The board hangs by the coat hooks at regulation height. Take on a leg of 501 or 301 that ends on a double, or work through every number in round the clock.
How a leg of 501 works
A leg starts at 501 for both sides, three darts per visit, every dart subtracted from what is left. Plain segments count face value, the thin band on the rim counts double and the narrow band halfway in counts triple; the green ring around the centre is 25 and the red spot 50. You win by landing on exactly zero, and the dart that gets you there must be a double — the red spot is accepted as one.
- Overshoot zero, stop on 1, or hit zero with anything but a double, and the visit is a bust: it counts for nothing and you are back on the score you started it with.
- 301 plays the same, just shorter — good for a quick game or for practising finishes.
- Round the clock is a race through the numbers: 1 first, then 2, then 3, all the way up to 20, with the bull to close it. Single, double or treble of the target all move you on.
Aiming and throwing
The sight follows the mouse, or a finger dragged anywhere over the board area, and it stays offset from the fingertip so it is never hidden. A gentle sway runs through it, as it would through a real arm; let go as it drifts across the bed you are after. To throw, flick upward, press Throw, click, or hit Space. A steady flick lands where you aimed; a sideways, weak or overhard one sends the dart astray.
Strategy
Score heavily first. Until you are under about 170, aim at the treble 20; if the sway keeps pulling you into the 1 and the 5 beside it, move to the treble 19, where the neighbours are 7 and 3 and a miss still scores well.
Plan the finish one turn ahead. The aim is not just to score but to leave a number you can check out. Even doubles are friendlier than odd ones: 32 is double 16, and if you hit a single 16 instead you are left on 16, which is double 8, and so on down. The checkout chart has a route for every finish.
Know the numbers you cannot finish from. 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159 have no three-dart finish, and above 110 nothing goes out in two darts. If you are on one of those, score so that you land on a finish rather than throwing at a route that does not exist.
Use the hint. When you are on a finish, Hint shows the route the Expert would take and where to aim for the first dart. Against Easy you have time to learn the routes; Expert averages near 80 points a turn and does not miss many doubles.
The daily finishing challenge
The daily darts challenge gives you five finishes, one from each band between 2 and 130, picked by today’s date. You have one turn of three darts for each. What counts is how many you check out, then how few darts you needed.
FAQ
Why was my turn a bust when I hit 20 on 20?
You need to finish on a double. A single 20 on 20 brings you to zero without a double, which is a bust, so the score goes back. Aim at double 10 instead.
Does the bull count as a double?
Yes. The bull is worth 50 and finishes a leg, so 50 is a one-dart finish and 170 is treble 20, treble 20, bull.
What is the highest finish?
It is 170 — two treble 20s and the bull. Nothing higher goes out in one visit, and seven scores below it (169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159) have no three-dart route at all.
How do I play round the clock?
Choose Round the clock as the variant in the new game menu. Hit each number from 1 to 20 in order, then the bull. Doubles and trebles count as the number but do not let you skip ahead.
Can two people play on one phone?
Yes, pick Two players. Each player throws a full turn of three darts and then hands the phone over; the board shows whose turn it is.