Darts Checkout Chart: How to Finish Every Big Score (2-170)

What Is a Checkout in Darts?

A checkout — also called an “out-shot” or “finish” — is the combination of darts that reduces a player’s remaining score to exactly zero. Professional darts is played double out: the final dart of a leg must land in a double ring or the bullseye (which counts as double 25). Any dart that takes the score below zero, to exactly one, or to zero without landing on a double is a “bust,” and the player’s score reverts to what it was at the start of that turn.

That rule is what makes darts strategy interesting. Scoring big is only half the game — you also have to leave yourself a number you can actually finish from, ideally with your preferred double still in reach.

The Maximum Checkout: 170

With three darts, the highest score you can check out is 170 — treble 20, treble 20, then bullseye (60 + 60 + 50). It is the ceiling of what double-out scoring allows, and hitting it on TV is one of the most celebrated moments in the sport. Anything above 170 cannot be finished in three darts under any circumstances, no matter how the remaining score is reached.

Checkout Chart: The Big Finishes (120-170)

These are the marquee three-dart finishes — the scores that require a treble, another treble, and either the bull or a double to close it out.

Checkout Chart: Common Finishes (2-100)

Below 100, most checkouts can be done in one or two darts, which is why players work so hard to leave themselves in this range. 100 itself (treble 20, double 20) is one of the most practised two-dart finishes in the game.

The Seven Bogey Numbers

Not every score below 170 can be checked out. There are exactly seven “bogey numbers” between 2 and 170 with no valid three-dart route to a double or bull:

Landing on one of these — most often after a big scoring visit leaves an awkward number like 169 or 162 — means a player cannot go for the leg next turn. They have to deliberately score down to a friendlier number first, which is why commentators groan when a player is left on one of these “devil’s numbers.” 169 is the highest bogey number: even the maximum finish route of treble 20, treble 19 leaves 52, which isn’t a double, and no other combination reaches 169 while ending on a double or bull.

How to Pick the Right Checkout Route

When more than one combination is mathematically possible, players generally follow a few rules of thumb:

• Leave an even number when scoring. Every double is an even number (or the bull), so setting up on an even score keeps a straight route to a finish. Landing on an odd number after your first two darts often means detouring through a single first.
• Favour your most practised double. Many players deliberately route through double 20, double 16 or double 8 — the doubles they drill most in practice — rather than the mathematically shortest option, because a familiar double is easier under pressure than an unfamiliar one.
• Take the fewest darts when the score allows it. A finish like 100 is far more reliable as treble 20, double 20 (two darts) than any three-dart alternative, since fewer throws mean fewer chances to miss.
• Know your bogey numbers. Recognising 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159 on sight means never wasting a dart trying to force a finish that mathematically cannot happen.

Why Checkout Percentage Matters

A player’s checkout percentage — the proportion of their attempts at a double that actually go in — is one of the key stats tracked alongside three-dart average on the PDC circuit, and it is often what separates a close match from a routine win. You can see how the sport’s top players compare on scoring and finishing on their individual pages, such as Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen, two of the most clinical finishers the game has produced.

Frequently Asked Questions