What Is a 9-Darter in Darts?

A 9-darter, or nine-dart finish, is a perfect leg of darts: checking out from 501 in the minimum possible nine darts. Because three darts can score at most 180, nine is the fewest throws in which a player can reach zero and finish on a double, making the nine-darter darts’ version of a perfect game.

It is the achievement every darts player dreams of and most never manage. Here is exactly why nine is the minimum, how a perfect leg is thrown, how rare it really is, and the famous names attached to it.

Why nine is the minimum

Standard professional darts is played from 501 down to exactly zero, and the winning dart must land in a double. The highest score possible with three darts is 180 — three treble 20s. So the quickest anyone can whittle 501 to zero is by scoring big and finishing cleanly:

• Three darts: up to 180
• Six darts: up to 360
• Nine darts: enough to clear 501 and land the final dart on a double

You cannot do it in eight, because eight darts cannot both cover 501 and end on a double. Nine is the mathematical floor, which is why a nine-darter is called a “perfect leg.”

The classic route

There are several valid paths to a nine-darter, but one is by far the most common.

Visit	Darts	Score	Remaining
First	T20, T20, T20	180	321
Second	T20, T20, T20	180	141
Third	T20, T19, D12	141	0

Two maximums leave 141, and a 141 checkout of treble 20 (60), treble 19 (57) and double 12 (24) closes the leg. Other routes exist — for instance 180, 177 and 144, or finishes built around treble 17 — but the principle is always the same: score maximums early, then hit a perfect three-dart checkout on a double. If you want to understand the finishing side in depth, our darts checkout chart maps the routes to close out a leg from any score.

How rare is it?

A nine-darter is rare but not mythical in the modern game. Elite professionals produce a small number of televised nine-darters each season, and many more happen in non-broadcast events and in practice. Measured against the huge number of legs played, though, a perfect leg is still a highlight-reel moment — it demands perfect scoring with no wasted darts and a flawless checkout, where a single missed treble or double ends the attempt.

For amateur players, hitting a nine-darter is often the achievement of a lifetime, precisely because there is zero margin for error across all nine throws.

The famous perfect legs

The nine-darter has produced some of darts’ greatest moments. John Lowe hit the first televised nine-dart finish in 1984, earning a large prize for the feat. Phil Taylor famously hit two nine-darters in a single televised match, and Michael van Gerwen produced a celebrated one on the World Championship stage. In 2021, Fallon Sherrock became the first woman to hit a televised nine-darter, a landmark for the sport.

These moments are a big part of why the perfect leg is so revered, and they feature prominently among the achievements of the sport’s greatest players.

Building toward the perfect leg

You cannot practise a nine-darter directly, but you can build the two skills it needs: relentless treble-20 scoring and reliable checkouts on the doubles you finish on. If you are still learning the game’s format and setup, our beginner’s guide to how to play darts covers the 501 format, the double-out rule and the board layout that make the nine-darter possible.

The short version: a nine-darter is a perfect leg — finishing 501 in the fewest possible nine darts, ending on a double. The classic route is 180, 180 and a 141 checkout, it is rare enough to be a career highlight, and its history runs from John Lowe’s 1984 first to Fallon Sherrock’s televised breakthrough in 2021.