How to Play Cricket Darts: Rules & Scoring

Cricket darts is a strategy game played only on the numbers 15 through 20 and the bullseye. To win, you must “open” each of those seven targets by hitting it three times, then score points on your open numbers, and finish with a points total equal to or higher than your opponent’s once everything is closed.

It is not about counting down from 501. Cricket rewards accuracy and timing over raw scoring, which is why it is one of the most popular casual and league formats in pubs and bars. Below is exactly how to open numbers, how the scoring works, and the strategy that separates good cricket players from lucky ones.

The seven targets and the three-mark rule

Every game of cricket uses the same board areas: 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and the bullseye. Nothing else on the board matters. Numbers 1 through 14 are dead space.

To open a number, you need three “marks” on it. The rings help you get there faster:

• A single hit = 1 mark
• The double ring = 2 marks
• The treble ring = 3 marks (opens the number in one dart)
• Outer bull = 1 mark, inner bull (bullseye) = 2 marks

So one treble 20 opens the 20 instantly. Three separate single 20s do the same thing across up to three throws. You throw three darts per turn and alternate with your opponent, just as in standard darts.

How scoring works

Here is the part newcomers miss. Once you have opened a number, every additional hit on it scores its face value in points, but only while your opponent has not yet closed that same number.

If you have opened the 20 and your opponent has not, each further 20 you hit adds 20 points (a treble 20 adds 60). The moment your opponent also lands three marks on the 20, it is “closed” for both of you and can no longer be scored by anyone.

Board area	Marks to open	Points when scoring
20	3	20 per single, up to 60
19	3	19 per single, up to 57
18	3	18 per single, up to 54
17	3	17 per single, up to 51
16	3	16 per single, up to 48
15	3	15 per single, up to 45
Bullseye	3 (outer=1, inner=2)	25 outer, 50 inner

The winner is the first player to close all seven targets, provided their points are equal to or higher than the opponent’s. If you close everything but trail on points, you have not won yet; you must keep scoring on still-open numbers until you catch up.

The strategy of cricket darts

The core tension of cricket is between closing and scoring. Close too fast and you leave no numbers open to build a points lead. Score too greedily and your opponent closes the board underneath you.

Most strong players follow a simple order of priority:

1. Start on the 20. It is the highest-value number and the easiest cluster for practised throwers, so opening it first builds the biggest possible points gap.
2. Score while you lead, close while you trail. If you are ahead on points, keep pounding your open high numbers. If you are behind, prioritise closing your opponent’s scoring numbers to cut off their supply.
3. Do not neglect the bull. Many players leave it until last and lose games because they cannot hit it under pressure. Open it earlier when you have a rhythm.

That risk-reward calculation is why cricket is often described as the chess of the dartboard. A player who never scores and only closes will usually lose to one who banks 60-point turns on an open 20.

A worked example turn

Picture a scoreboard where you have already opened the 20 and the 19, and your opponent has closed neither. You step up with three darts.

Your first dart hits the treble 20, adding 60 points because the 20 is open and uncontested. Your second lands in the single 19, adding 19 more. Your third misses into the 18, which you have not opened yet, so it counts as one of the three marks needed to open the 18 but scores nothing. You end the turn 79 points richer with the 18 one-third open. That single turn shows the whole game in miniature: score hard on your open numbers, and chip away at opening the next one.

Now imagine your opponent responds by throwing three darts at the 20. They close it. From that point neither of you can score on the 20 again, and your 60-point turns there are over. That is why banking points early, before the opponent catches up, is the heartbeat of cricket.

Popular variations

Cricket has several house variants worth knowing before you play a stranger’s board:

• No-score cricket: you only need to close all seven numbers first; points are ignored entirely. It is faster and more beginner-friendly.
• Cut-throat cricket: for three or more players, points go to opponents rather than yourself, and the lowest score wins. It turns scoring into a weapon against whoever is behind.
• Wild-card cricket: a random number is added to the seven targets each game, keeping regulars from relying on the same 20-heavy routine.

Agreeing which version you are playing before the first throw avoids the most common cause of arguments at the oche.

Common rule questions at a glance

A few situations trip up casual players. You cannot score on a number until it is open (three marks), and you cannot score on it once both players have closed it. There is no penalty for missing entirely, and there is no bust rule like in 501, so a wild turn simply wastes darts rather than costing you points.

If you enjoy target games like this, the same three-dart turn structure carries over to how to play darts in its classic 501 form, where the strategy flips from opening numbers to checking out on a double. Dialling in your throw with our tips on the best ways to throw darts pays off in cricket too, since opening numbers fast rewards a repeatable release. And if cricket is your pub-table game of choice, the other bar-room classic worth learning is 8-ball pool.

The short version: hit 15 through 20 and the bull three times each to open them, score on your open numbers while the opponent has not closed them, and win by closing everything without trailing on points.