Dart Checkout Calculator

1. Enter the score you have left, any whole number from 2 to 170.
2. Read the suggested checkout route, listed dart by dart.
3. Note the double to aim for on your final dart.
4. See how many darts the finish takes so you can plan your visit.

Notation follows standard darts shorthand: T20 is treble twenty, D16 is double eight, S20 is a single, and Bull is the 50-point bullseye, which also counts as a double.

A dart checkout, also called a finish or an out-shot, is the set of darts you throw to bring your remaining score down to exactly zero and win the leg. In the standard game of 501, both players start on 501 and subtract each throw until one reaches zero.

The key rule is that the very last dart must land in a double, which includes the outer ring of any number and the 50-point bullseye. If you overshoot zero, land on one, or reach zero without a double, the throw is a bust and your score returns to what it was at the start of the visit.

1. Your three darts must add up to exactly the score you have left.
2. The final dart has to be a double or the bullseye.
3. Higher scores usually start with a treble to knock the number down quickly.
4. Good players set up a comfortable double, often leaving double 16 or double 20.

This calculator searches every legal combination, preferring the fewest darts, and returns a route that always finishes on a double. Where several routes exist, it favours a big opening treble.

Say you have 100 left. A classic route is treble 20 for 60, leaving 40, then double 20 to finish. That is a two-dart checkout ending on double 20. For 170, the highest possible finish, you throw treble 20, treble 20 and then the bullseye: 60 plus 60 plus 50 equals 170. Enter any score and the calculator lays out a working route like these instantly.

The Score You Leave

Even numbers are friendlier because they finish on a single double, while odd scores need a single first to become even.

Your Favourite Double

Many players steer toward double 16 or double 20 because a miss into the single leaves another even number to shoot at.

Darts in Hand

With three darts you can take a treble-first route; with one dart left you can only finish a score of 40 or less that is a clean double.

Skill and Consistency

Stronger players attack trebles to leave a low double, while newer players often prefer routes that keep the finish simple.

Some finishes are far more common than others. These are worth memorising.

170 is the largest checkout; 167, 164 and 161 are the next big finishes, all ending on the bullseye.

Learning the Finishes

Practise the routes for scores you often leave, so you know them at the oche without thinking.

Practice Sessions

Set yourself a score and rehearse the checkout again and again to build muscle memory on your key doubles.

Casual Games

Settle a friendly argument about whether a big finish is even possible, and see the exact darts to throw.

1. Forgetting You Must Finish on a Double

Reaching zero on a single or treble is a bust; the last dart always has to be a double or the bull.

2. Leaving an Odd Number

Odd scores cannot be finished on a double alone, so plan a single to leave an even number first.

3. Leaving Yourself on One

You cannot check out from one, so avoid routes that would leave a single point remaining.

4. Ignoring the Bullseye

The 50-point bull is a double, so it can finish scores like 50, 100 and the big three-dart outs.

The solver checks every legal combination and always returns a route that ends on a valid double, so its finishes are correct. It suggests one sensible route rather than every possible option.

The highest possible three-dart checkout is 170, thrown as treble 20, treble 20 and the 50-point bullseye. No score above 170 can be finished in a single visit of three darts.

It is the standard rule of 501 and 301 darts: the dart that takes you to exactly zero must land in a double, which includes the outer ring and the bullseye.

Bogey numbers are scores you cannot finish with three darts: 159, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169. You must score down to a checkable number first.

Many players favour double 16 or double 20, because if you miss into the single you are left on another even number that is still easy to finish.

Yes, if you are on a clean double of 40 or less, such as 32 for double 16 or 40 for double 20, or 50 on the bullseye.

If you score more than you have left, land on one, or reach zero without a double, the visit is a bust and your score returns to what it was before the visit.

Yes. The checkout rules are identical; only the starting score differs. Any finish shown here works for 301, 501 and 701.

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.

• Darts rules and scoring (Wikipedia).
• The game of 501 (Wikipedia).
• Checkout and bogey numbers (Wikipedia).