Darts 501 — Play Free Online

How 501 is scored

Each player starts on 501. A turn is three darts, and the points they score are taken off what you have left. A dart in the thin outer ring scores double its number, one in the inner ring scores treble, the outer bull is 25 and the bull's-eye 50. The best possible turn is 180, three treble 20s, and a perfect leg takes nine darts.

The finish is what makes 501 a game. You must reach exactly zero, and the last dart must land in a double; the bull's-eye counts as one. Go below zero, leave yourself on 1, or hit zero with a single, and the turn is a bust: your score goes back to where it was before that turn.

Checkouts

When a finish is in reach, the panel under the scores shows a route to aim for, and it updates after every dart. These are some of the routes the game suggests:

A few scores of 170 or less cannot be finished in three darts at all: 159, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169. Players call them bogey numbers, and a good scoring turn steers around them.

Playing 501 here

Press and hold to aim; the ring sways like a real hand and steadies when you hold still. Then flick up to throw. On a computer, point with the mouse and flick it up or press Space. Choose Computer to face Mako on Easy, Pixel on Medium, Nova on Hard or Vega on Master; 2 Players to pass one phone between two names; or Solo to practise your finishing. Pick One leg, Best of 3 or Best of 5. The home screen keeps your 501 three-dart average and your count of 180s.

For a match with a person, tap Play with a friend, choose 501 and send the link or the five-character code; the game is one leg and both screens see every dart. Play Online finds you an opponent.

Tips for 501

1. Score on the 20, then switch. Aim at the treble 20 while you are above 170. If your darts drift left, the treble 19 is a safer place to collect points.
2. Leave an even number. 32 (D16) and 40 (D20) are favourites because a miss into the single still leaves another double.
3. Let the first darts set up the double. On 81 the route is T19 then D12, but a single 19 is no disaster: it leaves 62, which T18 and D4 still finish.
4. Practise your finishes. The Challenges include Checkout 40 up to Checkout 167 and a Doubles round, and the Daily is sometimes a Double day or a Checkout.

501, 301, Cricket or the Clock?

301 has the same rules from a lower start, for a quicker leg. Cricket is about closing 15 to 20 and the bull, and Around the Clock asks you to hit 1 to 20 in order. All four are on AllFun Darts, and more games of aim and touch are on our sports games page, from Billiards to Mini Golf.

Questions

Updated 28 October 2026