No 2 Games are the same!

There are a number of different forms of the game of Cricket, even different names but they all play the in the same manner. Cricket is not just for the more "advanced" player but also the "novice". It involves a certain amount of strategy as well as the ability to "hit" particular segments of the dartboard. The more you play the game the more you wil understand the various styles of strategies of your opponents'.

Cricket Rules
  1. Cricket involves hitting the following numbers on the dartboard at least three times: 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, and Bull. A triple counts as three hits, a double counts as two, all other areas in that number are counted as one hit.
  2. The double bull counts as two hits. Once a player has hit a number three times it is considered closed.
  3. When a number is closed, the opposition can no longer score on it but the person with the closed number can score on it as long as his opposition does not have theirs closed.
  4. Triples and doubles are scored accordingly (ie. a triple 20 counts as 60 points, a double 18 counts as 36 points). The single bull is worth 25 points and the double bull equals 50 points.
  5. The winner of the game is the person that has closed all of their numbers with as many or more points than the opposition. The person closing "all" of the numbers first wins the game even if the score is tied.
  6. If the opponant close all of their numbers first, but has the least amount of points, has to continue to score on those number(s) until he/she has regained the point lead.
    NOTE: Closing all of the numbers will not necessarily win the game if your opponent has more points on the board than you do.
  8. Although not rule, some leagues award trophies for "9 counts". That is if you hit 3 individual numbers in a row it is known as a 9 count. e.g: You hit T 20, T 20, T 20, and it is already "open" you score 180 and get "9 count". Similairly if you hit T 20, T 19, T 18 to close them, this is considered a "Niine Count".

Similiar but not!

Call Cricket: The players have to call the number they are aiming at prior to throwing. If they hit a cricket number other than the one they called, it will not count. If they do not call a number in advance, the last number they called will be the one they can legally hit.

Wild Mouse: (also Minnesota or Moose) This is a version of cricket that also includes having to hit three doubles, three triples, and three bed shots (all three darts in the same number). You can also score on these targets the same way you can score on any of the cricket numbers. One dart cannot count two different ways. If you hit a triple 20 in your first turn, you can count it as three 20s or as one triple, not both. You do not have to call your targets and you can hit non-cricket numbers for your doubles, triples, and bed shots.

Cut-Throat: This is played when there are more than two participants. The rules are the same with the following exception, the winner of the game is the person with everything closed and the LEAST amount of points. You do not add points to your score but actually give points to your opponents. Once you have closed a number, you can then score points on any opponent that DOES NOT have that number closed. These games tend to lead to a lot of points so if you're not good at math, get your calculators out!


Half-It This is a straight-forward game which gives you good practice on your cricket numbers. List the numbers on the scoreboard as shown below. Every player starts off with 40 points. All players "Bull" to see who goes first. The winner of the "Bull" gets first choice of when they will throw. Some people rather throw last to see what they need to do to win as opposed to throwing first to apply the pressure. Everyone throws at 15 with their first three darts. Every 15 hit is then added to your score (if you hit four 15, then your score would be 100). If you miss the 15 with all three darts, your score is divided in half (round up for odd numbers). Next, everyone throws at the 16s, then at doubles, and so on. The person with the most points after the bulls is the winner.

Strategy: Always throw at the triples! They are worth the most points. If you have missed a number with your first two darts then you might want to just aim at a fat single. A single is much better than halving your score. Most players have the hardest time with the doubles and triples. Aim at the one you feel you re most likely to hit. If you hit it with your first or second dart, then maybe take a chance with a triple 20, double 20, or double bull since they are worth the most points.

More similiar!


Narvak: The board may be written down from top-to-bottom in this order: 20-19-T-18-17-D-16-15-B. Instead of starting with the 5, you start with the 20. You can write it down as 13-14-D-15-16-T-17-18-3B-19-20-B (3B meaning three-in-a-bed).


Scram A two-player game: one player is the "scorer" and the other the "blocker". The numbers 1 - 20 are written on the scoreboard. The blocker throws their darts first. Each number that is hit is marked off the board. The scorer then throws trying to score as many points as possible using the numbers that are left (doubles and triples count, i.e. a triple 17 is worth 51 points). Once the blocker has marked off all the numbers, the scorer totals their score, and the two players trade roles. The winner is the player that can score the most points.

In British Cricket, each opponent will shoot a given number of "ends, or wickets" (usually 9 each). One player shoots for the Bull (Bowler) and the opponent for points, (40 over). After the Nine "ends" the players then change rolls.

Strategy: If you are the blocker, hit the largest numbers first. Ideally, you will want to knock out the cricket numbers since they are the ones most people are use to throwing at. If you are the scorer, throwing at the largest number available may or may not be the best strategy. It you can shoot 17 much more accurately than the 18, and they are both available, go ahead and shoot at the 17. Hitting 3 17 is better than hitting 1 or 2 18!

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