The Best Doubles to Aim For When Finishing | Oche

When you’re on a finish, which double you leave yourself matters as much as hitting it. Some doubles forgive a miss and keep you in the leg; others strand you on an awkward number. Knowing the best doubles to aim for — and how to leave them — is one of the highest-value habits in darts.

Why D16 is the connoisseur’s choice

Double 16 is the favourite of many top players, and the reason is the halving chain. If you miss D16 into a single 16, you’re left on 16 — which is D8. Miss that into a single 8 and you’re on 8 — which is D4. Each miss still leaves you on a clean double:

• 32 → miss → 16 (D8) → miss → 8 (D4) → miss → 4 (D2)

You get multiple bites at the finish without ever being stranded. That forgiveness is why D16 is often preferred over the “obvious” D20.

The case for D20

Double 20 (40) is the most-left finish in the game and the one beginners learn first, because 40 is the natural product of a tidy scoring leave. It also halves cleanly: D20 → D10 → D5. The catch is the chain ends sooner and D5 is fiddly, so a missed D10 can leave you on a less comfortable number than the D16 route. Both are excellent — many players score to 32 rather than 40 specifically to be on the longer D16 chain.

The doubles worth drilling

You don’t need all 21 doubles sharp. Concentrate on the handful you actually leave:

• D20 (40) — the most common finish.
• D16 (32) — the best halving chain.
• D8 (16) and D4 (8) — where the chains land you.
• D12 (24) — a frequent leave from T20 finishes.
• The bull (50) — needed for big finishes like 170, 167 and 164.

Focused practice on these moves your real checkout percentage far more than spreading attempts across the whole board. Our best doubles to learn page ranks them with the reasoning behind each.

Leave the good double in the first place

The doubles you finish on are decided by your scoring darts. Whenever you have a choice, score down to a number that lands you on a halving chain — 32 over 39, 40 over 41. This is the core of smart double-out strategy: think one dart ahead so the double you face is one you trust.

Track which doubles you actually land

Most players think they know their best doubles but have never measured it. The data often surprises — your “favourite” D20 might be landing less often than your D16.

The Oche X01 scorer records every double attempt by segment, so you can see your real hit rate on D16, D20, D8 and the bull — and practise the ones that are quietly costing you legs. Pair it with the checkout calculator to see which routes leave you on the doubles you hit best.