Darts Checkouts: How to Finish a Leg

In darts, scoring heavy is only half the job. Matches are won by finishing, or checking out, on a double. Good players plan their route to zero several darts ahead. This page explains the basics of checkouts and how to practise them.

What is a checkout?

A checkout is the combination of darts that brings your remaining score to exactly zero, ending on a double or the bullseye. For example, with 40 left you aim for double 20. With 100 left, a common route is treble 20 and then double 20.

The highest checkout: 170

The highest possible checkout is 170: treble 20, treble 20 and bullseye. It is known as the big fish. Above 170, you cannot finish in one visit.

Bogey numbers

Some scores below 170 cannot be finished with three darts. These are called bogey numbers: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. Good players avoid leaving these numbers and plan their scoring to set up a finish.

Popular doubles

• Double 20 (tops): the most common finish, at the top of the board.
• Double 16: popular because a miss into single 16 leaves 16, which halves cleanly to double 8, then double 4.
• Double 8 and double 4: good fallbacks after halving.

Many players prefer even numbers on the way to a double, because a single hit still leaves an even number they can halve.

The nine-darter

The perfect leg of 501 takes nine darts. A classic route is two visits of 180 followed by treble 20, treble 19 and double 12. Nine-darters are rare, even at the highest level, and always a highlight of a tournament.

Practice routines

• Around the doubles: hit every double from 1 to 20 in order.
• 121 game: start at 121 and try to check out in nine darts; succeed and the target goes up by one.
• Bob's 27: a scoring game on the doubles that rewards accuracy and punishes misses.
• Set-up practice: practise leaving your favourite double, such as 40 or 32.

Good equipment and a correctly set up board help your practice. See choosing darts and setting up a dartboard.