How to play 501 darts

The shape of a 501 game

A single game is often called a leg. Players take turns throwing up to three darts, and the points scored come off their own remaining total. In a straight-start game, any scoring dart counts from the beginning. You do not have to hit a double first.

PDC Europe describes 501 with a double-out finish. Some competitions specify different starting rules, so check the event’s format when you play competitively. For a casual DartMate game, select 501, add your players and decide together whether to enable Double out.

A good turn changes the remaining score

A single scores the segment number, a double scores twice it and a triple scores three times it. The outer bull is 25 and the center bull is 50. For example, triple 20, single 20 and single 5 add up to 85; your first such turn leaves 416.

Three triple 20s total 180, but you do not need a 180 to enjoy 501. The longer starting total gives you more turns to settle into the game before the finish. Keep a clear record of what remains instead of trying to remember every previous throw.

Follow one player from 501 to a finish

Here is an illustrative sequence, not a suggested training target. Other players take their own turns between these rows. T means triple and D means double.

The first five turns remove 469 points in total, leaving 32. The next dart lands in D16 for 32 points. It takes the remaining score to exactly zero on a double, so the leg ends immediately. There is no need to throw the other two darts.

Near zero, the finish matters

In double-out, reaching zero is only valid when the last dart is a double. With 32 left, D16 wins. A single 16 leaves 16 and you can still aim for D8 with another dart. A triple 16 would score 48, which is too much: that is a bust.

A bust ends your turn and restores the score from the start of that turn. It also happens if you leave 1, or reach zero without the required double. Suppose you start on 32, hit single 16, then single 16 again. That is a bust and you return to 32. You do not keep the first 16 points.

With Double out switched off in DartMate, any scoring segment may make the exact finish. Overshooting still busts, but leaving 1 does not. The finishing option changes the last part of the game, so agree on it before starting.

One leg, or a match?

A match can contain several legs. In a first-to-2 match, the first player to win two games wins the match. With two players, that can take two or three games. First to 3 can take three, four or five. A match score counts games won, separately from the remaining 501 score inside the current game.

DartMate offers one game, first to 2 wins and first to 3 wins. Enter each physical hit manually on its board, and let it track the score and whose turn comes next. Save a game if you need a pause, or return to your local history afterward.