Darts 301 Checkouts: Table and Tips

The board

Twenty numbered segments run round the board in the standard order (20 at the top, then 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, 10, 15, 2, 17, 3, 19, 7, 16, 8, 11, 14, 9, 12, 5). The thin outer ring doubles a segment's number; the thin inner ring trebles it. The outer bull scores 25, and the inner bullseye scores 50 and counts as a double (double 25). The highest single dart is treble 20 for 60; three of them is the maximum 180.

The rules of 301

1. Each turn of three darts is subtracted from your score.
2. You must reach exactly zero, and the dart that takes you there must be a double (the bullseye counts).
3. Bust: if a turn would take you below zero, to exactly one (no double can score one), or to zero without a double, the turn does not count and your score goes back to what it was at the start of the turn.

So 301 has two phases: scoring, where you throw at treble 20 to get down fast, and finishing, where you throw to leave a double and then hit it.

Which doubles to leave

The best number to be left on is one that gives you a second chance if you miss. The classic is 32 (double 16): miss inside into the single 16 and you are on 16 (double 8); miss that into single 8 and you are on 8 (double 4), and so on down the halvings: 32, 16, 8, 4, 2. Forty (double 20) is also good because a single 20 leaves double 10. Avoid leaving odd numbers (they need another single before a double) and numbers like 3 or 1 that have no sensible route.

Priority of doubles to leave, roughly: 32, 40, 16, 24, 36, 20, 8. Learn to steer your scoring darts toward them.

The checkout table

Three-dart finishes exist for every score from 2 to 170 except 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. The standard routes (T = treble, D = double, Bull = 50):

Odd scores below 100 take a single first to reach an even number: 99 is T19 10 D16; 81 is T19 D12; 61 is T15 D8; 41 is 9 D16. The game's suggestion covers all of them.

Using the suggestion

At 170 or below the game shows a way to finish in the darts you have left. Read it as a plan, not an order: if the first dart misses into a single, the plan changes, and the suggestion updates after each dart. The habit to build is to look at the suggestion, throw the first dart, and re-read before the second.

Throwing in the game

Press and hold on the board where you want to aim; the wobbling aim steadies for about a second, then drifts again. Release at the steadiest moment; holding too long makes it worse. On a phone the aim sits just above your finger. With a keyboard, the arrow keys move the aim and Space held and released throws. Practise the release timing on treble 20 before worrying about doubles.

Around the Clock

The other mode asks you to hit 1 to 20 in order and then the bull, in as few darts as possible. There are no doubles here; any part of the segment counts. It is the best practice for aim because every number on the board gets thrown at, and the darts-per-number count shows exactly where your accuracy drops.

Common mistakes

1. Scoring blindly down to an awkward number. From about 100, start steering toward 32 or 40.
2. Going for a big treble with one dart left when a single would leave a double. The treble gains nothing if the next turn has no finish.
3. Leaving an odd number. It costs a dart to fix.
4. Forgetting that 1 is a bust. Never leave yourself a route through single 1.
5. Holding the aim too long. Release while it is steady.

Glossary

• Double-out: the rule that the final dart must be a double.
• Bust: a turn that goes below zero, to 1, or to zero without a double; it does not count.
• Checkout: the darts that finish a leg from a given score.
• Treble (T) and double (D): the inner and outer narrow rings.
• Bull and bullseye: the outer ring of the centre (25) and the centre itself (50, a double).