What Is a Nine-Dart Finish in Darts?

A nine-dart finish means winning a leg of 501 in exactly nine darts, with the ninth dart completing a valid double-out checkout. It is called a perfect leg because nine is the fewest darts needed—not because every dart must hit treble 20.

The standard rules require a player to reduce 501 to exactly zero and finish on a double. The inner bull scores 50 and counts as double 25 for finishing. See the DRA’s playing rules, sections 6.3 and 6.5.

The familiar route: 180, 180, 141

Here is a complete nine-dart leg. T means treble and D means double: T20 scores 60, T19 scores 57 and D12 scores 24.

Visit	Darts thrown	Visit score	Score remaining
Start	—	—	501
1: darts 1–3	T20, T20, T20	180	321
2: darts 4–6	T20, T20, T20	180	141
3: darts 7–9	T20, T19, D12	141	0

The final visit scores 60 + 57 + 24 = 141. Across all three visits, 180 + 180 + 141 = 501. ESPN identifies this as the most commonly used nine-dart route.

The count is the winning player’s nine darts. The opponent’s throws between visits do not count towards it. Nor is a nine-darter simply a 141 checkout: that checkout completes a nine-darter only when the player has reached 141 in six darts.

Why an eight-dart finish is impossible

The highest score with one dart is 60. Even eight treble 20s would score only 8 × 60 = 480, short of 501. That proves eight darts cannot be enough; the worked route above proves nine can be.

Do you need two 180s?

No. Another valid route is:

• 180: T20, T20, T20
• 177: T20, T20, T19
• 144: T20, T20, D12

Those visits total 501 and still end on a double with dart nine.

Double-start 501 needs a different opening. At the 2011 World Grand Prix, Brendan Dolan hit the first nine-darter in the event’s history, scoring 160, 180 and 161 against James Wade. The checkout went T20, T17, bull, as documented in Sky Sports’ account. An opening of D20, T20, T20 supplies that 160 while satisfying double-in.

What average does a nine-darter produce?

For that single completed leg, the three-dart average is:

501 ÷ 9 × 3 = 167.00

That is a one-leg average, not the player’s match average or usual standard. A perfect leg cannot tell you how consistently someone scores or finishes over a league season or professional tournament.

Also, a first-nine average is a different statistic: it measures a player’s opening nine darts across legs, whether or not those legs end in nine darts. Our guide to first-nine average versus checkout percentage explains the distinction.

Famous finishes and record comparisons

John Lowe achieved the first televised perfect leg in 1984. Michael Smith hit a nine-darter against Michael van Gerwen in the 2023 PDC World Championship final, using the 180–180–141 route shown above. Both milestones are covered in ESPN’s nine-darter feature.

When comparing player totals, keep the category clear: televised finishes, all official tournament finishes and practice finishes are different records. The PDC Nine-Dart Club recognises both televised and non-televised PDC tournament finishes. For a player-and-event breakdown, see our nine-dart finishes by player and year.