x01
The classic game in which you count down to exactly zero.
X01 is a family of countdown games named after starting scores that traditionally end in 01. Each player or team starts on the same total, subtracts the value of valid darts and tries to reach exactly zero before the opponent.
Available game settings
- Players
- X01 can be played individually, in pairs or in teams. Players alternate visits; in team play the competition or house rules determine the throwing order and whether the team shares one score.
- Starting score
- 501 is the international tournament standard, while 301 is a common shorter game. Other agreed starting totals, usually ending in 01, may also be used.
- Entry
- Straight In is standard. Double In is a recognised variant in which scoring begins only after a double.
- Finish
- Double Out is the tournament standard. Single Out and Master Out are widely used variants; exact Master Out details should be agreed before play.
- Match format
- One countdown is a leg. Matches are played over an agreed number of legs, sometimes grouped into sets. For example, best of 5 legs means the first player or team to win 3 legs.
How a leg works
- Players alternate visits of up to three darts. A single scores its face value, a double twice that value and a triple three times; Outer Bull scores 25 and Inner Bull 50.
- Darts are counted in the order thrown and subtracted from the remaining score. A dart that bounces out or falls from the board before retrieval scores zero and is not thrown again. A leg ends immediately on a legal checkout.
Entry rules
- Straight In — every scoring dart counts from the first dart of the leg.
- Double In — the player's score does not begin to decrease until a double or Inner Bull is hit. The opening double and any later scoring darts in the same visit count.
Finishing rules
- Single Out — any scoring field may be the final dart, provided it reduces the score to exactly zero.
- Double Out — the final dart must hit a double or Inner Bull, which is treated as double 25, and reduce the score to exactly zero.
- Master Out — most commonly, the final dart must hit a double, triple or Inner Bull. Because this variant is not fully standardised, its precise rules should be agreed before play.
Bull in X01
Outer Bull scores 25 and Inner Bull scores 50. In standard steel-tip rules Inner Bull is double 25, so it can open Double In and finish Double Out; it is also a valid Master Out finish in the usual version of that variant.
Tournament standard and variants
International ranking and professional steel-tip play normally uses 501, Straight In and Double Out. The highest possible three-dart checkout is 170: T20, T20, Inner Bull; a perfect 501 leg requires nine darts.
The order of play is commonly decided by throwing for the Bull, with the player closest to the centre starting. Starting order in later legs, the use of sets and any deciding-leg procedure are governed by the competition or agreed house rules.