World Darts Championship 2024: Rules and how the games are played

All tournaments organized by the Professional Darts Corporation follow the regulations set by the Darts Regulation Authority. The Darts Regulation Authority is a non-profit company from Surrey, England, that is limited by guarantee, and one of its main objectives is to ensure good governance within the sport of darts.

The DRA aspires to be recognized as the global regulatory authority for darts and is responsible for establishing and enforcing rules and regulations that will enhance the image and reputation of the sport at both the professional and amateur levels. The DRA Rule Book sets the standards of conduct for players participating in DRA-sanctioned events.

PDC World Darts Championship-specific rules

Darts is a popular game that is often played in competitions. The most common version of dart competitions is called 501, and it is used in all PDC events on a standard dartboard. The dartboard has a standard height from the floor to the bullseye, which is 5 feet 8 inches. The distance between the front of the board and the toeline, known as the oche, should measure 7 feet 9.25 inches.

501

In the game 501, the objective is for one player or a team to be the first to reach zero from a starting total of 501. After throwing three darts, the throwing player subtracts the total scored from their current total until they reach zero.

To win, each player must finish by throwing a double. For example, if a player has 36 remaining, they must hit double 18 to win. If another player has 45 remaining, they must hit a single 5 and double 20 to win, or another combination of scores provided the final dart scores on the double.

Legs format

In the Legs format, games can be played in a ‘Best of’ format whereby a player or team winning six legs in a ‘Best of 11 Leg’ game wins the match. Most PDC events are played in a Legs format. Other tournaments will be played in Sets format, whereby players must win a Set by winning the Best of Five legs before claiming the match in the Best of Three/Five/Seven/Nine/11/13 Sets. The PDC World Championship and World Grand Prix are played using the Set format, with differing lengths of games at each tournament.

Some game versions require a ‘double start’ whereby players must begin the game with a double and ‘check out’ on a double. The World Grand Prix uses the ‘double in, double out’ rule.