DARTS

OBJECTIVE OF DARTS: Throw darts at specific point sections on a circular target and get to 0 points from 501 before the opposing team/player.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1+ player(s)

MATERIALS: 3 darts per player, dartboard

TYPE OF GAME: Sport 

AUDIENCE: 10+

OVERVIEW OF DARTS

The game of darts has been around for centuries. Originating in the Medieval times in England, the soldiers then used short bows to throw at the tree trunks. Now, you can find this popular game worldwide – even in your local bar!

SETUP

darts game rules

DARTBOARD

A dartboard has a diameter of 17.75 inches. The board also has 20 different sections, each section is separated by a metal wire or a thin metal plate. The 20 sections are numbered in the following order (clockwise from the top): 20, 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, 10, 15, 2, 17, 3, 19, 7, 16, 8, 11, 14, 9, 12, 5.

Each of these 20 sections is then divided into little wedges. The two bigger black wedges are singles. The outer strips are doubles, while the smaller inner strip between the two black wedges are triples. This will be explained further in the point system below. 

Finally, the bullseye is a small red circle in the center of the board. The outer bull is green and surrounds the bullseye.

DART

Darts are commonly used by combining metal, nylon, and plastic. They must not weigh more than 1.76 ounces and cannot be longer than 11.8 inches.

GAMEPLAY

how to play darts

Every player (or team) has a starting point of 501. The objective is to get the score to 0 before the other team.

To determine the starting order, each player throws a single dart. The player that throws their dart closest to the bull gets to start.

THROWING

The players or teams take turns throwing three darts at each turn. Any dart that bounces or falls off is out of play for the turn. So, the score is only taken from the darts that make it on the board and stay on the board at the end of the game.

The center of the bullseye should be situated 5ft 8in from the floor. Darts are thrown from a marked line on the floor called the cell, which must be a minimum of 7ft 9 ¼ in from the dartboard.

SCORING

Scoring is as follows:

Singles: the number on the board is the point scored.

Doubles: the point scored is twice the number on the board.

Triples: scores three times the number of points shown on the board. The highest score with a single throw is a triple at 20, which is 60 points.

Bull: If you hit the small red inner circle of the bull, you score 50 points. The outer bull is worth 25 points.

After a player throws the three darts, add the points and deduct them from the initial 501 points. Keep deducting until a player or team gets to 0 points.

NO POINTS

No points are awarded in any of the below 6 cases:

  • The dart lands outside the point area.
  • The dart hits another dart and doesn’t stick to the dartboard.
  • The dart gets stuck in the flight of another dart.
  • The dart does not reach the dartboard.
  • The dart bounces off the dartboard and drops onto the floor.
  • The player steps over the throw line.

These darts cannot be re-thrown for the turn.

END OF GAME

The player (or team) who gets to 0 points first wins the game! You must hit the exact number to get to 0 points. For example, if you have 88 points left, you can hit a triple 20 and an 18, but if you hit a double 18, the turn does not count, and you must try again at your next turn.

Lev
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