Cricket darts
rules
Cricket is played on seven numbers only: 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and the bull. Closing a number takes three marks — a single is worth one mark, a double two, a triple three — and every hit after that adds the value of the number, but only while the opponent still has it open. The winner is the first to hold all seven without trailing on points.
Seven numbers, and nothing else
Everything outside these seven is out of play. A triple 14 is worth precisely nothing, which takes some getting used to if you have only ever played 501.
| Number | Triple, once closed | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 60 | The biggest number on the board, and the first battleground. |
| 19 | 57 | The classic fallback when the 20 is crowded. |
| 18 | 54 | Sits between the 1 and the 4 — both out of play here, so a miss costs you the dart and nothing else. |
| 17 | 51 | Low on the board, comfortable for most throwers. |
| 16 | 48 | Rarely decisive, often the last one left open. |
| 15 | 45 | The lowest value, and usually the easiest to close. |
| Bull | 50 | One mark for the outer ring, two for the bullseye, 25 points a mark. |
How scoring actually works
Three marks close a number
A single counts once, a double twice, a triple three times — a treble, if you are British. Three marks on the 20 and the 20 is yours, so one triple does it in a single dart.
Everything after the third mark scores
Once you own a number, every further hit adds its face value to your score: a triple 20 after closing is sixty points, and the bull pays 25 a mark — 25 for the outer ring, 50 for the bullseye. A dart that both closes and overshoots counts the surplus, so a triple on a number you had already hit once closes it and banks the value of one more hit.
Points stop when your opponent closes
You only score on a number your opponent has not closed. The moment they put their third mark on it, the number is shut for both of you and nobody scores there again. That is the whole tension of the game.
Closing is only half of it
You win by closing all seven numbers and being level or ahead on points. Close everything while trailing and you have not won: you still have to catch up on a number that is open.
You throw triple 20, single 20, single 19. The triple closes the 20 outright. The single 20 that follows is a mark past the third, so it pays twenty points. The single 19 leaves the 19 one mark of the three you need. Your opponent answers with a triple 20 of their own: the 20 is now closed by both of you, so it is dead and pays nobody — but the twenty points you banked are yours for good.
Next visit you throw triple 19. Two of those marks close the 19; the third is surplus and pays nineteen points straight away. That is the rule worth remembering: a dart never wastes the marks it does not need to close.
Three players and up
With three or more, a number stays live until every opponent has closed it. You keep scoring on your 20 while anyone still has it open, which makes the game longer and much less predictable.
It also changes who you play against. Shutting the leader's best number helps everyone except the leader, and the table works that out quickly. Expect the player in front to be ganged up on, which is most of the fun.
DartSync handles four or five players on one board: each one gets their own column of marks, and a number keeps paying you as long as any opponent still has it open.
Strategy
Close the 20 first, or deny it
The 20 is where the points are. Whoever owns it while the other still has it open runs away with the game. If your opponent closes it first, closing it yourself is no longer about scoring — it is about stopping them.
Score while the window is open
The points you have scored are yours for good — nobody can take them off you. What closes is the window: the moment your opponent puts a third mark on that number, it pays nobody. So bank what you can while they still have it open, because you will not get the chance afterwards.
Count what is left open
Late in a game, the board is mostly shut. One or two numbers carry every remaining point, and the player who notices first aims there.
The bull decides tight games
Two marks from one dart make the bullseye the fastest close on the board, and the outer bull is a bigger target than any triple. It is also the number most players leave until last, which is exactly why it settles close games.
Cut-throat Cricket
Cut-throat keeps the targets, the marks and the closing of standard Cricket. One thing changes: the points you score go on your opponents' totals instead of yours, and the lowest score wins. It is the version most Americans switch to once there are three or more of you — often spelled cutthroat, in one word.
Your points land on the others
An extra hit on a number you have closed is still worth its value, but it is added to every opponent who has not closed that number yet. With three players, a treble 20 against two open opponents costs them sixty each.
Lowest score wins
The winner is the first to close all seven while level with or below every other player. Close everything while holding more points than an opponent and the game goes on: keep sending points to a number they still have open until you drop back below them.
Close to protect yourself
A number you have closed can no longer cost you anything. Shut first the numbers your opponents have already closed: those are the only ones they can load you up on.
Built for three or more
Head to head, cut-throat plays out exactly like standard Cricket: giving your opponent twenty points or taking twenty yourself opens the same gap. With three or more, picking a number means picking who pays.
Example: two rounds with three players
Alex, Bob and Chloe play cut-throat. Scores are points received: lowest leads.
| Round | Darts | What happens | Alex | Bob | Chloe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Round 1 Alex | T20, S20, S19 | The treble closes the 20. The extra S20 is worth 20 points, sent to Bob and Chloe, who have not closed the 20. 19: one mark. | 0 | 20 | 20 |
Round 1 Bob | T20, S20, S18 | Bob closes the 20 too. His S20 only goes to Chloe: Alex has already closed the 20. 18: one mark. | 0 | 20 | 40 |
Round 1 Chloe | T19, S19, S19 | The treble closes the 19. The two extra S19s are worth 38 points, to Alex and to Bob alike. | 38 | 58 | 40 |
Round 2 Alex | D19, T18, S18 | The D19 closes Alex's 19: nothing more can land on him there. The T18 closes the 18, and the S18 sends 18 points to Bob and Chloe. | 38 | 76 | 58 |
Round 2 Bob | T19, S20, S20 | The T19 closes the 19, now shut by everyone: it is dead. Chloe is the only one still open on the 20: the two S20s cost her 40 points. | 38 | 76 | 98 |
Round 2 Chloe | T20, S18, S18 | Chloe finally closes the 20, dead in turn. 18: two marks. | 38 | 76 | 98 |
After two rounds, Alex leads on 38. Chloe, last to close the 20, paid 80 points for it: in cut-throat, staying open on a number the others have shut is expensive.
In DartSync, you pick cut-throat when you set up the game: Cricket mode, then Advanced settings, variant Cut-throat. DartSync sends the points to the right players and reminds you under the board that lowest wins.
Start a Cricket gameThe other versions you will meet
No-score Cricket
Closing only, no points at all. First to shut all seven wins. Quick, and popular as a warm-up because it removes the arithmetic entirely.
Random Cricket
Six numbers are drawn at random in place of 15 to 20, and the bull stays as the seventh target. It stops the 20 from dominating and forces you at parts of the board you normally avoid.
Tactics
The British version of the same idea, still played in some leagues: doubles and triples count as targets in their own right alongside the numbers. Which of the two games came first is not documented.
DartSync scores standard Cricket and cut-throat. None of the variants above are in yet.
Frequently asked questions about Cricket
Which numbers are used in Cricket?▼
Fifteen through twenty and the bull — seven targets in all. Everything else on the board is dead: a treble 14 is worth nothing at all.
How many hits does it take to close a number?▼
Three marks. A single counts once, a double twice and a triple three times — a treble, in British usage — so one triple closes a number outright.
When do hits turn into points?▼
Once you have your three marks on a number, every further hit adds its face value to your score — a triple 20 is sixty points, and the bull pays 25 a mark. You only score while your opponent still has that number open; the moment they close it, nobody scores there again.
How many marks is the bull worth?▼
The outer ring counts as one mark and the bullseye as two, which makes the middle the fastest close on the board — two darts in the bullseye and it is yours.
How do you win at Cricket?▼
By closing all seven numbers and being level or ahead on points. If you close everything while trailing, you have not won: you still have to catch up on a number that is open.
What is cut-throat Cricket?▼
A variant where the points you score are given to every opponent who has not closed that number, and the lowest score wins. It makes scoring a weapon rather than a reward, and it is the version most Americans switch to once there are three or more of you. Often spelled cutthroat, in one word. DartSync offers it in the Cricket advanced settings.
Can you play Cricket with more than two players?▼
Yes, and it changes the game: a number stays live until every opponent has closed it, so you keep scoring for longer. Expect whoever is leading to be ganged up on.
Is Cricket the same as Mickey Mouse?▼
Not quite. Mickey Mouse is a British game built on the same idea, but most versions target 20 down to 12 plus three doubles, three triples and the bull, rather than Cricket's 15 to 20 and the bull. Some players do use the name loosely for Cricket itself, and Tactics is another British name in the same family — which of them came first is not documented.
More questions? See the full FAQ
Let the marks look after themselves.
Counting marks and points across four players is where Cricket goes wrong on paper. DartSync keeps the grid, works out who can still score where, and shows it on every phone at the board.
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