Darts is one of those great social games that you don’t need to be great at to enjoy and nearly everyone who does play seems to enjoy and have a good time. Sure you can stick with the traditional 501 game however if you would like to mix it up, below we look at 6 popular darts games to play with friends or colleagues. You don’t have to be to Phil Taylor or Michael Van Gerwen to enjoy a night out playing these darts.
Next time you are down at your local club or pub and would like to play some darts, check out these games for you and your friends to play.
1. Cricket
Skill level required: Low
Cricket is known to be one of the best dart games because it can be played one vs. one or in a team of two vs. two. It’s a fun game if played with partners. Cricket is also called American Cricket, and it is won by being the first player that closes all the numbers in play while being even or topping the table by a lead.
How to Play
The play numbers are 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and the bull. The bull means hitting the bull’s-eye by hitting the center of the board. You are supposed to score three of each number in order to close it. The ways to score are either by scoring three singles in a row, a double, or a triple at once.
The benefit of this game is that you can close the numbers irrespective of the order unless you added an extra rule of not doing so. You can also hit the still open points for your opponent and score the same if you close them. The trick to winning this game is maintaining the lead throughout the game. Also, if you’re playing it with a kid or just for fun, you can rule out the scoring, i.e. you can play without the scores just for fun.
2. The 01 Games (301 and 501)
Skill level required: Medium
These two are international standards in a dart game if you’ve watched a league or so. This game is usually played popularly between professional dart throwers, but none can restrict you from playing it casually too. The rules of this game are not very tough and the game itself is simple enough it’s the finishing strategies require a bit of skill and knowledge of your board and math skills. The games 301 and 501 are often played one vs. one or as a team of two.
How to Play
Each player or team has to begin from a score of 301 or 501, depending upon where you want to start and how long you wish to play. The aim of the game is to get to the score of 0 while finishing on a double.
The catch of the 301 game is that you can’t actually start subtracting from the very first shot because you must hit a double of any number before subtracting. So, to get in the game, there’s a bit of a struggle.
This is not the case with 501 game because it starts straight away, even if you score a single.
3. Around the World
Skill level required: Low
This is one of the more simple darts games and can be played by yourself or with many.
The number of players doesn’t matter in this game which also adds to its popularity. This is a great game to start learning about the darts board, finding out which areas you prefer to aim for and have more success with.
How to Play
The players work their way around the dartboard in numerical sequence to achieve the scores. You have to start from 1 and go all the way up to 20 then go for the green bull then red bull to win the game. Alternatives include going back down to how you started or you could also go around the board in doubles or triples.
Around the world can also be played as a warm-up session for the 01 games as it can be a great loosener and you get to target all of the board.
4. Legs
Skill level required: Low
The aim of this game is that you must hit the highest possible score in each turn. It is similar to the 01 games, except the doubling-in and out doesn’t count or are not included. Similar to other games on this list is that any number of players can play.
How to Play
Each player is given three legs on the scoreboard. Now, they’re supposed to hit on the highest number possible on the board turn-wise. If the following person is unable to hit a score equal to or greater than the previous one, he will lose a leg. If you want to mix it up a little you can also shuffle the order of the players after each round.
5. Killer
Skill level required: Medium
Killer is a great dart game and can be played with three or more players. You must hit only doubles in this game. The more players you have, the more fun that can be had in this game. As this game only uses doubles it is a harder game for beginners to get into. If you have only just started darts it’s probably best if you practice with Around the World and move up from there once your skill level improves.
How to Play
Choose any random number by hitting the board, but with your non-shooting hand- this is what makes it even more exciting and fun. Then, you’ve to score double the number you just hit. This will make you a killer, and you can kill your opponents by scoring doubles of their numbers. Each player is given three lives, and each double will cost one life to your opponent.
Hopefully you have some fun trying and playing the above darts games. Who knows after a few years you might be playing at one of these big tournaments?
Obviously for a better experience make sure you have quality darts equipment and if you need a hand selecting these check out our ultimate darts guide for your darts selection.
Have fun and go play some darts!