How to use the darts checkout calculator
- Enter the score you have left, from 1 to 180.
- Choose the finishing rule: double out (the last dart must be a double), double or treble out, or any dart out.
- Choose how many darts you have, from one to three.
- Read the fewest darts needed and the list of routes. Each route shows the scoring darts and then the last dart.
Formula
dart values: 1 to 20 (single), 2 to 40 (double), 3 to 60 (treble), 25 (outer bull), 50 (bull, a double)
a route: scoring darts + a last dart allowed by the rule
the dart values must add up to the score left exactly
All 62 scoring segments are tried for every position. Routes that differ only in the order of the first darts are counted once. Misses are not routes, so a route with fewer darts than you hold is also listed.
The highest finish and a low one
The largest score that can be finished in three darts with double out is 170, and there is exactly one way: T20, T20, Bull. A score of 40 can be finished with a single dart, D20. Taking up to three darts, there are 541 routes to 40 in all: 1 with one dart, 35 with two and 505 with three.
Some scores cannot be finished in three darts under double out. They are 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159, along with 1, which no double reaches. Under master out (double or treble), the scores up to 170 that cannot be finished are 1, 163, 166 and 169. With any dart out the highest score is 180, from three treble 20s.
How the routes are found
Every combination of up to three darts is tried against the score, so nothing is left out and nothing is guessed. A route is listed once however the first darts are thrown. The list is ordered by the fewest darts first, then by the highest first dart, which is an ordering for reading and not advice about which route is better.
Which route is best depends on the thrower, the board and the match, and on what is left after a miss. A route that leaves a good score after a missed dart may be better for one player and worse for another.
Rules and scoring
Double out is the most common rule for the finish in league and pub play: the last dart must land in a double ring, and the bull counts as a double. Some games use master out, which also allows a treble, and some allow any dart. Choose the rule you play by, and check the rules of your own league. For keeping the tally during a game, the Score Keeper and the Bowling Score Calculator cover other score sheets.
More hobby and sport tools
For other hobbies, sports and music, try the Lap Time Analyzer, Equivalent Exposure Calculator and Key Finder.
Assumptions and limits
- Each dart scores the value of one segment, and a miss scores nothing. Only the segments of a standard board are used.
- The finishing rule is the one you choose; a score of 1 cannot be finished with a double.
- The darts in hand are the most you can throw; routes with fewer darts are included.
- This is a list of scores that add up and not advice about how to play.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bull count as?
The inner bull scores 50 and counts as a double, so it can finish a game under double out. The outer bull scores 25 and counts as a single.
Why can 159 and 162 not be finished in three darts?
No two scoring darts plus a double add up to those numbers. The big segments leave gaps between the totals they can make, and a few scores near the top of the range fall into those gaps.
Why do several routes look alike?
Different segments can score the same points: 18 can be thrown as S18, D9 or T6. Each combination of segments is listed as its own route, even when the points are the same.
Does the order of the first darts matter?
For the total, no. Throwing T20 then S19 gives the same points as S19 then T20, so the page lists them once. What does matter is that the last dart is the one that finishes.