Shanghai Darts Rules: How to Play (+ Instant Win) | Oche

Shanghai is a fast, dramatic darts game built around one rule that can end the match in a single turn. Each round you target a different number, racking up points — but land the magic combination and you win instantly, no matter the score. It rewards both consistency and the nerve to go for the treble.

How to play

Shanghai is played in numbered rounds. Round 1 targets the 1, round 2 the 2, and so on. The most common length is seven rounds (1 through 7), though many groups play all the way to 20 for a longer game. Decide the length before you throw.

On each turn you throw three darts at that round’s number. Only that number scores — everything else is a zero.

Scoring

Hits on the target number score their face value:

• a single = the number (e.g. a single 5 in round 5 = 5)
• a double = twice the number (e.g. a double 5 = 10)
• a treble = three times the number (e.g. a treble 5 = 15)

Add your round’s points to your running total and pass the darts. After the final round, the highest total wins — unless someone has already pulled off a Shanghai.

The Shanghai: instant win

Here is the twist that gives the game its name. If, in a single turn, you hit a single, a double and a treble of the round’s number, you have scored a Shanghai — and you win the game instantly, regardless of who is ahead on points.

It can happen in any round, so no lead is ever truly safe. That gamble — play safe for points, or go for the treble and risk the turn — is the heart of Shanghai.

Tips

• Go for the treble first — landing it early in the turn keeps the Shanghai alive (you still need a single and double).
• Don’t ignore points — most games are decided on total score, not a Shanghai.
• Higher rounds matter more — a treble in round 7 is worth far more than one in round 1.

For a pure all-board accuracy game, try Around the Clock; for tactical scoring, see Cricket.

The Shanghai scorer tracks each round’s target, tallies every player’s points and flags an instant-win Shanghai the moment it lands.