Darts Checkout Chart: Every Finish From 170 Down to 2

Treble 20, treble 20, bull. That is 170, the highest checkout in darts and the top line of every checkout chart pinned to an oche wall in England. Below it, every total down to 2 can be finished in three darts or fewer with seven exceptions: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. Those are the bogey numbers, and no amount of skill takes them out in one visit.

The chart exists because double-out 501, the game played under Darts Regulation Authority rules on the PDC circuit and in pub leagues from Cornwall to Northumberland, has to end on a double or the bull. That one requirement turns the closing stage of a leg into a puzzle with known answers. Our tables below give the standard route for every total, block by block, along with the reasons players depart from them. If the double-out requirement itself is new territory, our explainer on why every leg has to finish on a double covers the rule, and the basic rules of a leg of 501 set out the rest.

How the darts checkout chart is put together, from 170 down to 2

A checkout chart is a lookup table, nothing grander: each total paired with the beds to aim at, in order, ending on a double. Charts sold in UK darts shops broadly agree, because the arithmetic constrains them, but where a total has two sensible routes one chart prints one and the next prints the other.

The arithmetic is short. A dart can score any single from 1 to 20, a double from 2 to 40, a treble from 3 to 60, the outer bull for 25 or the bull for 50. The final dart must be a double or the bull. So the largest three-dart finish is 60 plus 60 plus 50. Two darts top out at 60 plus 50. One dart can finish any even number from 2 to 40, plus 50.

Run every combination of three darts against every total from 2 to 170 and the totals fall into four groups. Twenty-one can be taken out with one dart. Eighty-one more need two. Sixty need all three. Seven cannot be done at all.

• 170Highest checkout
• 110Highest two-dart checkout
• 50Highest one-dart finish
• 7Totals with no three-dart finish

Double-out 501 on a standard clock board, where the bull counts as a double. Figures are fixed by the scoring areas of the board, not by any player's results.

Below 41, everything even is one dart and everything odd is two. Above 110, nothing is under three.

• One dart12.4%
• Two darts47.9%
• Three darts35.5%
• No three-dart finish4.1%

Each of the 169 totals counted once by the minimum number of darts needed, including the bull as a finishing double. This is arithmetic, not a measure of how often each total is left in play.

Show the numbers

Totals from 2 to 170 by the fewest darts that can finish them

Item	Value
One dart	21
Two darts	81
Three darts	60
No three-dart finish	7

One caution. The "standard route" is the route most players learn first, not a law. A finish is a finish however it is reached, and professionals adjust constantly, for reasons the later sections explain.

170, the big fish, and the seven bogey numbers below it

170 has a nickname in British darts, the big fish, and it earns it because it is the only total at the top of the chart with exactly one route. Treble 20, treble 20, bull. There is no alternative, since any other combination of trebles falls short of 120 and the bull is the only double worth 50.

Nothing above 170 can be finished in one visit. The reasoning takes two lines: two darts score at most 120, the last dart scores at most 50, and 120 plus 50 is 170. A player on 171 or more must score with the visit and come back.

Why 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159 have no route

Take 169. The closing dart must be the bull or a double, so the first two darts have to make up either 119 (to leave the bull) or something between 129 and 167 (to leave a double between 40 and 2). Two darts cannot make 119, because the nearest treble pairings are 117 and 120, and they cannot make anything above 120. So 169 is closed.

The same logic rules out the other six, and it reduces to one test. Any total above 160 can only be finished on the bull, because two darts cannot score the 121 or more needed to leave double 20. So the first two darts must score the total minus 50, and the only two-dart scores between 111 and 120 are 111, 114, 117 and 120. That allows 161, 164, 167 and 170 and rules out 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169. 159 fails both ways: it would need 119 to leave double 20 or 109 to leave the bull, and two darts make neither.

It is a messy list, which is why players learn the top of the chart by heart rather than deriving it at the oche.

The practical consequence is that a player on, say, 289 after their fourth visit is not thinking about 289 at all. They are thinking about which score leaves a finish. A 120 leaves 169, which is dead. A 125 leaves 164. Experienced players feel those numbers rather than calculating them, and a scoring visit that lands on a bogey number is quietly one of the more expensive mistakes in a leg, because it costs a whole visit at the next turn.

167, 164 and 161: checkouts that have to finish on the bull

Four totals at the top of the chart can be finished only on the bull: 170, 167, 164 and 161. Each needs two trebles first, then the 50.

Total	First dart	Second dart	Finish	Alternative
170	T20	T20	Bull	None
167	T20	T19	Bull	None
164	T20	T18	Bull	T19, T19, Bull
161	T20	T17	Bull	None

167 is 60 plus 57 plus 50. The order of the trebles does not matter to the total, so a player whose first dart lands in treble 19 can go treble 20 with the second. 161 is 60 plus 51 plus 50, and the switch from the 20 bed to the 17 means moving across the board, since 17 sits at the bottom near 3 and 2.

164 is the only one of the four with a genuine choice. Treble 20, treble 18, bull is the version most charts print. Treble 19, treble 19, bull reaches the same total and is preferred by players who find the bottom of the board more comfortable, or whose first dart has already wandered left of the 20. Neither is wrong.

What a missed treble leaves on these finishes

The awkward truth about the bull finishes is that a missed treble usually ends the attempt. Suppose the first dart on 161 lands in single 20 instead of treble 20. That leaves 141, which three darts could do but two cannot. The visit is now about setting up a score for next time. A single 17 with the second dart on 161 leaves 84 after the treble 20, still not a one-dart finish, though it is a comfortable two-darter at the next visit.

The difference between a bull finish and a double finish shows when the trebles land and the last dart misses. A dart that misses the bull usually scores 25 or a single, leaving an awkward odd number; a dart that drops inside double 20 leaves 20 for double 10. That is why 164's choice is argued about and 170's is not.

The 160 to 131 checkouts: two trebles and a double

This is the block that separates players who score from players who finish. Every total from 160 to 131, other than the bogey 159, is done with two trebles and a double. Most routes start on treble 20; the choice of second treble is dictated by which double the player wants to be left on.

Total	Standard route	Total	Standard route
160	T20, T20, D20	145	T20, T15, D20
158	T20, T20, D19	144	T20, T20, D12
157	T20, T19, D20	143	T20, T17, D16
156	T20, T20, D18	142	T20, T14, D20
155	T20, T19, D19	141	T20, T19, D12
154	T20, T18, D20	140	T20, T20, D10
153	T20, T19, D18	139	T20, T13, D20
152	T20, T20, D16	138	T20, T18, D12
151	T20, T17, D20	137	T20, T19, D10
150	T20, T18, D18	136	T20, T20, D8
149	T20, T19, D16	135	T20, T17, D12
148	T20, T20, D14	134	T20, T14, D16
147	T20, T17, D18	133	T20, T19, D8
146	T20, T18, D16	132	T20, T16, D12

131 completes the block as T20, T13, D16.

Read down the double column and a preference shows. Double 20, double 16, double 18 and double 12 come up again and again. Double 20 is the top of the board and the double most players practise hardest. Double 16 is favoured because missing it into the single 16 leaves 16, which is double 8, and missing that leaves 8, which is double 4: a chain of halvings that keeps a player on a double however badly they throw. Double 12 is the classic finish for 141 and 144, and it gets thrown so often on television because it is where the standard nine-dart route ends. Our guide to the perfect nine-dart leg works through why.

Which routes still leave something when the first treble misses

On a finish of 131 to 160, a single with the first dart almost always kills the checkout. A single 20 on 140 leaves 120, which needs three darts. The question is what the visit leaves for next time, and here the routes differ more than the chart lets on.

Take 150, printed as T20, T18, D18. A single 20 with the first dart leaves 130 with two darts, which cannot be finished, so the second dart goes back to treble 20 to leave 70 for next time.

Some routes are chosen for their fall-back. 157 is T20, T19, D20: if the first dart drops into single 20, treble 19 with the second leaves 80, and 80 is one of the most comfortable two-dart finishes on the board. 154 as T20, T18, D20 behaves similarly. These are not accidents; the charts that have survived decades of league use are the ones whose misses leave sensible numbers.

The 130 to 101 checkouts: one treble and a set-up dart

The chart changes character at 130. From here down to 101, a finish needs one treble at most, and the other non-finishing dart is often a single chosen to leave a particular double. That second dart is the set-up dart, and the art of this block is choosing the treble so that a miss still leaves a two-dart finish.

Total	Standard route	A single with the first dart leaves
130	T20, 20, Bull	110
129	T19, T16, D12	110
128	T18, T14, D16	110
127	T20, T17, D8	107
126	T19, T19, D6	107
125	T20, T15, D10	105
124	T20, T16, D8	104
123	T19, T16, D9	104
122	T18, T20, D4	104
121	T20, T11, D14	101
120	T20, 20, D20	100
119	T19, T12, D13	100
118	T20, 18, D20	98
117	T20, 17, D20	97
116	T20, 16, D20	96
115	T20, 15, D20	95
114	T20, 14, D20	94
113	T20, 13, D20	93
112	T20, 12, D20	92
111	T20, 19, D16	91

The last column is the one experienced players read. On 129, 128 and 130, aiming first at treble 19, treble 18 and treble 20 respectively means that a single still leaves 110, the highest two-dart finish. On 124, 123 and 122 a single leaves 104, which is treble 18 and the bull. That is why 128 is printed as T18, T14, D16 rather than the more obvious-looking T20, T20, D4: the treble 18 route survives a miss.

From 118 down to 112, the route is treble 20, a single to leave 40, then double 20. If the treble misses into the single, the remainder is in the 90s, and every total from 92 to 98 is a two-dart finish. It is the most forgiving block on the chart.

The Shanghai finish on 120

120 can be taken out as single 20, treble 20, double 20. All three beds of one number, in one visit. In British pubs this is the Shanghai finish, borrowed from a practice game of the same name in which hitting the single, double and treble of a number wins outright.

Order matters for the name, though not for the total. Single first leaves 100 after one dart, which is still a two-dart finish as treble 20, double 20. Treble first leaves 60, and the single that follows leaves 40. The trap on 120 is the bull. Treble 20 and the bull is 110, so a player who hits the treble and then reaches for the centre out of habit has thrown at a total that no longer exists. It happens more often in league darts than anyone admits, and the chart is there to stop it.

121 to 130: the bull or a small double

Several totals in this block have two routes, one ending on the bull and one ending on a low double. 130 is the clearest case: T20, 20, Bull, or T20, T20, D5. 126 can go T19, 19, Bull. 124 can go T20, 14, Bull. 122 can go T18, 18, Bull. 121 is sometimes thrown as T17, T10, D20, which leaves 70 after one dart, or as T20, 11, Bull.

The choice depends on the player's doubles. Some players are comfortable on the bull and treat it as just another double; others will go to almost any lengths to avoid it. Charts do not record that preference, which is why two players with the same chart in their pocket can throw 130 completely differently and both be right.

Two-dart checkouts: 110 is the highest, and 99 needs all three

Five totals of 100 or more can be finished with two darts. 110 is the highest, thrown as treble 20 and the bull. Three more also end on the bull: 107 (treble 19, bull), 104 (treble 18, bull) and 101 (treble 17, bull). The fifth is 100, which is treble 20 then double 20, or two bulls.

Treble 20 then bull110points

Treble 19 then bull107points

Treble 18 then bull104points

Treble 17 then bull101points

Treble 20 then double 20100points

Each total and the route that finishes it in two darts. Every one of the four above 100 has to end on the bull; 100 can also be done as treble 20, double 20.

Show the numbers

The two-dart checkouts of 100 and above

Item	Value
Treble 20 then bull	110points
Treble 19 then bull	107points
Treble 18 then bull	104points
Treble 17 then bull	101points
Treble 20 then double 20	100points

None of 109, 108, 106, 105, 103 or 102 can be finished with two darts. The treble that would be needed is either not on the board or leaves a remainder that is not a double. That gives these totals a reputation they deserve: they look like they ought to be two-dart finishes and are not.

And then 99. Every total from 2 to 98 can be finished in two darts at most. 99 cannot, and the reason is parity. Every double is even and the bull is 50, so the first dart of a two-dart finish on an odd total has to be odd. The highest odd score on the board is treble 19 for 57, which leaves 42, above double 20, and the only odd dart that would leave the bull is 49, which is not on the board. So 99 is the one total under 100 that needs three darts, and the standard route is treble 19, single 10, double 16.

Why players often throw 101 and 104 on three darts anyway

A player on 101 with three darts in hand has a choice. Treble 17 and the bull takes it out in two. Treble 20, single 1, double 20 takes three darts but never goes near the bull. If the player rates double 20 well above the bull, the three-dart route is the better percentage play, even though it looks slower. 104 offers the same trade with treble 20, single 12, double 16.

Checkouts from 98 down to 61: a treble, then a double

Every total in this block is a two-dart finish: a treble, then a double. Most totals have more than one such route, and the table gives the one most players learn first.

Total	Route	Total	Route
98	T20, D19	79	T19, D11
97	T19, D20	78	T18, D12
96	T20, D18	77	T19, D10
95	T19, D19	76	T20, D8
94	T18, D20	75	T17, D12
93	T19, D18	74	T14, D16
92	T20, D16	73	T19, D8
91	T17, D20	72	T16, D12
90	T20, D15	71	T13, D16
89	T19, D16	70	T10, D20
88	T16, D20	69	T19, D6
87	T17, D18	68	T20, D4
86	T18, D16	67	T17, D8
85	T15, D20	66	T10, D18
84	T20, D12	65	T19, D4
83	T17, D16	64	T16, D8
82	T14, D20	63	T13, D12
81	T19, D12	62	T10, D16
80	T20, D10	61	T15, D8

80: treble 20 and double 10, or two double tops

80 is the clearest example in the whole chart of a total that players split over. Treble 20, double 10 is the shortest route to think about. Some players prefer double 20, double 20. A third camp goes treble 16, double 16.

The case for two double tops is rhythm. A player who has practised double 20 more than any other bed throws both darts at a target the arm already knows, and a first dart that drops inside the wire into single 20 leaves 60, which single 20 and double 20 can still finish. The case against is the outside of the wire: a dart that drifts above double 20 scores nothing at all and leaves 80 with two darts. A dart at treble 20 that strays scores something almost every time, and a single 20 leaves the same 60. The argument does not resolve. It turns on which bed a player trusts, which is a personal matter and should be.

Set-up preferences from 81 to 95

In the low 90s and 80s, the commonest consideration is what a single leaves. Take 85: treble 15 to leave double 20, or treble 19 to leave double 14. If the treble 15 misses into single 15, 70 remains, a two-dart finish with the dart still in hand. If the treble 19 misses into single 19, 66 remains, also fine. Both routes work; the treble 15 route keeps the finish on double 20.

95 can also go treble 15 and the bull, a route kept for when a dart already sits in treble 19 and blocks it. 81 as treble 19, double 12 versus treble 15, double 18 is chosen mostly on which treble the player can see. 84 as treble 20, double 12 versus treble 16, double 18 depends on the double. 82 offers the bull, double 16, a route some players like because neither dart goes near the crowded top of the board.

Checkouts from 60 down to 41: a single to leave a double

Here a single and a double finish any total. The standard practice is to leave 40 or 32, and the single follows from that.

Total	To leave double 20	To leave double 16
60	20, D20	—
59	19, D20	—
58	18, D20	—
57	17, D20	—
56	16, D20	—
55	15, D20	—
54	14, D20	—
53	13, D20	—
52	12, D20	20, D16
51	11, D20	19, D16
50	10, D20	18, D16
49	9, D20	17, D16
48	8, D20	16, D16
47	7, D20	15, D16
46	6, D20	14, D16
45	5, D20	13, D16
44	4, D20	12, D16
43	3, D20	11, D16
42	2, D20	10, D16
41	1, D20	9, D16

From 60 to 53, double 20 is the only sensible leave: there is no single above 20, so double 16 would need a single of 21 or more. From 52 downwards a player chooses. 52 thrown as single 20 leaves 32, though a dart that drifts into treble 20 busts, since 60 is more than 52; most players take the 20 anyway, because it is where the hand naturally goes.

50 is also a one-dart finish on the bull, though with three darts in hand most players prefer single 18 or single 10.

Odd totals: making the remainder even

Between 41 and 59, half the totals are odd, and any odd total must be made even before the double, since every double is even. The first dart therefore has to land on an odd single. On 45, that means single 5 for double 20, or single 13 for double 16. On 47, single 7 or single 15. A player on 47 who throws at the 20 by habit leaves 27, still odd.

The bust rule adds a second hazard. A dart that lands in a treble when the player wanted the single can take the score below 2 or leave exactly 1, and either way the visit is void and the score reverts. On 43, a dart at single 3 that hits treble 3 leaves 34, which is fine; a dart that lands in treble 19, the 3's neighbour, scores 57 and busts. Our guide to what counts as a bust in darts explains the rule in full.

40 and below: one dart on every even number, a single first on the odd ones

Every even total from 2 to 40 is a one-dart finish: halve it, and that is the double. 40 is double 20, 32 is double 16, 2 is double 1. The bull adds 50. That is the complete list of 21 one-dart finishes.

Odd totals below 40 need a single first, and the single is chosen to leave a good double, usually 32, 16 or 8.

Total	Standard route	Total	Standard route
39	7, D16	19	3, D8
37	5, D16	17	1, D8
35	3, D16	15	7, D4
33	1, D16	13	5, D4
31	15, D8	11	3, D4
29	13, D8	9	1, D4
27	11, D8	7	3, D2
25	9, D8	5	1, D2
23	7, D8	3	1, D1
21	5, D8	—	—

Why 32 is the favourite double

32 is the most loved number on the chart. Double 16 halves down through double 8, double 4, double 2 and double 1 if the player keeps hitting the single inside the wire. A dart at double 16 that lands in single 16 leaves 16, which is double 8; a dart at double 8 that lands in single 8 leaves 8, which is double 4. Only after five successive misses into the single does the chain run out. 40 runs 40, 20, 10, 5 and reaches an odd number on the third miss; 36 runs 36, 18, 9 and reaches one on the second. That is why so many routes in the table leave 32, 16 or 8.

3, 5 and 7, where the choice of single matters most

Very small odd totals are harder than they look. On 7, the obvious play is single 3 to leave double 2. The 3 sits at the bottom of the board between 19 and 17, so a dart that drifts either side busts. A player could aim single 5 to leave double 1, but the 5's neighbours are 20 and 12, and both bust too, and double 1 is a thin target at the top of the board next to double 20.

On 5, single 1 leaves double 2. The 1 sits between 20 and 18, both of which bust. On 3 there is only one route, single 1 then double 1, and any dart that strays off the 1 busts.

There is no clean answer. Most players go for the single and accept the risk. The bottom of the chart is not the easy end, and plenty of league legs are lost on 3, 5 and 7 by players who scored heavily all evening.

Why professionals depart from the darts checkout chart

Televised routes do not always match the printed chart. Three things push professionals off it.

The first is neighbours. The 20 sits between 5 and 1. The 19 sits between 7 and 3. A dart aimed at treble 20 that misses is likely to score 5 or 1, both low; a dart aimed at treble 19 that misses scores 7 or 3. A player whose route depends on the treble and whose miss would wreck the remainder will choose the treble whose neighbours do least damage. The order of numbers round the board is the whole reason this matters.

The second is what a missed double leaves. On 36 a dart that falls into single 18 leaves 18 for double 9. On 40 a miss leaves 20 for double 10. On 32 a miss leaves 16 for double 8. A player who rates double 8 more highly than double 9 has a reason to prefer leaving 32 over 36, even if the chart they learned prints both.

The third is where the darts already are. A dart sitting in treble 20 from the first throw makes the second throw at treble 20 harder, because the target is partly blocked and a deflection can send the dart anywhere. Players switch to the 19 or the 18 to throw at a clear bed. This is why a professional on 100 might go treble 19 and then aim to leave a double other than the printed one.

1. 1Read the totalCheck the total against the chart: is it a one-, two- or three-dart finish, or a bogey number that cannot be done?
2. 2Pick the doubleChoose the finishing double first, usually 20, 16, 18 or the bull, according to which the player trusts most.
3. 3Work back to the trebleChoose a treble or single that leaves that double, preferring a bed whose neighbours leave a sensible remainder on a miss.
4. 4Check the blocked bedsIf a dart already sits in the target bed, switch to a clear treble with the same effect where one exists.
5. 5Adjust after each dartRecalculate after every dart: a single where a treble was wanted often means changing route rather than continuing the printed one.

A description of the reasoning players commonly describe, not a fixed procedure. Different players weigh the steps differently.

With one or two darts in hand, the best shot changes

The chart assumes three darts in hand. The moment a player has thrown one, the best shot at the same total can change completely, and recognising when to stop attempting a finish is as much a part of checkout play as the routes themselves.

Take 68 as an example. With three darts, treble 20, double 4 is standard, and so is treble 16, double 10. With two darts, either still works. With one dart, 68 is not a finish at all, and the right play is to score in a way that leaves a good number next time: single 20 for 48, single 18 for 50, or treble 12 to leave 32.

When to set up rather than attempt the finish

A finish should usually be attempted when it is on. The exception comes when attempting it risks leaving a much worse number for next time while setting up guarantees a good one. Common examples in British league darts:

• On 82 with one dart, the bull scores 50 and leaves 32. A dart at the 14 or the 20 leaves 68 or 62. Going for the bull is a set-up that leaves double 16; it is not a finishing attempt.
• On 61 with one dart, the outer bull for 25 leaves 36 and a single 15 leaves 46. Either sets up a finish for next time, and the outer bull route leaves a one-dart finish.
• On 99 with two darts, the finish is impossible. The sensible play is single 19 and then treble 20, leaving 20, a one-dart finish next time. A player who throws a single 20 and then a treble 19 leaves 22, also fine.

The darts left as part of the count

Markers in England say "two darts at 60" or "one dart at 40", and the phrasing is right: a finish is a total paired with the darts remaining, so the chart is really three charts.

Learning the checkout chart in blocks

Few players learn the chart from top to bottom. The useful approach is to learn it in the order it will be needed, which for most league players is the opposite order to the way it is printed.

What to learn first for league darts

Start with every finish below 40, because those come up in nearly every leg. Even totals are instant: halve and throw. Odd totals need one rule: throw at a single that leaves 32, 16 or 8. That covers the bulk of real finishes.

Next learn 41 to 60, which is the zone where a single sets up a double. The rule is simple again: subtract 40 or 32, and the remainder is the single. From 61 to 100, learn the treble-then-double routes, starting with the ones that leave double 20 or double 16. Then 101 to 130, focusing on the ones that a missed treble still leaves on a finish. Last of all, 131 to 170, because for most league players these come up rarely and the routes mostly begin treble 20, treble 20.

Block	What to remember	Priority for league players
2 to 40	Even: halve it. Odd: single to leave 32, 16 or 8	Learn first
41 to 60	Single to leave 40 or 32, odd first dart on odd totals	Learn second
61 to 100	Treble then double, prefer routes leaving D20 or D16	Learn third
101 to 130	One treble and a set-up, choose the treble whose miss leaves a two-darter	Learn fourth
131 to 170	Two trebles and a double, the bull on 170, 167, 164, 161	Learn last

Practice games built around checkouts

Several practice games exist only to drill finishes. In the game known as 121, in its commonest version, a player has nine darts to check out 121; succeed and the target rises to 122, fail and it drops back. Bob's 27, devised by Bob Anderson, the 1988 world champion, starts the player on 27 points and works through the doubles from 1 to 20 and then the bull, twenty-one targets of three darts each. Each double hit adds its own value; three darts missing the same double subtract it. Let the running total fall to zero and the game is over. Round the board on doubles is a simpler version. A good selection appears in our guide to practice drills for darts players.

The most useful habit is to say each route aloud while practising, until "eighty-one: treble nineteen, double twelve" comes without thought. Counting quickly is half of finishing well.

For the rest of the rules of the game, and more on the sport as it is played in England, the England sports hub collects our guides across the section.