Darts Scoring Explained: Doubles, Trebles & the Bull | Oche

Before any game of darts makes sense, the scoring has to click. The good news: it comes down to four zones and a couple of multipliers. Once you can read the board at a glance, everything from 501 to Cricket becomes much easier.

The four scoring zones

Every numbered segment on the board has the same four zones:

• Single — the two large areas (the inner single and outer single). You score the face value of the segment.
• Double — the thin outer ring. You score twice the segment value.
• Treble (or “triple”) — the thin middle ring. You score three times the value.
• Bull — the centre: outer bull = 25, inner bull = 50.

So a dart in the 20 segment can be worth 20 (single), 40 (double), or 60 (treble). The full visual breakdown is on our scoring rules page.

The key numbers to remember

• Treble 20 = 60 — the highest single-dart score.
• 180 — three treble 20s, the maximum for a three-dart turn.
• Inner bull = 50, and it also counts as a double for finishing.
• Treble 19 = 57 — the second-best treble, useful when the 20 is crowded.

Adding up a turn

To score a turn, add the value of all three darts. With practice this becomes instant, but a few shortcuts help early on:

1. Spot the trebles first (they’re worth the most and change the total fastest).
2. Group the singles mentally before adding the multipliers.
3. Double-check awkward totals like 26 (S20, S5, S1) — a very common scrappy score.

This mental arithmetic is exactly what scoring games like X01 demand turn after turn.

Doubles and trebles in real games

Different games lean on different zones:

• 501 rewards trebles for scoring and requires a double to finish.
• Cricket counts every hit as a “mark,” so trebles close numbers fastest.
• Practice games like Bob’s 27 isolate the doubles specifically.

Understanding which zone matters in which game is half of getting good. From there, learning your favourite checkouts is the natural next step.

Let scoring take care of itself

Mental maths slows beginners down and causes most scoreboard disputes. The Oche app scores every dart automatically — singles, doubles, trebles, and the bull — keeps a running total, and shows your checkout the moment you can finish, so you can learn the patterns by watching them happen rather than by doing the sums.