How to Play 501 Darts: Rules, Scoring and How Legs Are Won
Darts rules · X01 · Updated 2026-08-04
501 is the game most people mean when they say darts. Two players, or two teams, start on 501 points and race to zero, subtracting whatever they score with each three-dart turn. The rule that defines the whole game is the finish: you must reach exactly zero, and the dart that gets you there has to land in a double or the bull. Get that wrong and the entire turn is wiped.
This guide covers the full rules from first dart to game shot: how visits and scoring work, straight in versus double in, all three ways to bust, how legs and sets build into a match, plus a complete worked leg so you can see the arithmetic play out visit by visit.
What 501 Means: The X01 Family
501 belongs to the X01 family, the shorthand for any countdown game whose starting score ends in 01: 301, 501, 701, 1001, and in principle any start from 101 upward. 501 is the standard for singles play at every level, from a chalkboard in a pub to the PDC World Championship, because it strikes the right balance: long enough to reward consistent scoring, short enough that a leg rarely drags.
The other starts have their own jobs. 301 makes a quicker leg and is traditionally played double in, meaning your score does not start counting until you have hit a double. 701 and 1001 stretch the game out and usually appear in pairs and team play, where the extra points give every thrower a turn at the board before the finish arrives.
| Game | In rule | Out rule | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 501 | Straight in | Double out | Standard singles format at every level |
| 301 | Double in (traditional) | Double out | Shorter legs, quick pub games and practice |
| 701 | Straight in | Double out | Pairs and team matches |
| 1001 | Straight in | Double out | Long team formats and marathon legs |
The Object of the Game
Be the first to take your score from 501 to exactly zero, with your final dart landing in a double or the bull. The inner bull scores 50 and counts as double 25, so it is a legitimate finishing dart. Zero reached any other way does not count. This double-out requirement is what turns 501 from a pure scoring race into a game of positioning: good players are not just throwing big numbers, they are steering their score toward a double they trust.
How a Visit Works
A turn in darts is called a visit, and a visit is three darts. You throw all three, add them up, and subtract the total from your running score; your opponent then does the same, and the leg alternates until someone finishes. Doubles and trebles come from the board's two thin rings: the outer ring doubles a segment, the inner ring trebles it, which is how the caller ends up shouting one hundred and eighty.
You do not always use all three darts. If your second dart lands the winning double, the leg ends there, and the darts you did not throw are simply never counted. A bust also ends the visit early, as covered below.
- The thin outer ring doubles a number; the thin inner ring trebles it.
- The outer bull scores 25, the inner bull 50, and the 50 counts as double 25.
- The highest single dart is treble 20 for 60, so the maximum visit is 180.
- The 20 sits at the top of the board, flanked by 1 and 5, which is why a wayward dart at 20 is so expensive.
Straight In vs Double In
Standard 501 is straight in: your first dart counts, no qualification needed. Double in, the traditional rule for 301, means nothing counts until you have hit a double, and the double itself is your first scoring dart. Until it lands, every throw scores zero.
Double in changes the opening completely. Players start on their favourite double rather than the treble 20, and a cold start can burn three or four visits before a single point goes on the board. That is why 301 double in, despite starting 200 points lower, can take almost as long as a straight-in 501 leg.
Double Out: The Three Ways to Bust
To win the leg, your final dart must land in a double, or the bull for 50. Anything else that touches zero, or gets too close to it, is a bust. There are exactly three bust cases, and all three carry the same penalty: the entire visit is void, your score returns to what it was at the start of the visit, and your turn ends on the spot.
| Bust case | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Score goes below zero | 32 left, dart lands in treble 16 for 48 | Visit void, score back to 32, turn over |
| Score lands on exactly 1 | 5 left, dart hits single 4, leaving 1 | Visit void, score back to 5, turn over |
| Zero reached without a double | 32 left, two single 16s reach zero | Visit void, score back to 32, turn over |
The classic bust is worth walking through. You have 32 left and line up double 16. The dart drifts inside the wire and finds the treble bed instead: treble 16 scores 48, which would take you to minus 16, so you are bust. Note that the whole visit is void, not just the offending dart. If your first dart had scored single 16 to leave 16, and your second then flew into treble 8 for 24, you go back to 32, your score when the visit began, not to 16. And a bust ends the turn immediately: you do not throw any dart you have left.
Who Throws First: The Bull-Up
First throw is decided by the bull-up: each player throws one dart at the bull, and whoever lands closer to the centre starts the match. An inner bull beats an outer bull, and if both darts land in the same ring or too close to call, they are pulled and thrown again. From there the advantage rotates: players alternate who throws first in each leg, and in set play the first throw rotates leg by leg through the set as well. Starting matters more than beginners expect - when two players score evenly, the one who threw first reaches a finish a visit sooner.
Legs, Sets and Match Formats
A single game of 501 is a leg. Casual and league matches are usually a straight race to a number of legs, announced as best of: best of 5 legs means first to 3, best of 11 means first to 6. Longer events group legs into sets, where a set is typically first to 3 legs and the match becomes a race in sets; the World Championship is the famous set-play event. Either way, the arithmetic of every individual leg is identical - only the wrapper changes.
- Best of 5 legs = first to 3 legs.
- Best of 11 legs = first to 6 legs.
- Best of 7 sets = first to 4 sets, each set typically first to 3 legs.
A Worked Leg: 501 to Game Shot
Here is a complete leg at a decent pub standard, scored visit by visit. Watch how the totals steer toward a comfortable double instead of just chasing maximums.
| Visit | Darts | Scored | Remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20, 20, 20 | 60 | 441 |
| 2 | T20, 20, 20 | 100 | 341 |
| 3 | T20, T20, 20 | 140 | 201 |
| 4 | T20, 20, 5 | 85 | 116 |
| 5 | 20, 20, 20 | 60 | 56 |
| 6 | 16, D20 | 56 | 0 - game shot |
Two things to notice. From 116 a three-dart finish existed, but three 20s to leave 56 was the percentage play at this level. The checkout itself follows the book route for 56: single 16 first, leaving 40, then double 20 to finish. The leg took 17 darts, which works out to a three-dart average of 501 divided by 17, times 3, or 88.4 - better than the 60 to 80 a solid pub player averages, and shy of the 95 to 105 professionals hold in matches.
When to Start Setting Up a Finish
The highest score you can take out in one visit is 170: treble 20, treble 20, bull. So the moment your remaining score hits 170 or less, a finish is live and your thinking should shift from raw scoring to positioning. Seven scores in that zone cannot be finished in three darts at all - 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159, the bogey numbers - and good players deliberately score past them. The classic target to leave is 32, double 16.
Etiquette at the Oche
- Stand still and quiet behind the thrower; moving in their eyeline mid-throw is the cardinal sin.
- The caller announces each visit total and the new remaining score, and calls game shot the instant the winning double lands.
- Leave your darts in the board until the score is agreed and chalked, then pull them yourself.
- A chalker may confirm what a player has left but must never suggest what to aim at - that is coaching.
- Shake hands after the match whatever the result; in pub play the loser traditionally chalks the next game.
Score 501 without the chalkboard maths. Darts Scorer & Dart Scoreboard by Panda Taps runs every rule in this guide for you: pick 501, 301 or any start from 101 to 1001, choose straight or double in and out, and the app subtracts each visit, catches all three bust cases and shows a checkout hint on every finishable score. It handles legs, sets and up to 8 players or teams, tracks averages and checkout percentage as you play, works fully offline, and keeps the screen awake through the whole match. Learn more about Darts Scorer & Dart Scoreboard.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to finish 501 on a double?
Yes. Standard 501 is double out, so the dart that takes you to exactly zero must land in the thin outer double ring or the inner bull, which scores 50 and counts as double 25. Reaching zero any other way is a bust and the visit is cancelled.
What happens if you go below zero in 501?
You bust. The whole visit is void, your score returns to what it was at the start of that visit, and your turn ends immediately. The same penalty applies if you land on exactly 1 or reach zero without finishing on a double.
What is the highest checkout in 501?
170, taken as treble 20, treble 20 and then the bull for 50. Seven scores below that cannot be finished in three darts at all: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159.
Who throws first in a game of 501?
Each player throws one dart at the bull before the match, and whoever is closer to the centre starts; an inner bull beats an outer bull, and ties are re-thrown. After that, the first throw alternates from leg to leg.