How to Play 301 Without Getting Caught by a Rules Mix-Up

In 301 darts, every player or team starts on 301, subtracts each valid turn from that total and wins by reaching exactly zero first. A turn allows up to three darts and ends early if the player checks out or busts.

The complication is that double-in and double-out are not universal 301 rules. Before anyone throws, decide what starts the scoring and what kind of dart can finish the game.

301 darts rules at a glance

Use these rules to begin a basic game:

1. Give each player or team a starting score of 301.
2. Take turns throwing up to three darts.
3. Add the valid dart scores and subtract the turn total from the remaining score.
4. Continue until someone reaches exactly zero.
5. If a player scores more than they have left, they bust. The turn ends immediately, and their score returns to the number held at the beginning of that turn.

These countdown, turn and overscore rules are set out in the DARTSLIVE guide to 01 games.

For example, a player who begins a turn on 40 and scores 45 does not move to minus five. The whole visit is canceled, including points scored by earlier darts in that turn, and the player’s next turn begins on 40.

Choose the entry and finishing rules before playing. A game may be straight-in or double-in, and it may use open-out or double-out. Those choices determine when scoring begins and whether leaving 1 or reaching zero without a double causes a bust.

How the board and each turn are scored

A standard dartboard has five relevant scoring areas:

• Single: Scores the printed number.
• Treble: The inner narrow ring scores three times the printed number.
• Double: The outer narrow ring scores twice the printed number.
• Outer bull: Normally scores 25.
• Inner bull: Normally scores 50.

That means treble 20 scores 60, double 20 scores 40 and single 20 scores 20. The ring closer to the bull is the treble ring; the narrow ring around the outside of the numbered segments is the double ring.

A simple first turn could be:

• Single 3: 3 points
• Single 7: 7 points
• Single 13: 13 points
• Turn total: 23 points
• New score: 301 − 23 = 278

The standard multipliers and the 3, 7 and 13 scoring example are documented in this 301 scoring introduction.

A dart that misses the scoring area generally scores zero and still counts as a throw. A bounce-out or dart that falls from the board before being scored is also generally treated as a scoreless throw. Electronic boards and organized competitions may use machine-specific scoring and correction procedures, so the applicable venue, league or machine rules take priority.

Choose your format: straight-in, double-in, open-out or double-out

Players do not have to double in or double out in every version of 301. These are format choices, not automatic consequences of starting on 301.

Format	How scoring begins	What can win	Conditional bust rules
Straight-in, open-out	The first valid scoring dart counts	Any permitted scoring dart that reaches zero	Scoring below zero busts
Straight-in, double-out	The first valid scoring dart counts	A double that reaches zero; the inner bull may qualify where treated as double 25	Going below zero, leaving 1 or reaching zero without a double busts
Double-in, open-out	Scoring starts only after a double is hit	Any permitted scoring dart that reaches zero	Going below zero busts after scoring has opened
Double-in, double-out	A double is required to begin scoring	A double must reduce the score to zero	Going below zero, leaving 1 or reaching zero without a double busts

These entry, finishing and bull conventions are described in a general guide to 01 variants, but the selected competition or house rules should always control.

With straight-in, the first dart that lands in a scoring area is deducted immediately.

With double-in, nothing is deducted until the player hits a double. The opening double itself counts, as do eligible later darts in the same turn. If the first dart misses, the second hits double 20 and the third hits single 20, the player scores 60 and moves from 301 to 241.

With open-out, a single, double or treble may produce the exact zero. With double-out, the dart that reaches zero must land in a double. Where the rules treat the 50-point inner bull as double 25, it may also be used as the finishing double.

Competition rules show why the format must be checked rather than assumed. The American Darters Association’s 301 rules use a straight start and permit a single, double or treble to finish. Those are ADA league rules, not a universal standard for every game of 301.

The National Dart Association’s electronic-darts rules use Any In-Any Out for standard 01 and Double In-Double Out for Masters 01. Those provisions apply to the cited NDA formats and include electronic-machine procedures that should not automatically be transferred to casual steel-tip play.

What counts as a bust in 301?

An overscore is the common bust across the documented formats: if the darts take the remaining score below zero, the turn ends and the player returns to the total held at the start of that turn.

Other bust conditions depend on the selected finishing rule.

Situation	Open-out	Double-out
Score more than the remaining total	Bust	Bust
Leave exactly 1	Valid remaining score	Bust
Reach zero with a single	Win	Bust
Reach zero with a treble	Win	Bust
Reach zero with a double	Win	Win
Bust after an earlier scoring dart	Entire turn is erased	Entire turn is erased

The double-out conditions follow from the requirement to reach zero with a double: no double scores 1, and a single or treble cannot serve as the final dart. Under open-out, those restrictions do not apply.

The reset covers the whole turn, not only the dart that caused the bust. Suppose a player begins on 30, hits single 10 and then hits 25. The running score has passed zero, so the earlier 10 is also erased and the player’s next turn begins on 30.

Leaving 1 is therefore not inherently illegal. It is a bust only when double-out applies. In open-out play, a player left on 1 can win by hitting single 1 on a later dart.

An odd total is also not impossible to finish under double-out. It simply cannot be taken out with one dart because every numbered double has an even value. From 19, for example, single 3 leaves 16, which can then be finished with double 8.

Worked scoring, checkout and bust examples

The next-turn score shows when a visit is canceled and the starting total restored.

Starting score	Darts hit	Result	Next-turn score
12, open-out	S12, D6 or T4	Any one scores exactly 12 and wins	—
32, double-out	D16	Exact double finish; game won	—
32, double-out	S16, D8	The single leaves 16; double 8 wins	—
28, double-out	D14 or S14, D7	Either route finishes correctly	—
12, open-out	Inner bull for 50	Overscore; the turn is canceled	12
16, double-out	Score 15	Leaves 1, so the turn busts	16

The open-out finish from 12 and the 50-point overscore are illustrated in the DARTSLIVE rules cited earlier. The 32 and 28 routes follow the selected double-out requirement: D16 scores 32, while D14 scores 28.

The essential scorekeeping habit is to record the number at the start of every turn. If a bust occurs, that is the number restored, regardless of what the first or second dart scored.

Open-out and double-out can produce different target choices from the same remaining score. From 12 in open-out, single 12 is enough, although double 6 and treble 4 also work. In double-out, only double 6 is an immediate one-dart checkout. A single 6 instead leaves double 3.

Agree on these rules before the first dart

A short pregame check reduces common 301 rules disputes:

• Entry: Is the game straight-in or double-in?
• Finish: Is it open-out, double-out or another agreed variation such as masters-out, where a double or treble may finish?
• Bull: Does the inner bull score 50, and is it treated as double 25 for entry or checkout?
• Starting order: Will you use a coin toss or throw closest to the bull?
• Match length: Is the match one leg, best of three or another agreed number?
• Later legs: Does the first throw alternate, or will players throw for the bull again?
• Throw handling: What happens to misses, bounce-outs and darts that fall from the board?
• Score corrections: Who may correct an arithmetic or machine-scoring error, and when?
• Team procedures: What is the throwing order, and do any passing, blocking or freezing rules apply?

A bull-off or coin toss is commonly used to choose the first player. Misses and bounce-outs also commonly count as scoreless throws, but established competition rules may prescribe more detailed procedures.

In particular, do not import electronic-machine rules into a manually scored steel-tip game without agreement. Machine scoring, correction procedures and team restrictions can be specific to a particular organization or game setting.

The core game is simple: start at 301, subtract valid scores and be first to reach exactly zero. The practical lesson is that there is no safe assumption about doubles. Confirm the entry rule, finishing rule, bull treatment and resulting bust conditions, then record each turn’s starting total so a bust can be restored correctly.

Can 301 darts be played with teams or more than two players?

Yes. A game may involve two individuals, multiple individual players or teams. In a simple team format, give each team one shared total of 301 and rotate through its players in a fixed throwing order. Each team takes one turn at a time, and the first team to reach exactly zero under the agreed finishing rule wins.

For more than two individual players, give everyone a separate starting total of 301 and retain the same throwing order throughout the leg. Before a multi-leg match, decide whether the opening player rotates or whether everyone throws for the bull again.

What is the fewest darts needed to finish 301?

The theoretical minimum is six darts under normal board scoring. One straight-in route is:

• First turn: T20, T20, T20 = 180
• Remaining score: 121
• Second turn: T20, T15, D8 = 121

That produces exactly 301 in six darts, as shown in this 301 scoring guide from ScoreApp.

Five darts cannot score 301 because the highest possible score with five darts is 300. A six-dart finish is also possible with double-in: D20, T20, T20 scores 160 on the first turn, leaving 141; T20, T19 and D12 then score the remaining 141.