What Are the Games on an Electronic Dart Board?

In general, dart games involve counting down from a certain point to zero or starting from zero and scoring as many points as you can. An electronic dartboard makes keeping score easier as the machine does it for you. The setup for an electronic dart machine has the center of the dartboard -- or bull's-eye -- 68 inches from the floor. As dictated by the World Darts Federation, players should stand 7 feet, 9-1/4 inches away from the board -- generally marked by a line -- when throwing their darts, which usually consists of three darts per turn. There are a number of games that can be played using an electronic dart board.

  1. "01" Games

    • Several dart games can be played that end with the digits "01." The two most common games are "501" and "301." Players throw three darts per turn and the object of the game is to start off with a preset score and end up with no points remaining. Center bull's-eye shots count for 50 points and the outer ring around the bull's-eye counts for 25 points. Scores in the double or triple (treble) sections of the ring count for double or triple the number represented by them. The main rule is that a player must reach zero by hitting a double. If his score ends up on 1, then his last set of throws do not count (there is no way to throw a double and achieve a score of 1).

    Sports-Themed Games

    • There are a number of sports-themed dart games that can be played on the dartboard, to satisfy sports fans of all nationalities. Dart players can play "Golf," which entails shooting at the numbers 1 through 18 on the board in order. The goal is to register three hits in a number (players use three darts per turn) before moving on to the next number or hole (double and triples can reduce the amount of playing time significantly.

      For world sports fans, they can play "Cricket," which is based on the bat and ball game where one player acts as the bowler and tries to score points, or wickets, and another player acts as the batter, trying to score runs. Players alternate being batter and bowler and, after two innings, tally up the score to see who won. Other sports-themed games that can be played include "Baseball," "Football" and "Steeplechase."

    Elimination Games

    • Elimination games are contests where several players start out playing at the beginning and, as the game is played, players are eliminated one-by-one until only a single player remains, winning the game. For example, in "Killer," players choose their number in the game by throwing a single dart, then spend the rest of the game shooting at their competitor's numbers. Once their number has been hit a certain number of times, they are out of the game.

      Another game similar to "Killer" is "Nine Lives." Players throw three darts per turn, going around the board from numbers 1 to 20. If they fail to hit their number three times during the course of the game, they lose. The winner is the last player remaining in the game.

    Accuracy Games

    • Accuracy dart games require players to hit certain numbers, usually in a specific order. For example, in "Around the Clock," players start out shooting at the number 1 and work their way around the board, shooting for the numbers in order, up until 20 (some rules call for the player to hit a bull's-eye in order to win). Players get three darts to make their shots before alternating to the next player. Other examples of accuracy-based games include "Shanghai" (players must hit single, double and triple in a single number during a turn to win) and the aforementioned "Nine Lives."