Darts Checkout Chart: Every Finish You Need

Scoring heavily wins you nothing if you cannot finish. In 501, every leg ends with a checkout: reaching exactly zero with your last dart in a double or the bullseye. Knowing the right route instantly saves you darts, avoids awkward leaves and puts pressure on your opponent. This checkout chart lists the most useful finishes for one, two and three darts, explains the bogey numbers you cannot check out, and shows how to set up your next visit when a finish is out of reach.

The checkout basics

To win a leg of 501, your remaining score must reach exactly zero, and your final dart must land in a double or the bullseye, which counts as double 25. Score too much, leave 1, or reach zero on a single or treble, and you are bust. Your whole visit is wiped and your score returns to where it started. Read the full darts rules for more detail.

Key limits

• Highest one-dart finish: 50, the bullseye.
• Highest two-dart finish: 110, treble 20 and bullseye.
• Highest three-dart finish: 170, treble 20, treble 20 and bullseye, nicknamed "the big fish".

Bogey numbers

Some scores below 170 cannot be checked out in three darts. These bogey numbers are 159, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169. If you are left on one of them, use your visit to set up a finish for next time.

Three-dart checkouts

• 170: T20, T20, Bull
• 167: T20, T19, Bull
• 164: T20, T18, Bull
• 161: T20, T17, Bull
• 160: T20, T20, D20
• 158: T20, T20, D19
• 157: T20, T19, D20
• 156: T20, T20, D18
• 150: T20, T18, D18
• 141: T20, T19, D12
• 140: T20, T20, D10
• 130: T20, S20, Bull
• 121: T20, T11, D14
• 120: T20, S20, D20
• 101: T17, S10, D20
• 99: T19, S10, D16

Two-dart checkouts

• 110: T20, Bull
• 107: T19, Bull
• 104: T18, Bull
• 100: T20, D20
• 98: T20, D19
• 96: T20, D18
• 90: T20, D15
• 85: T15, D20
• 81: T19, D12
• 80: T20, D10
• 76: T20, D8
• 70: T10, D20
• 64: T16, D8
• 61: T15, D8
• 60: S20, D20
• 57: S17, D20
• 50: S10, D20 (or the bullseye)
• 41: S9, D16

One-dart finishes

Any even number from 2 to 40 can be finished with a single double, plus 50 with the bullseye. The most popular are 40 (double 20), 32 (double 16), 36 (double 18), 24 (double 12), 16 (double 8) and 8 (double 4).

Many scores have more than one valid route. Professionals often choose a route that still leaves a finish if a dart misses. The chart above shows common routes, but it is worth learning alternatives for the scores you leave most often.

Why so many players love double 16

Double 16 is a favourite for good reason. Miss it into the single 16 and you are left on 16: double 8. Miss that into single 8 and you have 8 left: double 4. Then double 2, then double 1. Every miss into the single still leaves an even number you can finish.

Double 20 does not split as kindly. Single 20 leaves 20 (double 10), single 10 leaves 10 (double 5), but single 5 leaves 5, an odd number. You then need a single 1 before you can finish again. And double 1, the last resort, is known as madhouse.

Setting up your next visit

When you cannot finish this visit, finish the turn on a score that gives you an easy checkout next time:

1. Leave 32 or 40 where possible, the most popular doubles.
2. On an odd number, hit an odd single first to get to an even number.
3. Never leave a bogey number when you will need three darts.
4. Plan for a miss: choose a route where a single still leaves you a finish.
5. Below 100, aiming at a two-dart finish is often better than throwing everything at treble 20.

Example

You are on 57 with three darts. You can hit single 17 to leave 40 (double 20), or single 25 to leave 32 (double 16). If your dart drifts from the 17 into the 3, you are on 54, still a straightforward two-dart finish. Thinking one dart ahead like this is what separates good finishers from great ones.

Checkout percentage

Professional darts tracks a second key statistic alongside the average: the checkout percentage. It is the share of darts thrown at a double that actually hit. A player who throws ten darts at doubles and hits four has a checkout percentage of 40%. Top professionals often hover around or above 40%, although it varies a lot from match to match. For club and pub players, anything between 15% and 25% is a solid result.

Track your own checkout percentage over time. If you score well but keep losing legs, your biggest gains are almost certainly in finishing practice and smarter route choices, not in throwing more 180s.

Finishing under pressure

• Use the same pre-throw routine for every finish: breathe, set your stance, pick a precise target.
• Decide your route before you step up to the oche, not while you are throwing.
• Build your set-ups around your favourite double, so that you face it as often as possible.
• A missed double is normal. Focus on the next dart instead of the last one.

Practising your finishing

• Round the doubles: throw at every double from 1 to 20 and count how many darts you need.
• 121 drill: start on 121 and try to check out within nine darts. If you succeed, move to 122; if not, go back to 121.
• Random finishes: have a friend or an app call a random score between 41 and 100 and try to finish it.

Find full sessions in our practice routines, and make sure your action is solid with our guide on how to throw darts.

Learn the chart step by step

Do not try to memorise every finish at once. Start with all two-dart finishes up to 100, because those come up most often. Then add the common three-dart finishes such as 121, 141 and 170. Finally, learn the set-up shots for the scores you are regularly left on after a 100 or 140. Within a few weeks, the right route will come to you without thinking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest checkout in darts?

The highest checkout is 170: treble 20, treble 20 and bullseye.

Can you finish on the outer bull?

No. The outer bull (25) is not a double. Only the bullseye (50) counts as a double.

What are bogey numbers?

Scores below 170 that cannot be checked out with three darts: 159, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169.