Dart Finish Tables

A dart finish table, otherwise known as a dart checkout chart, is an extensive table detailing how to finish your game of darts.

When playing a 301, 501, or any other number finishing with 01, game of darts you’ll be able to finish once you reach a score of under 170. 

Dart finish tables are very useful to learn and know straight off of the top of your head so that you don’t need to keep looking at a chart every time you’re close to ending a game. This could throw you off and make you lose your flow. 

Below we’ll be looking at the different dart finish tables, as well as how and when to use them, but first, let’s take a quick introduction into the game of darts. 

01 Dart Games

01 dart games are very common and are used in almost every tournament there is. You can play these games either on your own, in two teams, or in a big group of people. The latter would take a long time to finish, but doesn’t that make it all the more fun? 

Anyway, to play a 01 dart game, you simply take it in turns to throw your three darts and accumulate points to be deducted from your original number. The most common 01 games are 301 and 501 games, so you take your score away from this number. 

For example, if you hit all three darts into the treble 20 segment of the dartboard on your first go of a 301 game, you’d have 121 to go. You continue to take it in turns to get down to a number below 170. 

170 is the number of the largest possible checkout, and it’s the hardest to hit. But more on that later. 

You can only finish a game by reaching exactly zero with a double number. For example, if you were left with 16, you could hit double 8 to finish and win the game. If you hit anything higher than 16, you’re bust and you have to retake your go after the opposing player. 

If you hit anything below 16, the opposing player takes their go and you have to try and finish again. An example would be if you hit eight instead of double eight, you’d need to hit double four on the next game. 

Similarly, if you have a score of 120, you’d need to hit the treble 20, single 20, and end with the double 20. The bullseye is classed as a double, so you can win ending with hitting the bullseye. However, the outer bull is not considered a double. 

Counting Your Scores

Unless you want to keep stopping and starting your game, it’s a good idea to get used to counting up your scores in your head while you’re playing. This will put you at an advantage as you won’t have to disrupt your flow to keep adding up numbers. Ask any dart player you know - they’ll confirm how handy this skill is. 

The first step in learning how to do this is to remember the multiplications of each number on the board. This will allow you to calculate the double and treble numbers in your head. It’s simple enough to do 1x1, 1x2, and 1x3, but do you know what 18x3 is off the top of your head? (It’s 54!) 

You can do this in any way that you want to - some people can calculate sums in their heads in a matter of seconds, and some others need a little more practice to remember the numbers. The way we like to do it is by breaking it up: 3x10=30, 3x8=24, 30+24=54. 

Once you get the counting aspect perfected in your head, you’ll be able to easily play a game of darts without thinking about the numbers too much. That is, until you hit 170 or below. 

Dart Finish Tables

The dart finish tables can be rather daunting at first glance, which is why we’re breaking it down in this article for you. There are many different checkout charts to learn from, but the one that we’re looking at has four different columns. As you go down the chart, you’ll find easier checkout options, all the way from 170 to 2. 

There are different options to try for most of the checkouts above, but we’ve interviewed a dart player and noted down their most used methods. As you practice and hone your sport, you’ll find it easier to know which doubles you work best with.

It’s advisable to learn all of these checkout methods, but beginners can start with a poster that can help you get a grasp of all of the methods. Now we’re going to take it slow by looking at one column at a time, starting off with the easiest checkouts. 

Checkout of 40 to 2

The first column shows you how to check out the smallest numbers on the board, from 40 all the way down to 2. Taking out a 40 finisher is perhaps the hardest on this column, as it is the highest number. That being said, some darts players find hitting the double 1 the most difficult checkout due to how easy it is to go bust. 

It’s worth noting that you should keep in mind the end goal. Most dart players don’t want to risk putting them in a position where they cannot finish with a double, for example, if you had 6 left and hit 3 instead of double 3, you’re going to need two darts to finish the game, when originally you only needed one. A lot of players don’t like to risk ending their turn with an odd number. 

Checkout of 60 to 41

These finishers are a little more complex than before as all of them require two darts rather than some only using one.

Once you’ve got your doubles down, you can practice these finishers to give you an edge on your opponent. The earlier you can finish, the better chance you have of winning, after all! 

Checkout of 110 to 61

Getting harder again now, this category introduces the need for three darts to checkout. That being said, there are still a larger number of two darter checkouts for you to practice with. 

Checkout of 111 to 170

Advanced players find this category the most enjoyable as it is the hardest finishers to take out. All require three darts and a lot of skill to complete, but imagine the sense of achievement when you take out 170!

Keep an eye on this table below, as not all numbers are finishers. For example, you cannot finish your game if you land on 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162, and 159.