‘01′ Dart Games
‘01′ (pronounced oh-one) is probably the easiest game to learn. The rules are very simple, yet the game requires skill in order to play well and win. It is a very good game for beginners because it develops accuracy around the whole board and the simple rules allow the players to concentrate on their throwing.
The Object:Desert Dart League plays 301 and/or 501 in individual and doubles games, and 701, or 1001 in team games. The game play starts with a score of 301, 501, 701, or 1001. The object is to get to exactly zero by throwing rounds of three darts and subtracting the sum of those darts from your current score. 301 games are played as “double-in”. All 01 games are played as “double out”. Games of 501 and 1001 are typically played as straight in/double out. The Scoring:The agreed upon starting score of the game is written at the top center of the score board (ie: 301) with a vertical line drawn down the center of score board. If the game is 301, no points are scored until a double number is hit.Once the double number is hit, and that player is “in”, all points scored will be counted and deducted from the original starting score, with the remaining scored noted. After each round, the total points thrown is written on the board, along with the remaining score on that player/team’s side of the board.
Each dart is scored by the number where it lands with the thin inner ring being worth 3 times the number indicated and the thin outer ring worth 2 times the number indicated while the two large sections score exactly the number indicated. Thus the highest attainable score with three darts is 180 by hitting three triple 20’s.
A score of 100 is called a “ton” and is written on the board as a “T”. Scores over 100 are called “ton” plus the rest that was thrown. For example a score of 120 would be called “a ton twenty” and would be written on the board as “2T0″.
The Play:One player from each team throws one dart each at the bulls-eye. The closest dart to the bulls-eye gets to throw first (dart must stay in the board to count). This is usually referred to as “corking”. If both players hit the bulls-eye, than a ‘re-do’ is called by the chalker and both players throw again, reversing the order of who throws first. The winning player then names the X01 game to be played. The initials of the players are written above each column of the scoreboard with the winner of the bulls-eye on the left.If the game called is a straight-in x01 (501, 1001) game, the first player (winner of the bulls-eye) begins by throwing three darts trying to attain the highest score possible. The tally of the three darts is scored and marked on the players side of the board.
If the game is called as a double-in game (301), the first player must hit any double on the board before they may begin counting their score. For example if the player threw a single 20, a double 20 and a single 20 the score would be 60 points. The first dart did not count because the player had not yet hit a double so only the second and third darts did count. Once a player has “gotten in” subsequent rounds do not require a double be thrown again until going for the out.
All X01 games are played as a “double out” which means that you must hit a double to score exactly the remaining points to equal zero to win the game. For example, if you have 32 points left, you must hit a double sixteen with your first scoring dart to win. If you miss the double sixteen and hit a single eight, you now have 24 points left and now have a score of 24. Lets say that now you score 23 points with your remaining two darts. You have “busted” because you only have 1 point and there is no way to throw half of 1. When you bust, all darts you threw in that round do not count and your turn is over. You also bust if you end up with less than zero or if you hit exactly zero but your last dart was not a double.
Strategy:For beginner to intermediate players there are two simple strategies to follow. As players become more skillful they will be able to hit anywhere they aim for and will simply shoot for the most points and the quickest available “out”.There are many variations of “out-charts” available for various levels of players. An out-chart tells you the proper way to end a double-out game in two or three darts from almost every score of 170 or less. Beginners often try too hard to hit these difficult outs and worsen their position in the game. Experienced players can benefit from these charts when they need to quickly know what number to hit.
Beginners should try to reach 32 points for their out (the double 16). The reason for this is simple, if you just miss the double 16 and hit a single 16, you now have 16 points left and you need a double 8, which is just above the double 16. Do the same with the 8 and you need a double 4, and so on. If an odd number was tried for (say a double 17 for a score of 34), and you missed into the single, you now have an odd number and would have to throw an extra dart to get an even number for the out. This gives the other player more opportunity to get out before you. However, if you are comfortable with these numbers and have the skill, by all means, go for it!
The second most important strategy is to throw your strongest number. Once you are in, until you bust, all numbers hit are good numbers and add to the score. However, hitting bigger numbers will score bigger points. Many experienced players aim at the triple 20 to try to score the most points. A lot of players don’t do well with 20’s, so they throw at triple 19’s. Even if you throw at triple 15’s and can hit just one triple out of three, or throw all three darts into the single 15, your score will be much better than all the 1’s and 5’s you might hit if you miss the 20. The best strategy is to get the biggest number of points possible per turn, no matter how they are hit. Once the double is in, all numbers are good!
