HOW TO PLAY–THE RULES OF DARTS

ALL Professional Darts Corporation tournaments are operated under the rules laid down by the Darts Regulation Authority.

Here you can find details of the most commonly played version - 501 - used in all PDC events on a standard dartboard.

Dart Board Measurements:

Standard height from the floor to the bullseye on the dartboard is 5 feet 8 inches (172.7cm), while the oche (distance between the front of the board and the toeline) should measure 7 feet 9.25 inches (236.2cm).

The Dart:

A standard dart consist of 4 main components. The point, barrel, shaft, and flight (4 sided tail which controls the aerodynamics and drag of the dart during a throw).

Basic Rules:

In a game of 501 the object is for one player or a team to be the first to reach zero from starting total of 501.

In simple terms, after three darts are thrown, the throwing player subtracts the total scored from his current total until he reaches zero.

In order to reach zero each player must finish by throwing a double i.e. if player one has 36 remaining he must hit double 18 to win, while if player two has 45 remaining he must hit single 5, double

20 to win - or a an- other combination of scores provided the final dart scores on a double.

Legs & Sets:

Games being played in the Legs format can be played to a ‘Best of’ format whereby a player or team winning six legs in a ‘Best of 11 Leg’ game wins the match.

Most PDC events are played in a Legs format.

Other tournaments will be played in Sets format, whereby players must win a Set by winning the Best of Five legs, before claiming the match in the Best of Three / Five / Seven /Nine /11 / 13 Sets.

The PDC World Championship and World Grand Prix are played using the Set format, with differing lengths of games at each tournament.

Double Start Format:

Some versions of the game require a ‘double start’ whereby players must begin the game with a double as well as ‘checking out’ on a double. The World Grand Prix uses the ‘double in, double out’ rule.

Nine Dart Finish:

Considered a ‘hole in one’ in a game of darts, this extraordinary feat uses just 9 darts to reach zero by shortest possible route. It is extremely difficult to achieve, and will see a player inaugurated into the ‘PDC Nine Dart Club’.

The last Australian player to achieve a 9 dart finish during a televised event was Kyle Anderson at the European Championships last year, recording a treble 20, treble 19 and double 12.