Darts 501 Rules: Scoring, Double Out and Checkouts Explained
The rules of 501 darts: how scoring down works, the double-out finish, what busts, legs and sets mean, and the classic checkout routes worth memorising.
The shape of the game
Both players start on 501 and race to zero. Each turn is three darts, and the total scored is subtracted from what remains. Singles score face value, the outer ring doubles it, the inner ring trebles it; the outer bull is 25 and the inner bull 50. The maximum turn — three treble 20s — is the famous 180.
The catch is the finish: you must reach exactly zero, and the dart that takes you there must be a double (the inner bull counts as double 25). This "double out" rule is what makes 501 a game of arithmetic under pressure.
Busting, legs and sets
If a turn takes you below zero, leaves exactly one, or reaches zero without finishing on a double, you are bust: the turn is void and your score resets to where it stood before the turn. Managing what you leave matters as much as scoring big.
A single game of 501 is a leg. Matches are played best-of-legs (first to 7, 10, etc.), and in longer formats legs group into sets — typically first to three legs wins a set, first to a target number of sets wins the match.
Checkouts worth knowing
A checkout is a route from your remaining score to zero ending on a double. The highest is 170 (treble 20, treble 20, bull), one of the great sights in darts. Everything from 2 to 158 is finishable in three darts; above that only 160, 161, 164, 167 and 170 are — the rest (159, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169) are the "bogey" numbers with no three-dart finish.
Chalking 501 — subtracting three-dart totals and knowing the outs — is a real skill, and a wrong subtraction ruins a leg. A darts scoreboard app does the arithmetic for you: enter each turn, and remaining totals, legs and sets stay right on the screen by the board while everyone focuses on the throwing.
Put a live scoreboard on any screen
Score Cast is a free-to-start scoreboard for 22 sports — control from your phone, display on any TV, projector or stream.
Start Scoring — FreeFrequently asked questions
Do you have to start 501 on a double?
Not in standard 501 — straight start, double finish is the norm. Some traditional formats ("double in, double out") require a double to start scoring as well.
What happens if I hit exactly zero but not on a double?
That is a bust. Your score returns to what it was before the turn and your opponent throws.
What is the highest checkout in darts?
170 — treble 20, treble 20, inner bull (50). It is the maximum finish because the last dart must be a double and the bull counts as double 25.