Easy Way to Score Darts

Scoring darts is a relatively straightforward but important task. At best, it is frustrating to the players when you, as a scorer, cannot keep up with their scoring and provide useful and current information. In particular, players need to know how much they have left to score so they can work out their strategy for checking out, which is only achieved when the last dart hits a double. In most formats of the game, if a player exceeds his total, he busts his score (the score of his three darts do not register). So, if a player is on 101, and hits triple 19 (57) and then 20, you must inform him he requires a double 12 (as he has 24 left to score).

Things You'll Need

  • Electric scoreboard
  • Calculator (optional)
  • Paper
  • Pen/pencil
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Instructions

  1. Using electronics

    • 1

      Program your electronic scoreboard to the format of darts game you wish to play. For example, some matches are played between two opponents from 301 down to a finish, while some team games are competed from up to 1001 down.

    • 2

      Add a score after each person has thrown each dart. For example, add 20, 20 and 18 (making 58) if a player throws these scores.

    • 3

      Enter the total of the three darts into the scoreboard and allow it to calculate the score. For example, if a player is throwing his first three darts and is scoring from 301 and hits triple 17, 19, 19, then he has scored 89. Enter 89 on the keypad of the scoreboard and it will perform the calculation (301-89=212).

    • 4

      Inform players when they are three darts from a finish -- hence run the risk of busting their score -- using a checkout chart, which contains the conventional combination of scores for a player to register a checkout. For example, the highest checkout that can be achieved is 170, which can only be done by hitting triple 20, triple 20, bull's-eye.

    • 5

      Work out a player's three-dart average, which is the average amount he scored per three darts thrown. Press the average button on the scoreboard's keypad, which will display a two- or three-digit number, often providing one or two numbers after the decimal place. The highest three-dart average in a Professional Darts Corporation World Darts Championship final was achieved by Phil 'The Power' Taylor in 2009 (110.94).

    Pen and Paper

    • 6

      Watch each player throw all three darts before calculating the total scored. Do not try to subtract each dart from the score as it occurs, as this is slower.

    • 7

      Subtract a player's three-dart score from his overall total. For example, if a player throws his first three darts scoring from 501 and hits triple 20, triple 20, single 20, then he scored 140, which reduces his total to 361.

    • 8

      Inform players when they reach a score that leaves them within three darts of a checkout. For example, if a player reaches any number lower than 171, he is almost certainly on a checkout (169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159 cannot be checked out in three darts). Always have a checkout table on hand. Consider pinning it up next to your dartboard to make things quick and simple.