Indoor Dart Board Games

Once considered just a recreational activity at the pub, darts has evolved into a global game. In professional darts, players typically play "501," but there are many other games that you can play on a dart board. Electronic dart boards are great for games such as "cricket" and "tic-tac-toe" because they keep track of the score for you, while "around the clock" is a good game if you're trying to get accustomed to a bristle board.

  1. "501"

    • "501" is an easy game to learn, but one that requires great skill to be able to play effectively. Players start with 501 points, and the objective is to be the first player to get the score down to zero. Players throw one dart at the bullseye to determine which player goes first. In a "straight-in game," players throw three darts each turn and deduct their score from the previous total. Players continue to alternate turns until there is a winner. Typically, a player must end the game by hitting a double -- this rule is known as "double out" -- although other rules may be applied.

    "Around the Clock"

    • "Around the clock" is a simple, straightforward game that can provide good practice for beginners. The objective is to hit every number on the board in order before everyone else. There is no limit on the number of players, and you can level the playing field by restricting stronger players to a limited target area.

    "Cricket"

    • "Cricket" is one the most popular games outside of the traditional "501." The objective is to close out all your numbers -- from 15 to 20 and the bullseye -- by hitting each number three times and finish with more points than your opponent. Points can be accumulated by hitting numbers that you have closed out, but ones that your opponent has not. If a player closes out all his numbers but has fewer points than his opponent, he must continue to throw until he has more points than his opponent in order to win the game.

    "Tic-Tac-Toe"

    • "Tic-tac-toe" is a simple game for two players, and the objective is to get three "X's" or "O's" in a row. Draw a tic-tac-toe board on the scoreboard -- it appears on the screen on an electronic dart board -- with numbers on the dart board representing different squares. Players claim squares by closing out the corresponding numbers, and the game continues until there is a winner or the game ends in a tie.