Game Rules & Etiquette

 x01, Cricket, Etiquette

Etiquette

Darts is considered a "gentlemanly sport". There are certain things that are expected of players, scorekeepers and spectators. While there are some players that do not follow these guidelines, it is usually because they are rude, ignorant or sore losers. Better players will not like to associate with these kinds of players, and often such activity can lead to the better players giving the offenders a "taste of their own medicine". Stick to these simple rules, and you will have a much more enjoyable game and make a lot more friends than enemies.

Sportsmanship:

Generally, all dart players are good sportsmen. They will shake hands at the beginning of a match and wish each other good luck. Similarly at the end of the game, they will shake hands and say "good game" or "nice shooting".

No Distractions:

Much like professional golfers making an important putt, dart players like no distractions while throwing. This means:

Score Your Darts Before You Pull Them:

This can avoid many arguments. If you write down the score on the board before you pull the darts from the board, you can show your opponent what you threw if there is a discrepancy.

Don't Be A Sore Loser:

Appreciate what the other player has accomplished. If the other player bested you, live with it. Remember if you had thrown something really amazing, you'd be happy about it, so be happy for the other player too. Not only will this show that you are a lady/gentleman, but by keeping your own spirits up, you will remain relaxed and throw your next darts better than if you got angry or tense. I have witnessed MANY players (including myself and other members of my team) lose a game purely because they got angry and their game suffered because of it.

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Cricket

Cricket is the most common dart game played in bars across America. Cricket is a game that, unlike x01, requires some strategy which can help a weaker player beat a stronger player.

The Object:

The object of the game is to "close" all your numbers (20 down through 15 and bulls-eye) and end up with more or equal points to your opponent. To close a number, you must hit three of that number.

The Scoring:

The scoreboard is drawn with the numbers 20 through 15 and bullseye written in descending order down the center of the board. Bullseye is usually abbreviated with a B (or C for cork, another term for the bullseye). Each dart that lands in any of the games numbers count toward closing that number. The thin outer ring counts as two of that number and is called a "double". The thin inner ring counts as three of that number and is called a triple. Scoring for one dart is shown by placing a slash ( \ ) next to the number scored. Scoring for two is shown by placing an X next to the number scored. Scoring for three is shown by placing a circle next to the number to indicate it is closed. When three of a number is scored in any combination, it is closed.

The Play:

The players each take a turn throwing one dart at bulls-eye, closet dart to the bullseye gets to throw first. The first player throws three darts at any of the scoring numbers to try to close that number and/or score points (points will be explained later, and games can be played without points). The player then scores the darts that he has thrown and play alternates until one person closes all their numbers and has more or equal points to the opponent.

Now let's talk about points. Points is what makes the game of Cricket very interesting. After you close a number, if your opponent does not have the same number closed, any darts that land in that number count as points for you and are totaled on your side of the board. For example, you have your 18 closed and your opponent only has one 18. If you throw a triple 18, you now have 54 points added to any points you may have already scored. If your opponent now throws a triple 18, only two count to close the number. The third does not count for points because your 18 is already closed. If a player has all of their numbers closed including bullseyes but has less points, that player has not yet won the game. He must throw enough points to be even or ahead of the opponent. If the only number the opponent has open is bullseyes, then the player must throw extra bullseyes at 25 points each (or 50 points for the double bulls-eye).

Strategy:

The best strategy is to close the highest numbers first in descending order (this is the reason they are written that way on the scoreboard). The reason for this is that if points are scored, the player with the higher number closed has a big advantage. If you closed your 20 and scored 20 points in your first round, your opponent would have to throw TWO 19's after they are closed to make up the points and score 38.

One important note that I should point out (no pun intended): Deliberately shooting too many points can lead to a bar-room brawl. Darts is considered a "polite game" much like golf. Players do not typically "point monger" each other. Staying one or two bullseyes ahead (25 to 50 points) is acceptable. Throwing more points on another player that is not an INCREDIBLY stronger player is not a good idea.

On the other hand, by scoring an appropriate number early and simply staying on top of the other player, a weaker player can often beat a stronger player by making the other player have to throw extra bullseyes to end the game. Be very careful with this strategy though, sometimes the other player might suddenly turn the tables and will be sure to remember all those extra points you threw on him! Another thing that can happen is that you waste time trying to be sure you have enough points and when you get to the bullseyes, you discover that the other player couldn't miss a bull if he tried. What you wind up with is allot of darts you wasted that could have been tried at bulls and an opponent who is grinning from ear to ear. A clue to warn you that this is happening is when you throw allot of points and your opponent doesn't seem to care (that is he's not throwing any points back).

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x01

x01 (pronounced oh-one)is probably the easiest game to learn. The rules are very simple, yet the game requires skill in order to play well and win. It is a very good game for beginners because it develops accuracy around the whole board and the simple rules allow the players to concentrate on their throwing.

The Object:

The game play starts with a score of 301, 401, 501, 601 or 1001. The object is to get to exactly zero by throwing rounds of three darts and subtracting the sum of those darts from your current score. Games may be played as "double-start" (also called "double-in") or "straight start" (also called "straight-in") this will be explained in THE PLAY section of this page. Games may also be played as "double out" ("double finish") or "straight out" ("straight finish") however "straight out" is extremely rare. Games of 301 and 601 are typically played as double in/double out. While games of 401, 501 and 1001 are typically played as straight in/double out.

The Scoring:

The agreed upon starting score of the game is written at the top center of the score board (ie: 301) with a vertical line drawn down the center of score board. "DD" or "SD" are written above or below the starting score to indicate the agreed upon game (double-in/double-out or straight-in double-out). After each round, the total points thrown is written on the board along with the remaining score on that player/team's side of the board. A score of 100 is called a "ton" and is written on the board as a "T". Scores over 100 are called "ton" plus the rest that was thrown. For example a score of 120 would be called "a ton twenty" and would be written on the board "2T0".

The Play:

Both players (or one player from each team) throw one dart each at the bulls-eye. The closest to the bulls-eye gets to throw first. Typically this player also names the game to be played. The initials of the players are written above each column of the scoreboard with the winner of the bulls-eye on the left.

If the game was called as a straight-in game, the first player (winner of the bulls-eye) begins by throwing three darts trying to attain the highest score possible. Each dart is scored by the number where it lands with the thin inner ring being worth 3 times the number indicated and the thin outer ring worth 2 times the number indicated while the two large sections score exactly the number indicated. Thus the highest attainable score with three darts is 180 by hitting three triple 20's.

If the game was called as a double-in game, the first player must hit any double on the board before they may begin counting their score. For example if the player threw a single 20, a double 20 and a single 20 the score would be 60 points. The first dart did not count because the player had not yet hit a double so only the second and third darts did count. Once a player has "gotten in" subsequent rounds do not require a double be thrown again.

Play continues alternating the players on each side of the board. When the scores get low the player starts to need to think about how they are going to get "out". The exact number a player should start to think about this varies with ability. A beginner should try to get to 40 or 32 (see the STRATEGY section) while an expert will start looking at 160!

A "double out" game means that you must hit a double that makes your score exactly zero to win the game. For example, if you have 32 points left, you must hit a double sixteen with your first scoring dart to win. If you miss the double sixteen and hit a single eight, you now have 24 points left and now have a score of 24. Lets say that now you score 23 points with your remaining two darts. You have "busted" because you only have 1 point and there is no way to throw half of 1. When you bust, all darts you threw in that round do not count and your turn is over. You also bust if you end up with less than zero or if you hit exactly zero but your last dart was not a double.

A "straight out" game means that no double is needed to win, you must simply arrive at zero points. Therefore, if you had a score of 32, simply hitting two single 16's will win the game. The only way to "bust" in a straight out game is to end up with less than zero as your total score.

Strategy:

For beginner to intermediate players there are two simple strategies to follow. As players become more skillful they will be able to hit anywhere they aim for and will simply shoot for the most points and the quickest available "out".

There are many variations of "out-charts" available for various levels of players. An out-chart tells you the proper way to end a double-out game in two or three darts from almost every score of 160 or less. Beginners often try to hard to hit these difficult outs and worsen their position in the game.

Beginners should try to reach 32 points for their out (the double 16). The reason for this is simple, if you just miss the double 16 and hit a single 16, you now have 16 points left and you need a double 8. Do the same with the 8 and you need a double 4, and so on. If an odd number was tried for (say a double 17 from a score of 34) and you missed into the single, you now would have to throw an extra dart to get an out. If we follow the example of 34 out, your first dart misses and lands in the single 17. You now have a score of 17. There is no double 8.5 so you must throw an odd number to make the score even again. This gives the other player more opportunity to get out before you.

The second most important strategy is to throw your strongest number. Obviously better players will be aiming at the triple 20 to try to score the most points. A lot of players (myself included) don't do well with 20's, so they throw at triple 19's. Even if you throw at triple 15's and can hit one out of six in the triple or can simply throw all three darts into the single 15 your score will be much better than all the 1's and 5's you might hit if you can't hit the 20.

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