How to Play Darts
By: Alice Langholt
It's easy to learn how to play darts. The equipment consists
of three darts per person, a choice of electronic or regular dart boards and a
toe line 7 feet, 9 ¼ inches from the dart board. You also need a scoring board
to mark the players' scores after a throw. Knowing the parts of a dart is
helpful. The dart tip is usually sharp and attaches to the shaft. The tail end
of the dart is called the "flight." The shaft is where you grip the
dart to send it toward the dart board, aimed at your target. Darts come in a
variety of materials, from plastic to aluminum. After a little target practice,
you're ready to learn the basic rules.
Before The First Turn
Each player stands behind the toe line and throws one dart at the dartboard to
determine who will take the first turn. This is the only time two players'
darts will be on the board simultaneously. The player whose dart lands in the
highest scoring space gets the first turn. Darts must remain in the board for
at least five seconds to count. However, an electronic dart board that
registers a score is considered valid.
How To Play
On your turn, throw your three darts one after the other. Add your score based
on the sum of the numbers you hit on the target. Pay attention to double
scoring spaces so you can be accurate. Record your score, and take back your
darts. Then it is your opponent's turn.
Keeping Score
The 501 and the 301 game are the versions most often played. The longer game
will be 501, as the players will begin the game with 501 points and subtract
the total score from each turn until a player reaches zero and wins. Hitting
one of the larger segments on the dart board earns you the number corresponding
to that segment. If you hit one of the outer narrow bands, the score for that
segment is doubled. If you hit one of the inner narrow bands, the score for
that segment is tripled. Hitting the bulls' eye equals 50 points, and hitting
the outer ring of the bulls' eye equals 25 points. Zero must be reached exactly
by means of a double-scoring space on the final throw in order to win. This is
called "doubling-out."
The 301 game is shorter, but players don't begin scoring
until a throw has "doubled." Doubling means the dart is stuck in any
double-scoring space, which is one of the outer narrow bands on the dart board.
This includes the bullseye. Scoring begins when a player has doubled-in, and
the other player needs to double-in as well in order to begin scoring.
Conceivably, one player could start subtracting points for one or more turns
before the other player has an official start, giving that first player an
advantage. That and the doubling-out rule makes 301 a more challenging game,
although shorter than the 501 game.
