.
Is the bullseye the highest-scoring spot on a dartboard?
No. The inner bull scores 50, but treble 20 scores 60, so the treble 20 bed is the most valuable target on the board.