501 darts
rules
In 501 every player starts on 501 points. Each turn the three darts thrown are subtracted from the total, and the leg is won by reaching exactly zero with a double, or with the bullseye, which counts as a double 25. Overshooting zero, being left on 1, or reaching zero without a double wipes the visit: that is a bust. It is the standard format, from a pub board to a world final.
Exactly zero, and not a point less
Every dart that lands in a scoring segment comes off your total. Miss the board entirely and you score nothing — you do not lose anything either, the dart is simply gone.
You must land on zero, not pass through it. Sitting on 32, a double 16 finishes the leg. A treble 16 does not: it would take you to minus sixteen, your turn ends, and your score goes back to what it was before the visit.
- D15 — the leg is over.
- S10 then D10 — also over, two darts.
- S20 leaves 10, and you finish next visit on D5.
- T20 — bust. Back to 30, hand over the darts.
What each ring is worth
Single
The plain parts of a segment — the band outside the treble ring and the one inside it. Worth the face value of the number.
Double
The outer ring: twice the value. This is the ring you have to finish on.
Treble
The inner ring — a triple, in American usage: three times the value.
The bull, and darts that do not count
The green outer ring is 25. The red centre — the bullseye — is 50, and counts as a double 25, which means you can finish a leg on it.
A dart in the wire, in the wrong segment, or on the floor scores whatever it actually hit, which is often nothing. A dart that bounces out counts as thrown: you do not get it back.
The highest possible three-dart score is 180 — three trebles in the 20. Playing double out, the highest score you can finish from is 170: treble 20, treble 20, bullseye.
Understanding the bust
You go bust when the visit cannot legally finish. Your score returns to what it was at the start of the turn, and the remaining darts of that visit are forfeited.
Being left on 1 is a bust under double out, because no double is worth one. That is why players avoid leaving themselves on an odd number they cannot split. Under straight out, where any segment finishes, 1 is simply a score you can still hit.
Some scores cannot be finished at all in three darts under double out — the bogey numbers: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162, 159. If you are sitting on one of those, the job of the visit is not to finish but to leave something you can.
The three ways to go out
Double out
The last dart has to land in the double ring, or in the bullseye, which counts as a double 25. This is the standard everywhere from a pub league to a world final.
Master out
The last dart can be a double or a treble. Not used in steel-tip competition, but it is the standard out on the soft-tip circuits — the WSDA world series and DartsLive machines both play master out.
Straight out
Any segment finishes the leg. The friendliest version for beginners, and the fastest way to get a new player throwing without the frustration of hunting a double.
In DartSync: the checkout rule is chosen in the advanced settings when you create the game, and it is remembered on your device. A game starts in straight out by default — pick double out to play by the official rules. The suggested finish on screen follows whichever rule you set. Double in, having to open the leg on a double as well, is not in yet.
Turns, legs and sets
Who throws first is settled at the board: each player throws one dart at the bull and whoever lands nearest starts. Players call it bulling up, or middle for diddle. After that the throw alternates leg by leg — whoever threw second in one leg throws first in the next — so the winner of the bull opens every odd-numbered leg. Plenty of pub leagues instead hand the throw to whoever lost the last leg, but that is a house rule.
A turn is three darts, thrown one at a time. You can stop early — if the third dart could only put you in trouble, leaving it is a legitimate choice.
A leg is one game of 501. A match is usually the best of several legs, and at the top level legs are grouped into sets: a set is the best of five legs — first to three — and the PDC world final is the best of thirteen sets. DartSync scores a single leg at a time; legs and sets are not in yet, so a match means starting a new game each time.
Two phases, two jobs
Scoring: 501 down to about 170
Throw at the treble 20 and nothing else. Sixty a dart is the ceiling, and the 20 bed is the biggest concentration of points on the board. If the 20 will not come, the treble 19 is the accepted alternative — fifty-seven rather than sixty, and a less punishing neighbourhood.
Finishing: 170 down to nothing
Now you are not scoring, you are arranging. Every visit should leave a number you can finish on, and the best ones leave an even number you can halve down: 32 gives you D16, then D8, then D4 if you keep missing. Leaving 33 means spending a dart splitting it before you can throw at a double at all.
The finishes worth memorising
The two-dart routes are built to leave D16 wherever they can, for the reason above: miss it in the single and you still have 16, then 8, then 4.
Frequently asked questions about 501
How do you play 501 darts?▼
Every player starts on 501 and subtracts the value of every dart they throw. The first to reach exactly zero wins the leg, and the dart that takes them there has to be a double — the outer ring, or the bullseye, which counts as a double 25.
What is a bust in 501?▼
A visit that cannot legally finish: you would go below zero, you would be left on 1, or you reach zero with something other than a double. Your score goes back to what it was at the start of the turn and the rest of the visit is forfeited.
Why is being left on 1 a problem?▼
Because no double is worth 1, so the leg cannot be finished from there. It is why players avoid leaving an odd number they have no way of splitting.
What is the highest score you can finish from?▼
Playing double out, 170 — treble 20, treble 20, bullseye. Above that, no combination of three darts reaches zero on a double.
What are bogey numbers?▼
Scores that cannot be finished in three darts at all under double out: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. Sitting on one of them, the job of the visit is not to finish but to leave something you can.
Do I have to finish on a double?▼
In competition, yes — double out is the standard everywhere. Master out lets you finish on a double or a treble — not used in steel-tip competition, but it is the standard on the soft-tip circuits — and straight out lets any segment do it. All three are available in DartSync.
What is the difference between a leg and a set?▼
A leg is one game of 501. A set is the best of five legs — first to three — and the PDC world final is the best of thirteen sets. DartSync scores one leg at a time, so a match means starting a new game for each leg.
Who throws first?▼
Each player throws one dart at the bull and whoever lands nearest starts — bulling up, or middle for diddle. After that the throw alternates leg by leg, so the winner of the bull opens every odd-numbered leg. Handing the throw to whoever lost the last leg is a common house rule, not the competition one.
More questions? See the full FAQ
Stop doing the subtraction.
DartSync takes the arithmetic off you, spots the busts, and suggests the checkout when you get in range. One link, everyone on their own phone.
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