Darts Checkout Chart and How to Remember It: 01 Finishes for Open Out and Double Out, Plus Bogey Numbers

The short answer: your checkout depends on the out rule and the bull

A checkout (also called an out or a finish) is the combination of one to three targets that brings your remaining score in an 01 game to exactly zero. The same remaining score can have a very different range of finishes, and a different best route, depending on what the last dart has to hit. So start by checking how your game is set up.

On the soft-tip machines found in bars, 01 is often set to open out by default: hit anything that takes you to exactly zero and you have won the leg. Steel-tip darts uses double out under the official rules, as do advanced settings on soft-tip machines, and you must land the final dart in the double ring or the inner bull. Master out sits in between and also lets you finish on a treble.

Board scores and the terms used for checkouts

A dartboard is split into 20 segments numbered 1 to 20, running clockwise from the top: 20, 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, 10, 15, 2, 17, 3, 19, 7, 16, 8, 11, 14, 9, 12, 5. High numbers sit next to low ones so that loose throwing is punished. Within each segment, the ring you hit decides the score.

• Checkout: the combination of targets that takes your score to zero. Also called an out or a finish
• Bust: scoring more than you have left. Every dart in that turn is cancelled and your score goes back to what it was at the start of the turn
• Bogey number: a score you cannot finish in three darts. 169 and 168 in double out are the best known
• PPD and PPR: average points per dart and per round of three darts. The standard measures of 01 skill (covered later)

In double out and master out, leaving yourself on 1 is also a bust, because no double or treble is worth 1. Reaching exactly zero with a single as your last dart is a bust too, not a finish.

Open out checkouts: with a fat bull, finish on the bull

With open out there is no restriction on the last dart, so the only question is how to reach zero in the fewest darts using the easiest targets. Most soft-tip settings use a fat bull, where the whole bull is worth 50 and is a much bigger target than a treble. That is why so many open-out routes take the remaining score minus 50 with a single or treble and then finish on the bull.

Most scores up to 60 can be finished with one dart, but 23, 25, 29, 31, 35, 37, 41, 43, 44, 46, 47, 49, 52, 53, 55, 56, 58 and 59 cannot (with a split bull, 25 is the outer bull). For 23 you split it across two darts, such as S20, S3. Between 61 and 120, only nine scores cannot be finished in two darts: 103, 106, 109, 112, 113, 115, 116, 118 and 119. These need three darts, usually with a bull involved (119 is S19, Bull, Bull).

Double out checkouts: 170 is the maximum, and D16 and D20 are the doubles to leave

In double out the final dart must hit a double or the inner bull (worth 50, sometimes called the double bull). The highest three-dart finish is 170 (T20, T20, Bull), nicknamed the Big Fish. The highest two-dart finish is 110 (T20, Bull).

Between 41 and 110, only seven scores cannot be finished in two darts: 99, 102, 103, 105, 106, 108 and 109. For these you throw T20, adjust with a single, and finish on a double (102 is T20, S10, D16).

Not every double is equally good to leave. The usual advice is D16 (32 left) or D20 (40 left). If you aim at D16 and drop into the outer single 16, you have 16 left and can go for D8. Miss again and 8 becomes D4, then 4 becomes D2: you can keep halving and keep shooting at a double. D20 sits at the top of the board where most players have thrown thousands of darts, and if you drop into the 20 you can carry on with D10.

How checkouts change between a fat bull and a split bull

With a fat bull the whole bull, inner and outer, is worth 50. With a split bull the outer bull is 25 and the inner bull is 50. A fat bull is bigger and easier to hit than the treble ring, so more checkouts finish on the bull. With a split bull the inner bull is a tiny circle, so a treble followed by a double usually makes more sense. Comparing them under double out shows the difference clearly.

With a split bull, the outer bull (25) counts as a single, so it cannot be your finishing dart in double out. It is still useful as a set-up dart, though: 61 can go 25, D18 and 65 can go 25, D20. The highest checkout and the list of bogey numbers are the same whether the bull is fat or split.

Master out checkouts: finishing on a treble makes odd numbers easy

In master out the last dart must hit a double, a treble or the inner bull. Because you can finish on a treble, odd numbers that cannot be finished with one dart in double out become one-dart finishes as long as they are multiples of three. There are 35 one-dart finishes, far more than the 21 in double out.

The highest three-dart finish is 180, and the scores you cannot finish are the same as in open out: 163, 166, 169, 172, 173, 175, 176, 178 and 179. As in double out, leaving 1 is a bust.

Bogey numbers, and the one dart to leave a finish for next turn

When you are on a bogey number, or do not have enough darts left in the turn, you will usually finish sooner by setting up a good score for next turn than by chasing points. In double out, leave one of the standard three-dart finishes. In open out, leave something you can close out on the bull.

For the double-out bogey numbers, a single that takes you to 152 is an easy plan. 152 is the standard T20, T20, D16 finish, and it fits the idea of leaving D16 at the end. If your score is too high to be in three-dart range at all (171 or more in double out), just concentrate on scoring with T20.

How to memorise checkouts: five rules to learn first

You do not need to memorise every finish from 2 to 170. With these five rules you can build most of them on the spot. They are ordered for players practising double out with a split bull.

1. 1

   Pick the doubles you want to finish on

   Make 32 (D16) and 40 (D20) your target numbers. Whatever your score, think about how to steer it to one of them.

2. 2

   41 to 60: single plus double

   Take 32 or 40 away from your score and hit the rest with a single. 50 is S10, D20 or S18, D16; 57 is S17, D20 (or 25, D16 with a split bull).

3. 3

   61 to 100: treble plus double

   Take 40 or 32 away and, if what is left divides by three, hit it with a treble. 100 is T20, D20; 92 is T20, D16; 85 is T15, D20; 71 is T13, D16.

4. 4

   Some of 101 to 110: treble plus Bull

   Learn 110 (T20, Bull), 107 (T19, Bull), 104 (T18, Bull) and 101 (T17, Bull) as a set. Each step down from T20 takes off three points, which makes them easy to remember.

5. 5

   161 to 170: T20, a treble from 20 down to 17, Bull

   Start from 170 (T20, T20, Bull) and drop the second dart to T19, T18 and T17 to get 167, 164 and 161. The scores in between (169, 168, 166, 165, 163 and 162) are bogey numbers.

The best way to make checkouts stick is to throw them. In the Practise 01 tab of the Darts Checkout Chart tool you tap where each dart landed to keep score, and it shows the checkout for your current score every turn, so you can check whenever you are unsure. If you are running a league with friends, see how to make a round-robin schedule, and for team games, how to split players into teams.

PPD, PPR, count-up and a rough guide to ratings

01 ability is measured as the average score per dart (PPD, points per dart) or per round of three darts (PPR, points per round). PPR is three times PPD. Some soft-tip machines show a PPR-style figure as your 01 stats, while others show PPD directly. Count-up is a game where you add up your score over eight rounds (24 darts), so dividing its average by eight lets you compare it with your 01 stats. Cricket ability is measured in marks per round (MPR).

This table assumes the rating goes up by one for every 5 points of 01 stats or 0.2 of MPR. Real ratings are calculated by each machine maker from your recent games using its own formula, so treat these figures as a way to see roughly where you stand. Count-up has no finishing and no busts, so it never lines up perfectly with real 01 scoring.

How to use the Darts Checkout Chart tool

The Darts Checkout Chart is a free tool that finds checkouts as soon as you enter your remaining score. Open it on your phone and you can check while you play.

1. 1

   Choose the rule and the bull

   Pick open out, double out or master out, and fat bull or split bull, to match the settings of your game.

2. 2

   Enter your score and darts left

   In Find a checkout, enter your remaining score and how many darts you have left this turn (1 to 3). Checkouts are listed by fewest darts, then easiest targets.

3. 3

   See the targets on the board

   The targets for the first, second and third darts light up on a dartboard with numbers. If you cannot finish, it shows the one dart that leaves an easy finish for next turn.

4. 4

   Browse the chart or practise

   The checkout chart lists finishes for every score from 2 to 180 along with the scores you cannot finish. Practise 01 lets you tap the board to score 301, 501, 701 or 901, detects busts and works out PPD and PPR automatically.

5. 5

   Check your rating from your stats

   Stats & rating converts between 01 stats, PPD and count-up scores, and combines them with cricket MPR to show an approximate rating and how many points you need for the next level.

FAQ

What is the checkout for 170 in darts?

T20, T20, Bull (60 + 60 + 50). It is the highest three-dart finish in double out and is known as the Big Fish. The same route also works in open out and master out.

Which scores can you not check out in three darts?

In double out: 159, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169, plus anything from 171 up (and you cannot finish on 1). In open out and master out: 163, 166, 169, 172, 173, 175, 176, 178 and 179, plus anything from 181 up.

What is the checkout for 101?

T17, Bull (51 + 50) is the standard route and works in both double out and open out. If you want to avoid the small inner bull in double out with a split bull, there is also the three-dart route T20, S9, D16.

What is the difference between open out and double out?

In open out you win as soon as any dart takes you to exactly zero. In double out the last dart must hit a double or the inner bull, and leaving 1 is a bust. Soft-tip 01 is often set to open out by default, while the official steel-tip rules use double out.

What is the difference between a fat bull and a split bull?

With a fat bull the whole bull is worth 50. With a split bull the outer bull is 25 and the inner bull is 50. A fat bull is a big target, so more checkouts finish on the bull. The outer bull of a split bull cannot be used to finish in double out.

Which double should I leave for my last dart in double out?

D16 (32 left) is the usual recommendation. If you miss into the single 16 you still have 16 left and can keep halving with D8, D4 and D2. Players who throw a lot at T20 often prefer D20 (40 left) at the top of the board.

What is a bust in darts?

Scoring more than you have left. Every dart thrown in that turn is cancelled and your score goes back to what it was at the start of the turn. In double out and master out, leaving 1 or reaching zero with a single as your last dart is also a bust.

What is the difference between PPD and PPR?

PPD is the average score per dart and PPR is the average per round of three darts, so PPR = PPD × 3. A PPD of 26.7 is a PPR of about 80.

What stats do I need for a rating of 10?

As a rough guide, 01 stats (PPR) of around 80, a PPD of about 26.7, or a cricket MPR of around 2.9. Real ratings are worked out by each machine maker’s own formula, so use these as approximate targets.