How to Play 501

Few dart games are as simple to play as the game of 501. The entire thrust of the game can be summed up by these two rules:

- The objective is to reduce a starting score of 501 points down to exactly zero points.
- The dart which brings the score to exactly zero MUST be a double.

That's it. Go play!

Ok, just kidding, there's a bit more to it than that. But not much, which makes it a great game for beginners since they can focus on learning to throw without the burden of also concentrating on some complex strategy.

As mentioned, you begin the game with a score of 501 points. Your objective is to count down to exactly zero points. Each turn you throw three darts and subtract the points you hit from your score to obtain your new score. The first player to reduce his score to exactly zero wins. The game of 501 is really that simple. Except for one little catch and it comes at the end of the game.

You must "double out" to reach exactly zero points. This means the dart that reduces your score to exactly zero MUST be a double. So if you have 40 points left, hitting a double 20 wins the game. Your score is down to 16? Double 8 does the trick. Should you find yourself with an odd numbered score remaining, you'll need to whittle it to an even number in order to double out. So let's say your score is down to 17. Your options include hitting a 1 followed by a double 8, a 3 followed by a double 7, a 5 followed by a double 6, etc.

So in a nutshell, score as many points each turn as you can, then when your score is low enough, set yourself up on an even number so that you can double out. That's really all a beginning dart player needs to remember while playing 501.