John Paul
What could be simpler than the game of darts? With three darts in your hand, all you need to do is lift the arm and throw.
If you don’t want to get bored aimlessly throwing with friends, why not introduce a fun game that’ll get the competitive juices flowing?
As well as 501 and Around the Clock, we love Count Up Darts because it’s simple enough (and quick enough) for a whole group of friends to play along. In the bar or at home, this is also a great ice-breaker!
How to Play Count Up Darts
Rules for Playing:
It couldn’t be easier – everybody throws three darts at the board and the player with the largest score wins the round. For example, if you score 85 and nobody else scores higher in their three darts, you get a point. We love this game because you don’t need to be a professional to get started…and you’ll quickly notice the lucky players in the group.
Before starting, make sure everybody knows how many rounds you’re playing or how many points somebody needs to win and this brings us nicely to the next section.
Scoring in Count Up Darts:
Scoring is simple on a dartboard for Count Up game – add up the combined score of the three darts for each player. For example;
Treble 7, 19, and 12 – 52
Double 3, 3, 19 – 28
In this example, the first player scored more points in three darts and is the winner. For the next round, everybody starts at zero once more and attempts to throw the highest score.
Number of Players:
In truth, you could play this game with one other person or you could play in a group often – it’s a flexible game. Of course, you’ll need to keep in mind that each round will be longer the more players in the game. But, there’s no reason why you can’t have a large group playing and have a great time. Even those who have never played darts before should be able to get three darts on the board (be careful if you’re playing with steel tip darts!).
How to Determine the Winner:
As we’ve already seen, the player with the highest score wins each round. However, there are two ways you could determine the overall winner of the game;
- Round Limit – Firstly, you could play a certain number of rounds. For example, the most common round choice is eight. After eight rounds, whoever has the most points (accumulative score or round victories) wins the game. If two players are tied, you could even have a playoff round.
- Points – Alternatively, you could say that the first person to win five rounds wins the game. While this is likely to take a little longer when there are more players, it can generate more suspense.
All things considered, this is one of the easiest games to play and one that can improve your aim if you’re throwing at the bullseye. Be careful though because, sometimes, luck trumps skill and you could lose at any time!
