X01 Rules: 301 vs 501 vs 701 Explained | Oche

X01 is the most popular format in darts — the countdown game you see at every world championship. The name covers a whole family of games (301, 501, 701 and so on) that share one simple idea: start on a fixed score and be the first to subtract your way down to exactly zero.

How X01 works

Each player starts on the same number. You throw three darts per turn (a “visit”), add up what they score, and subtract that total from your remaining score. The first player to reach exactly zero — finishing on a double — wins the leg.

Because every dart simply comes off your total, X01 is easy to learn but endlessly deep: the skill is in scoring big early and then leaving yourself a checkout you can actually hit.

301 vs 501 vs 701

All three are the same game with a different starting score:

• 301 — the shortest game. Quick legs, often played double-in / double-out, so your scoring only begins once you hit a double. Great for a fast match.
• 501 — the standard professional game. Almost always straight-in, double-out. Long enough to reward consistent scoring but short enough to stay tense. If in doubt, play 501.
• 701 — a longer game that magnifies scoring power. Common in team formats and pairs.

In short: pick 301 for speed, 501 for the classic experience, and 701 when you want a scoring marathon.

Scoring and the maximum

You score the value of each segment you hit — singles once, doubles twice, trebles three times, the outer bull 25 and the inner bull 50. The most you can score with three darts is 180 (three treble 20s). Want the full breakdown? Read darts scoring explained.

Finishing: the double-out rule

The leg ends when you check out on a double. The highest possible checkout is 170 (T20, T20, bull), and several scores between 159 and 169 cannot be finished in three darts at all (the “bogey” numbers). Learn the finishing routes on our double-out guide and look up any finish in the checkout charts.

Let the app do the maths. The X01 scorer keeps your running total, suggests checkouts and flags busts automatically — so you can just throw.