What is a leg in darts, and how legs build sets and matches
A leg in darts is one complete game — both players start on 501, throw three darts a visit, and the first to reach exactly zero on a double wins it. Legs are the unit everything else gets counted in.
What is a leg in darts
One leg, one game of 501. Three darts per visit, subtract what you hit from what's left, then step aside. The leg ends when a player takes their score to exactly zero with a dart in a double — the bullseye counts as double 25. Go below zero, leave 1, or reach zero with a single or treble, and you've busted: the visit is void and your score reverts to where it started.
Most league and professional darts is 501, straight start, double finish, though 301 and shorter formats turn up in youth and pub competitions, and some events require a double to start too.
Nine darts is the theoretical minimum for a leg, and only the top of the professional game gets close to it. A club player with a three-dart average in the 40s needs closer to 30 to 35 darts, which is why checkout routes decide more legs than heavy scoring does.
What is a set in darts
A set is a mini-match between the leg and the match: a run of legs, almost always first to three — best of five. Win that third leg and the set is yours whatever the leg score, so 3–0 and 3–2 count the same.
Sets and legs, explained in one line: legs win sets, sets win matches, and the format tells you which layer the scoreboard is counting. The practical effect is insulation — lose a leg 501–20 and you've lost one leg, not a chunk of the match.
What "best of 11 legs" and "best of 5 sets" actually require
"Best of" means first to a majority, and the remaining legs never get played. That's why the number of legs in a darts match swings so widely between events.
| Format | First to | Legs the winner must win |
|---|---|---|
| Best of 3 legs | 2 legs | 2 |
| Best of 5 legs | 3 legs | 3 |
| Best of 11 legs | 6 legs | 6 |
| Best of 3 sets | 2 sets | 6–8 |
| Best of 5 sets | 3 sets | 9–13 |
| Best of 13 sets | 7 sets | 21–33 |
Sets above assume the standard best of five legs; a few events use a different set length.
Why the World Championship uses sets
The World Championship is played in sets, as is the World Grand Prix; most of the rest of the calendar is straight legs. Sets date to the era when televised darts took its modern shape, and stuck because they stretch a match out and give a struggling player a reset every few legs. Straight legs are quicker to run and easier to schedule, which is why floor events and league nights use them.
Who throws first in each leg
The match opens with a bull-up — one dart each at the bull, nearest wins the throw. That decides leg one only. After that the throw alternates, so the player who started leg one does not start leg two.
This is the rule beginners get wrong most often. Winning a leg on your own throw is holding; winning one on your opponent's throw is a break, and breaks are what move a match. The alternation doesn't reset at a set boundary either — it just keeps running leg after leg for the whole match, so who opens the first leg of a new set depends on how many legs the previous set took.
Tracking the format and the throw while you're also chalking is where people slip — pick legs or sets and settle whose throw it is before the first dart, not mid-leg. Darts Scoreboard is a darts scoreboard app for iPhone that tracks your games.
How long is a game of darts
Depends which layer you mean. A leg between decent players is over in a couple of minutes. A best-of-11-leg match tends to run around half an hour, and a long sets match at a world championship can pass two hours.
League nights run on short matches — singles and pairs at best of three or best of five legs — stacked up as a fixture, with one person chalking while the next pair waits. Pub darts rarely goes past best of three.
FAQ
How many legs in a darts match?
It depends on the format. Best of five legs needs three to win; best of 11 needs six. In a sets match the winner needs at least three legs per set, so best of five sets is nine legs minimum.
How many legs in darts make a set?
Three, in nearly every sets format — a set is best of five legs. A handful of events use a different set length, so read the format sheet.
Does the same player throw first in every leg?
No. The throw alternates every leg. The bull-up decides who starts leg one and nothing more, so winning the bull is worth one leg's advantage, not the match.
Can a set end level?
No. A set is a straight race to three legs — there's no tiebreak or win-by-two rule like you'd see in tennis. Whoever reaches three legs first takes the set, whatever the score is when they get there.
Free Darts tools
- Darts Checkout CalculatorUse this darts checkout calculator to find the best route from your score, see alternative finishes and choose a preferred double.
- Darts Cricket ScorerTrack every player's marks and points in a live darts cricket scoreboard, with open or closed numbers and the winner shown as the game develops.
- Darts Double Out ChartGenerate a complete darts double out chart from 2 to 170. Choose a preferred finishing double and print a route for every finishable score.
- Darts Match CounterA one-handed darts counter for live 301 and 501 matches. Enter each visit to see remaining scores, averages, checkout routes and leg or set state.
- Darts Score Chart CalculatorUse this darts score chart calculator to turn a selected board number and multiplier into the points scored, including valid outer and inner bull options.