Darts 301
If you're looking for an easy darts game that you can play with your friends, darts 301 is a good start. Bring out a glass of ice cold beer and hang out with your friends for a fun, casual night of darts!
✍️ February 17, 2021
What is Darts 301?
Darts 301 is a popular darts game that beginners and professionals can play. It is usually played with two players or two teams. Living up to its name, the game begins with each player having 301 points. The main goal for the players is to be the first one to reach exactly zero points.
Equipment for Darts 301
- Dartboard
- Darts (For adults steel-tip darts and for kids soft-tip darts!)
- Scoreboard
How to Play Darts 301
In darts 301, each player has 301 points at the start of the game; hence the name. Throughout the game, players need to bring their total score of 301 points to zero by hitting targets on the dartboard. Players earn points depending on where their darts land on the dartboard, and they can deduct these points from their 301 points until they reach exactly zero points.
Learning how to play darts 301 well can take some time. You need to become familiar with the board, learn how to throw darts correctly and even brush up on your math skills. Once you get the hang of it, darts 301 will help develop your darts playing skills until you’re ready to advance to darts 501 or other more challenging darts games.
Darts 301 rules
Here are the rules that you need to keep in mind while playing darts 301:
1. Before the game starts, all the players must throw a dart to determine the order of the players.
The player whose dart lands closest to the bullseye will be the first one to throw a dart while the one with the dart that lands farthest from the bullseye will go last.
Alternatively, you can also flip a coin to determine the playing order if you want to do the easy way.
2. Each player gets three darts that they can throw on the board.
They can target numbers 1-20 on the board.
3. A player can officially start to collect points when they hit a “double in” first.
A double in is when a player hits any double or the thin outside ring on the dartboard. Once players hit a double, they can begin to deduct points from their total score.
4. If a player’s score goes beyond 301, their game will become “busted” and they will have to restart from their previous score.
If a player hits zero without scoring a double, this will also be a “bust”.
5. The game ends once a player brings down their total points to exactly zero.
Bonus challenge: If you want to make your game more challenging, you can include a double out condition, which means you need to reach zero by finishing with a double score.
Darts 301 double out
A double out is when your dart lands on the double ring (the smaller red or green ring on the outside of that section), and you earn double the number of points for that section.
📖 Suggested read: Darts 501
On the other hand, if your dart lands on the triple ring (also called inner ring), you will earn triple the number of points.
You can include a double out challenge to make your darts 301 game more exciting. This means that if players need to double in at the start of the game for their scores to be counted, they also need to double out to finish and win the game.
The winning player should hit a double that will make their total score exactly zero, and they need to do this with their first scoring dart
For example, if you need 36 points to win, you should aim for double 18. If you accomplish this, you will end with exactly zero points and win the game!
Darts 301 tips
- Although you can target all numbers on the board, a good strategy is to aim for 20 and 19 because these will allow you to score high points sooner.
- Try to double in quickly. Pick a number that you can easily hit so that you can quickly enter the game. Your opponent will feel pressured which will make them miss their target more.
- Aim for double and triple points from the start of the game. Once your score reaches 170, you should become more strategic with your targets and try to double out as soon as soon as possible.
- Try to avoid getting “busted”. Be patient and try not to make too many risks. It’s better than having to start over.
- Once your dart lands on the dartboard, make sure that it stays on the board for at least five seconds or until your score is recorded. If your dart falls off quickly, the score will not be counted.
Special Tip for Beginners
Once players get to the end of the game, beginners should try to aim for 32 points so that they can target a double 16. If they fail to hit double 16, they still have a chance by aiming for a double 8. If they still fail and hit a single 16 only, they can still aim for double 4 until they finally reach zero.
Beginners who are not yet familiar with hitting a double out will benefit from this strategy!
Darts 301 Scoring
Here’s how to earn points in darts 301:
- The bullseye (the red circle in the middle) counts for 50 points.
- The outer bull (four fields around the bullseye) are worth 25 points.
- The double ring (outer ring) numbers are worth double the points of the number where the dart lands.
- The triple/treble ring (inner ring) numbers are worth triple the points of the number where the dart lands.
Want to learn more about darts?
Check out our article on everything you need to know about darts and other darts games that you can try out!
