Bar Darts: The Rules Everyone Gets Wrong
Three pints in, your mate steps to the line, promises a bullseye, and plants his dart in the wall two inches left of the board. That gap between confidence and where the dart actually lands is the whole engine of bar darts.
Bar darts is easy to learn, hard to master, and built for a crowded room. Here's how the game works, what gear you need, and how to set up a board that's safe for the whole bar.
How Bar Darts Works
Players take turns throwing small, pointed darts at a circular board divided into numbered sections. Each section is worth a different number of points, and the game you're playing decides which ones matter.
The bullseye sits dead center, but it isn't always the target. In most popular bar games, smart placement beats blind aim at the middle.
Darts rewards precision and consistency more than power. A steady stance, a repeatable throwing motion, and a clean release will beat lucky wild throws every night of the week.
Beginners don't need polished technique to join in. Half the fun is watching your darts drift from "somewhere on the board" to exactly where you meant them.
Boards and Darts: Match Your Equipment
Traditional dartboards are made from tightly packed sisal fibers and take steel-tip darts. They're usually called bristle boards, though no actual animal bristle is involved.
Electronic dartboards use soft-tip darts and register each hit through small holes in the scoring segments. They're handy for beginners because they keep score automatically and often include several built-in games.
Always match the darts to the board. Steel tips can damage an electronic board, and soft tips won't stick reliably in sisal — check the manufacturer's instructions before you buy.
Setting Up a Safe Throwing Area
For steel-tip play, the front of the throwing line — the oche — sits 7 feet 9¼ inches from the face of the board. Soft-tip and electronic games commonly throw from 8 feet, though house and league rules vary.
The board's center hangs 5 feet 8 inches above the floor. Measure from the face of the board rather than the wall, especially if a cabinet or thick bracket pushes it forward — our guide to dartboard height and distance walks through the exact measurements.
Keep the lane between the oche and the board clear at all times. Nobody retrieves darts while another player is lining up a throw, and spectators stay behind the line.
- Surround catches stray darts before they can mark the wall behind the board
- Includes a regulation sisal bristle steel tip dartboard so you're ready to play
- High-density backboard also spares dart points from hard wall strikes
The Games Bars Actually Play
Most bar matches are 301, 501, or Cricket. In 301 and 501, each player starts with that point total, subtracts every score, and races to reach exactly zero.
Cricket flips the goal: you "close" selected numbers by hitting them, then stop your opponents from scoring on the ones they haven't closed. Our guide to Cricket covers the full rules.
These games add real strategy to what looks like simple aiming. One turn you're chasing the winning double; the next you're doing mental math while your friends offer deeply unhelpful advice.
Why Bars and Game Rooms Love It
Darts gets people on their feet without demanding athletic ability — stand, aim, throw, walk, repeat. That alone makes it livelier than another hour parked at a table.
It also levels the field. A first-timer can play the same match as a ten-year veteran, and the veteran still has plenty left to master.
A basic setup is cheap and compact, too. Add wall protection, a throwing mat, and decent lighting, and a spare corner turns into the busiest spot in the room.
Regular dart nights give friends or customers something to look forward to. Once the same faces keep turning up, running a darts tournament is the natural next step — a posted bracket, an entry fee, and a payout split agreed before anyone pays in. Set clear house rules, protect the surrounding wall, and keep everyone behind the line so the only thing getting pierced is the board.
Hang the board at regulation height tonight, and the first 501 match will start itself.