Dart Games: A Guide to Playing 8 Popular Games

Whenever you have team buildings or camping, games are one of the essential elements that should be present. One of the common games you can choose from is playing dart games. Dart games are dart activities or competitions where players throw missile-like sharp objects into boards using their bare hands.

Below are some example of popular dart games and how it is played.

Baseball Darts

One of the most common types of dart games and is best for beginners of any age is baseball darts. As the name implies, terms are similar to the actual baseball game. Words like nine rounds and innings are both similarly used.

The rules of baseball darts are easy to follow. Players have three darts and will simultaneously throw them according to what innings they are in. For example, if they are in the first inning, players must throw all three darts on the board, hitting number 1. If they are in the second inning, they should hit number two, so and so forth. For the scoring system, if a player hits the single section, it's 1 point, the double section is 2 points, and the triple section is 3 points. Suppose the dart lands outside the designated target; it's 0 points. The scores will be tallied at the end of the ninth inning, and the team with the highest number of points wins.

501 Darts

501 Darts are the most common dart games played by professionals. In this game, both teams have a total point of 501. Depending on where your darts landed, the points you earn during playing will be subtracted from your team's 501 scores. The first team to reach zero wins the game.

But before subtracting the points you've earned, players must do double in and double out. In double in, you must land a dart in any part of the board called double section, including the bull's eye. On the other hand, double out is the same but a little trickier. To win and end the game, you should land precisely on a number that will lead to your score of zero. If you hit any number that will not lead to zero, your turn will be over, and you will resume your prior score. This is what we call a bust.

301 Darts

 301 Darts are somehow similar to 501 darts. The only difference is their starting score. Instead of having 501, your team will have 301 points. The goal is the same. To bring this 301 points to zero. Double in and Double out still applies. You need to start hitting the double section first before your following scores will be subtracted. For double out, you must still hit the exact number needed to bring your score down. More or less than zero double-out results in you forfeiting this game, and you will move to the next round with your prior scores. So basically, the 301 game is a shorter version of the 501 dart game.

Around The Clock Darts

Around the clock darts are also known as Around the World. This type of dart game is best for beginners as it doesn't need complicated skills. To play this game, you have to hit all the numbers on the darts from 1 to 20 and then hit the bull's eye at the end. You still have the standard 3 darts. If you miss hitting your numbers, it's the next player's turn until he fails or uses all his darts. Since the goal of this game is to hit all the numbers in order and the bull's eye, scoring points are unnecessary. The first one to complete the task wins.

Killer Darts

Killer Dart is another way of playing your dart games and is easy to follow. This game has three-phase. First, all players must throw 1 dart to any number on the board using their non-dominant hand. This represents who they are and the order they play. No players should be on the same number. Next, the player must hit the double section on the dart board within their number's area to be a killer. The third is killing time. Killers' job is to kill another player by hitting the double section of their opponent's numbers. Each player has three lives. Every hit results in the removal of life until eliminated. The same applies to killers. If they hit their double section, they lose lives. Other players can still earn the killer status during this time if they hit the double section of their number. Last player to remain with the highest number of lives win.

Gotcha Darts

This game is the opposite of the 301 and 501 games without the double-in and double-out. The goal is to achieve the total score before playing the game. The scoring system is the same, if you hit number 1 in a single section, it is one point, but if you hit double or triple, scores are multiplied. What makes this game unique is the killing part. If you hit the exact number your opponent hit, they need to restart their score back to zero. Busting is also present. To finish the game, you must hit only the exact points needed to reach your agreed score. Any more or fewer points result in busting where you need to restart your score to your previous one. The first one to reach the agreed number wins.

Shanghai Darts

Shanghai dart is somehow a mix between baseball darts and worldwide darts. To win this game, players must hit all the numbers from 1 - 20. But this game uses innings or rounds. So if you are in round 1, you must hit any part of the board in area 1. Scoring is the same as usual. Suppose you hit a single section its 1 point; if you double or triple the section, your scores will be multiplied. There is a quick way for you to win each round. If you hit all three darts simultaneously in the single, double, and triple section, you win, and all scores will be added to you alone. The first one to reach the target of 20 and earn the highest total points wins.

Cricket Darts

This dart game variation is somehow interesting. The goal of this game is to hit any number between 15 to 20 and the bull's eye three times. No scores if you hit numbers outside the range. It may seem easy, but it's not. To score, you first need to open the area. Opening it means getting three marks by hitting the same number 3 times; 1 triple hit, 1 double hit, and 1 single hit or 3 single hits. Then you can earn score as much as you want. But be careful; your opponent can close that number by earning the same 3 marks. Once it's closed, it will never be open again. You win if you earn the highest points before the number closes.

As you've learned the different dart games, you can now enjoy playing it with your friend. All you have to do is prepare your darts and board and unleash the darts skills hidden inside you.