Darts checkouts to know: the table from 170 to 2, and how to use it

Why double 16 (and the 32)

The whole strategy of the end of a leg comes down to one question: which double do you want to finish on? Regular players almost all answer 16, that is, 32 left. The reason is arithmetic. If you aim at double 16 and the dart lands in the single 16, 16 is left: double 8. Hit the single again and 8 is left: double 4, then double 2, then double 1. 32 halves four times in a row without ever landing on an odd number.

Double 20 (40 left) is the other favourite, because the 20 is the area you aim at for the whole leg. But its chain is shorter: 40, then 20 (double 10), then 10 (double 5), then 5 — an odd number, which forces you to play a single 1 before double 2. The same goes for double 18 (36 → 18 → 9, odd) or double 12 (24 → 12 → 6 → 3, odd). The doubles “that halve” are 16, 8, 4, 2 and, one notch down, 20 and 10.

In practice: with between 41 and 100 left, you choose the dart that leaves 32 or 40, not the one that leaves an odd remainder. On 60, you play single 20 then double 20. On 61, treble 15 leaves 16: double 8; on 62, treble 10 leaves 32.

The full table, from 170 to 2

First route: the one most played at the board and in tournaments; in brackets, a common alternative. T = treble, D = double, plain numbers are singles, Bull = the centre (50) and 25 = the outer ring of the bull. In the three-dart cells, the order matters: you play the big score first, so that you can fall back if the first dart misses.

Above 100, notice that almost every route starts with a treble 20: that is the reflex to acquire, the next dart adapts. Above 160, only four checkouts exist (170, 167, 164 and 161), all on the bull, and 160 is the highest on an ordinary double.

The seven scores with no checkout

169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159 have no three-dart checkout. They are called the bogey numbers. 169 is the most telling: 170 can be finished, 169 cannot, because taking one point off T20 T20 Bull forces an odd single in somewhere, which costs more than it brings in.

On one of these remainders, the leg will not end this turn: you play to leave a good remainder. The good habit is to aim at treble 20 and adjust the third dart to land on 32, 40 or a two-dart checkout. For example, on 169: T20, T20, then single 9 to leave 40; on 162: T20, T20, single 10 to leave 32. If the first treble is missed, you recalculate: on 169 with a single 20 (149 left), T20 then T19 leave 32.

The counter shows “no 3-dart checkout” on these seven scores, and suggests the checkout as soon as the remainder becomes reachable again.

Setting up your double: the even-remainder rule

Between 41 and 60, everyone knows the route: a single to leave 40 or 32, then the double. Between 61 and 100, it is treble then double, and the choice of treble depends on the double you want: on 80, T20 D10 or T16 D16; on 96, T20 D18; on 100, T20 D20. Those forty checkouts are worth learning by heart, because you are there almost every leg.

The principle that links them: keep an even remainder. An odd remainder forces a “correction” dart (an odd single) before you can aim at a double, so one dart fewer to finish with. When hesitating between two targets, take the one that leaves an even number, and among the evens the one with the longest chain of doubles (32, then 40 or 24, then 36).

Second reflex: when the first dart of the turn misses its target, recount before throwing again. On 100, a single 20 leaves 80 (T20 D10, or T16 D16); a single 5 leaves 95 (T19 D19); a single 1 leaves 99 (T19 10 D16). The hurried player throws at the treble 20 again out of habit: from 95, that leaves 35 with a single dart, an odd remainder that cannot be finished.

Finishing with one dart, and the case of the bull

With a single dart, the checkouts are the twenty doubles (2, 4, 6… 40) and the inner bull, which is worth 50 and counts as a double. The outer ring of the bull (25) is not a double: on 25, you play single 9 then double 8, not the bull. On 50, the bull finishes the leg in one go, but many prefer single 10 then double 20, safer than the small target in the centre.

The bull is mostly for the big checkouts: 170, 167, 164, 161, and as an alternative on 110 (T20 Bull), 121 (T20 11 Bull) or 132 (Bull Bull D16). On electronic pub boards, check the house rule: some count 50 for the whole bull, which changes these routes.

In short

1. Choose your double: 16 (32 left) for the 32-16-8-4-2 chain, or 20 (40 left) because you are aiming at the 20 already.
2. From 61 to 100, treble then double; from 41 to 60, single then double. Learn those sixty lines of the table, the rest follows.
3. Keep an even remainder. A missed dart gets recounted before you throw again.
4. On 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159, you don’t finish: you set up 32 or 40.
5. The bull is worth 50 and finishes; the 25 does not.

Frequently asked questions