Playing darts is a fun and exciting way to increase your hand-eye coordination skills while competing with friends and family. There are endless dart games and variations that you can play, from basic beginner games to high-skill, fast-paced competitions involving multiple players or teams.
If you are new to dart games or an old pro looking to teach a new “dartist” your craft, the game of High Score darts is where it’s at.
What Is High Score Darts?
High Score darts is a simple, fun game that can be played by dartists of all skill levels. The objective of this engaging game is to be the first player to reach the predetermined target score.
There is not a ton of strategy involved in High Score darts, and the setup for the game is simple. Players choose a target point goal. Turns are taken to shoot for as many points as possible with three darts. The player who reaches the target first wins! It really is just that simple.
Now that you understand what High Score is, let’s cover how the game is played, game rules, and scoring.
How to Play High Score Darts
Playing High Score darts is simple. A target point goal is set before play begins. The order of players is established by throwing a single dart at the board. Gameplay order is determined by the dart that is closest to the bullseye.
Players will take turns shooting three darts per round to amass as many points as possible each time. Each three-shot total will be recorded on the scoreboard and added to the previous round score.
Once a player reaches the target point goal, you have a winner and the game is over.
High Score Darts Rules and Gameplay
High Score darts rules are simple:
- You can have as many or as few players as desired.
- All numbers and areas of the dartboard are in play.
- Single sections count as the corresponding point total. Double areas are double the point total. Triple (treble) sections are three times the point total.
- The inner ring of the bullseye counts for fifty points, and the outer ring of the bullseye scores twenty-five points.
- A preset point total will be determined before gameplay begins.
- Player order is determined by shooting a single dart at the dartboard. The dart closest to the bullseye goes first, and so on.
- Players will take turns shooting three darts per round.
- Point totals for each round are tallied and recorded on the scoreboard.
- Once a player reaches the predetermined point total, that player is the winner and the game is over.
- There is no penalty for scoring a point total higher than the predetermined goal. If a player scores higher than necessary to reach the point goal, that player is still the winner of the game.
Now that we’ve covered the rules of High Score darts let’s go over how to properly keep score during the game.
Scoring in High Score Darts
Scoring in High Score darts is as easy as pie. Players will simply list their names on the scoreboard in order of shooting position.
The initial score of each player is zero points. The total points scored in each round are recorded and added to the previous round.
Your scoreboard should look something like this:
| Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
For example, in round one, if player one shoots a single twenty (20 points), a double ten (20 points), and a treble six (18 points), their total points for the round are 58 points. In round two, if player one shoots a treble twenty (60 points), a double eight (16 points), and a single 19, their total points will be 95. The 95 points will be added to the previous 58 for a total of 153 points.
Conclusion
Not every game of darts has to be ultra-competitive and strategic. There are many games to be found that are simply played for fun and High Score darts is one of those types of games.
High Score darts is a simple game that can be played by players of all skill levels. It can be used as a learning tool to aid new players in improving their aiming and accuracy, as well as a means to sharpen the skills of the most advanced players.
