Darts for Beginners: How to Get Started Today

Darts is one of the easiest games to pick up and one of the hardest to master. That's what makes it so addictive. You don't need expensive equipment, athletic ability, or even much space. If you've never thrown a dart before — or you've thrown a few but felt lost on the rules — this guide covers everything you need to start playing with confidence.

What You Need to Play

The barrier to entry for darts is almost zero. Here's what you actually need:

• A dartboard — a standard bristle board (sisal fiber) is the best choice. They're self-healing, meaning the holes close up after you pull the darts out. Budget boards start around $30 and work fine for beginners.
• A set of darts — most boards come with a starter set. If you're buying separately, look for steel-tip darts in the 20–26 gram range. Lighter darts (20–22g) are easier to control when you're starting out.
• A place to throw — you need a wall, roughly 8 feet of clear floor space, and ideally some wall protection behind the board.

That's it. No subscription, no court fees, no booking a time slot. You can play in your garage at midnight if you want.

Steel-Tip vs Soft-Tip

You'll see two types of darts and boards:

Steel-tip is the standard for competitive and home play. Soft-tip electronic boards auto-calculate your score, which is convenient, but they're louder and less durable. Either works perfectly fine for beginners — use whatever's available to you.

Understanding the Dartboard

The dartboard looks complicated, but it's actually straightforward once you know the layout.

The Segments

The board has 20 numbered segments arranged (intentionally) in a non-sequential order. High numbers sit next to low numbers, so near-misses get punished. The segments are:

• Single area — the large sections of each number. Hit the single 20 and you score 20 points.
• Double ring — the thin outer ring. Doubles are worth 2x the number. D20 = 40 points.
• Triple ring — the thin inner ring (about halfway to the center). Triples are worth 3x the number. T20 = 60 points, the highest single-dart score on the board.
• Bullseye — the center circle. The outer bull (green ring) scores 25. The inner bull (red dot, also called "double bull") scores 50.

Why the Numbers Are "Random"

They're not random. The board is designed so that punishing numbers surround rewarding ones. The 20 sits between 1 and 5, so if you drift left or right while aiming for the highest score, you get very little. This rewards accuracy over luck.

The Basic Rules

Darts has several game formats, but almost everyone starts with one of these three:

501 (The Standard Game)

This is the game you'll see on TV and in most pubs.

1. Both players start at 501 points
2. Each turn, throw 3 darts and subtract your score from 501
3. First to reach exactly 0 wins
4. You must finish by hitting a double (the outer thin ring)

The double finish is what makes 501 strategic. You can't just throw randomly — you need to plan your last few throws to land on a number you can finish with a double.

301

Exactly like 501 but starting at 301. Games are shorter, which makes them faster-paced. Some versions also require you to start with a double (called "double in, double out"), but beginners usually skip the double-in rule.

Cricket

Cricket is a completely different style of game focused on specific numbers.

1. Only 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, and the bullseye are in play
2. Hit a number three times to "close" it (doubles count as 2 hits, triples as 3)
3. Once you've closed a number your opponent hasn't, you can score points on it
4. Win by closing all numbers and having equal or more points

Cricket is great for beginners because it focuses your aim on specific targets rather than asking you to do complex subtraction under pressure.

Check our Cricket rules page or our Cricket strategy guide for the full breakdown.

Around the Clock

The simplest dart game and a perfect starting point:

1. Hit 1, then 2, then 3, and so on through 20
2. First player to complete the sequence wins

No math, no doubles, no strategy — just practice hitting specific numbers in order. It's an excellent way to learn the board layout and build accuracy.

How to Throw (The Short Version)

Throwing technique matters, but don't overcomplicate it as a beginner. Here are the fundamentals:

Stand with your dominant foot forward at the throwing line. Keep your body still — only your throwing arm should move.

Hold the dart like a pencil, not a javelin. Grip the barrel (the thick textured section) with at least three fingers. Your grip should be firm enough that the dart doesn't slip, but relaxed enough that your fingers can release smoothly.

Use your elbow as a hinge. Keep your upper arm relatively still and let your forearm do the work. Pull back, accelerate forward, and release near the front of the motion. Follow through by pointing your hand at the target.

Aim with your eyes first. Look at the exact spot you want to hit — not the general area of the number, but a specific point on the board. Your hand follows your eyes.

For a full technique breakdown covering stance types, grip styles, and common errors, see our throwing technique guide.

Scoring: What You Need to Know

Here's a quick reference for how scoring works in 501 and 301:

Mental Math Tips

Adding up three-dart scores in your head is the part of darts that intimidates most people. A few shortcuts:

• T20 + T20 = 120. If your third dart hits single 20, that's 140. Any trip to the 20 segment, you're probably scoring 60, 100, or 140.
• Round to the nearest 10 when scoring casually. If you hit 19, 5, and T20, that's roughly 84. Close enough while you're learning.
• Or just use Dartsy. Tap your scores and let the app handle the math. That's literally why it exists.

Your First Practice Session

Here's a simple 20-minute routine to get comfortable:

Warm Up (5 minutes)

Throw at the board with no target in mind. Get used to the motion, the release, and the feel of the dart leaving your hand. Don't aim — just throw and observe where your darts land naturally.

Single Numbers (10 minutes)

Pick one number (start with 20) and throw all three darts at it each turn. Don't worry about hitting it every time — track how many of your three darts land in the right segment. After 5 rounds, switch to a different number.

Your goal: land 1 out of 3 darts on target consistently.

Around the Clock (5 minutes)

Play a quick Around the Clock game. Try to get through as many numbers as you can. Don't rush — take your time aiming at each number.

Common Beginner Mistakes

These are the things almost everyone gets wrong at first:

Throwing too hard. Darts is about accuracy, not power. A smooth, controlled throw beats a hard one. Think of it like tossing a paper airplane, not throwing a ball.

Changing your technique every few throws. Pick a stance and grip and stick with them for at least a full session. You can't tell if something works after three darts.

Ignoring doubles. Beginners spend all their time aiming at T20 and never practice doubles. In 501, you literally cannot win without hitting a double. Mix in some double practice early.

Standing too far from the oche. Your toes should be right at (or just behind) the throwing line. Standing back makes everything harder for no reason.

Getting frustrated by the math. Use a scoring app. Seriously. Darts is about throwing well, not doing arithmetic under pressure. Start a game on Dartsy and let the app handle the numbers.

What to Play First

Here's a suggested progression for your first few weeks:

Don't rush this. Playing Around the Clock for a full week teaches you the board layout in a way that nothing else does. By the time you move to 501, you'll already know where every number is.

Where to Go from Here

Once you're comfortable throwing and know the basic rules, there's a clear path to improving:

1. Develop your technique — read our stance, grip, and release guide and work on consistency
2. Learn checkouts — our 501 checkout chart teaches you how to plan your finishes
3. Practice with purpose — our 10 practice games give you structured drills for solo improvement
4. Understand strategy — the Cricket strategy guide shows you how to think tactically

You don't need to read everything at once. Play some games, come back when you hit a plateau or want to learn something new, and keep building from there.

Start Playing

The best way to learn darts is to throw darts. Everything in this guide will click faster once you're standing at the line with three darts in your hand. Grab a board, fire up Dartsy, and start your first game. The app handles scoring, suggests checkouts, and tracks your stats — so you can focus on what matters: getting better and having fun.