Darts: 501, Cricket and the official rules

About Darts

This is real darts on a 3D board built to official specs: a bristle board hung at regulation height, the throw line 7 feet 9¼ inches from the board and every scoring area the right size. The dart flies like a real one, with the speed, the arc and the wobble of a measured throw, and it can bounce off the wire, hit another dart, come in too flat and drop, or hang from the board and fall out before it's pulled. You aim by dragging your finger (or the mouse) and throw with a quick swipe up. The game learns your throw during the six warm-up darts: from then on, throw faster than your usual rhythm and the dart goes high, slower and it drops, crooked and it drifts to the side. Your aim shakes a little, like a real hand. The rules come from the World Darts Federation (WDF), and the referee enforces every one: the bust in 501, finishing on a double or the bull, the bounce-out that can't be rethrown, and the throw for the bull to decide who goes first. Every call shows its rule number. There are five games: 501, 301 (with an optional double-in), Cricket, Around the Clock and Count-Up. Take on the club members at four levels: Valentina, a beginner; Niklas, a club player; Don Tomás, a pro; and Hugo "Midas", the master, who only accepts the challenge once you've beaten Don Tomás. Up to four friends can also play on the same device. The computer aims where the pros aim and checks out by the safest route. On its turn, TV cameras show the throw from the side and from the front, and the dart that wins the leg gets a slow-motion replay. Every day brings a new challenge: a game of Count-Up, eight turns of three darts, the same for everyone, with today's leaderboard. Your achievements, like scoring 180 or checking out 170, unlock new flights for your darts.

In Selminha's words

“Darts is the game you play at the club bar: a board on the wall, three darts and math everyone does in their head. I wanted a darts game where the throw felt real, with a dart that flies like the real thing, a hand that shakes and a referee who knows every rule. It's the second game from Podium Bay, our seaside sports club, after Pool Simulator.”

How to play Darts and the rules of each game

1. Tap PLAY. In the match menu, choose the game, your opponent and how many legs it takes to win, then tap START. Or tap PLAY TODAY'S CHALLENGE to take on the daily challenge.
2. First come the six warm-up darts: throw the same way every time, because the game is learning your baseline (you can skip them). Then each player throws one dart at the bull, and whoever gets closest to the center goes first.
3. To aim, drag your finger (or the mouse) anywhere on the screen. To throw, without letting go, swipe up quickly and release. The meter in the bottom-left corner shows whether the throw was too fast, too slow or just right.
4. In 501 and 301, what you score in each turn of three darts is subtracted from your total, and to finish, your last dart has to land in a double or the bull. Score more than you have left, leave 1, or hit zero without a double and it's a bust: your score goes back to what it was. CHECKOUTS shows the route to finish.
5. In Cricket, close 20 through 15 and the bull, three marks each. In Around the Clock, hit 1 through 20 in order, then the bull. In Count-Up, every dart scores what it hits, and the highest total after eight turns wins.
6. Against the computer, EASY AIM steadies your hand. In the options menu, choose your hand (right or left), a faster computer turn and the flights you've unlocked.

Full rules for Darts

The games

501

The official game: everyone starts at 501, and what you score in each turn of three darts is subtracted from your total. To finish, the last dart has to land in a double or the bull, and the score has to hit exactly zero.

301

Like 501, but shorter. With double-in, common in American leagues, your score only starts going down after a double or the bull.

Cricket

Only 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and the bull count. You close a number with three marks: a single counts as one, a double as two and a triple as three. Once a number is closed for you and still open for your opponent, every extra mark scores points. Close everything while tied or ahead on points to win.

Around the Clock

Hit 1 through 20 in order, then the bull. Any part of the number counts: single, double or triple. The first to make it all the way around wins.

Count-Up

Eight turns of three darts, and every dart scores what it hits. Highest total wins. It's the game played in the daily challenge.

The referee

The bust

In 501 and 301, score more than you have left, leave 1, or hit zero without a double, and the turn doesn't count: your score goes back to what it was (Rule 2.05).

The dart that doesn't stick

If a dart bounces off the wire, hits another dart and falls, or comes in too flat and drops, it scores nothing and can't be rethrown (Rule 1.05). A dart that falls out before it's pulled doesn't count either (Rule 1.06).

The throw for the bull

Before the match, each player throws one dart at the bull, and whoever gets closest to the center goes first. If it's a tie, they throw again in reverse order (Rules 12.01 through 12.03).

Controls on phone and computer

Computer

Drag your finger (or the mouse) anywhere on the screen to aim · to throw, keep your finger down, swipe up quickly and let go (with the mouse, a quick flick up) · REPLAY shows the last dart in slow motion · CHECKOUTS turns the checkout route on and off in 501 and 301 · EASY AIM steadies your hand against the computer · SKIP ends the warm-up · the "?" next to the pause button opens HOW TO PLAY, a quick guide to the rules · the pause button opens the menu, and the speaker button turns the sound on and off · keyboard: the arrow keys or W A S D aim (hold Shift to aim slowly), hold Space or J and let go when the marker crosses the green zone, L shows the replay, Enter confirms, P or Esc pauses and M turns the sound on and off · controller: the analog stick or the D-pad aims, hold A or X and let go in the green zone, B shows the replay, START pauses and BACK turns the sound on and off.

Touch

On a phone, the game plays in portrait mode; on a tablet, it follows the way you're holding it. In full screen, you aim with your finger and throw with a quick swipe up, so you can play one-handed. The scoreboard sits at the top, the throw meter at the bottom left and the match buttons at the bottom right.

The daily challenge and achievements

The daily challenge

A game of Count-Up, eight turns of three darts, the same for everyone, with no easy aim. The leaderboard shows today's top five totals and starts over the next day.

Achievements

Score 100, 140 or 180 in one turn, hit a checkout of 100 or more, check out on the bull, check out 170, finish 501 in nine darts, stick a dart into another one (a Robin Hood) and beat Hugo "Midas": every achievement unlocks a new flight for your darts.