Sport Scoring SolutionsDarts scoring: 501 rules and a free darts scorer
Darts is played in pubs, clubs and leagues all over South Africa. In the classic game, 501, each player counts down from 501 to exactly zero. Doing the subtraction while a player is throwing is where mistakes creep in. Our free darts scorer does the maths, spots busts and suggests checkouts.
Watch: how to play darts
How a leg of 501 works
- Each player starts on 501 (or 301 or 701) and throws three darts per visit.
- The total of each visit is subtracted from the player's score. The maximum visit is 180 (three treble 20s).
- To win the leg, a player must reach exactly zero, and in standard darts the last dart must hit a double (the outer ring) or the bullseye. This is called double out.
Busts
A visit is a bust if it would take the player below zero, leave them on 1 (which can't be finished on a double), or reach zero without a double. A bust scores nothing and the score goes back to what it was before the visit. The app detects busts automatically.
Checkouts
The highest possible checkout is 170 (T20, T20, Bull). Some scores can't be finished with three darts: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. For anything 170 and below, the app suggests a checkout route, favouring the popular finishing doubles such as D20 and D16.
Legs, sets and throwing first
- A match is played as first to a number of legs, or as sets, where each set is first to a number of legs (often three).
- Players take turns to throw first in each leg.
The 3-dart average
The standard measure of a player's level is the 3-dart average: total points scored divided by darts thrown, times three. Club players often average 40 to 60; professionals average around 90 to 100 or more. The app shows the average live, along with 180s, tons and the highest checkout.
How to use the darts scorer
- Enter the players and choose 501, 301 or 701, double or straight out, and the number of legs (and sets).
- After each visit, type the total on the keypad and press Enter.
- When a player checks out, tell the app how many darts they used so the average stays accurate.
- Results and averages are saved under My results.