How to Play

The aim of the game

You start every game on 501. Your goal is to reduce that score to exactly zero — or as close to zero as the rules allow — by naming footballers. There are no actual darts; the footballers' career statistics are your darts.

How scoring works

Each round has a category and a metric. The category decides which players are eligible (for example, "Premier League" or "Brazil internationals"), and the metric decides which number counts (for example, career goals, total appearances, or starts — the times a player was named in the starting line-up). When you choose a player:

1. We check the player is eligiblefor the day's category. If they are not, the turn scores 0.
2. We take their value for the target metric — say, 84 goals — and treat it as a dart score.
3. That value is subtracted from your remaining total.

Valid scores and bogey numbers

Because the game follows darts rules, a stat only counts if it is a legal three-dart score: a whole number from 1 to 180. A handful of numbers in that range cannot be made with three darts — the so-called bogey numbers.

If a player's stat is a bogey number, above 180, or zero, the turn scores 0 points and your total does not move. Read our detailed guide to bogey numbers to learn which scores to avoid and the math behind them.

The bust rule

You cannot overshoot by much. If naming a player would take your total below -10, the turn is a bust: the score is rejected and your total stays where it was. So if you are sitting on 40, a player worth 90 would bust you and waste the turn.

The win zone (checkout)

You check out — and the leg is won — when your total lands between 0 and -10 inclusive. Hitting exactly 0 is the cleanest finish, but anything down to -10 still counts as a checkout. In head-to-head play, if more than one player is in the win zone, the one closest to zero wins, with the highest single turn breaking ties.

One more rule: no repeats

You cannot use the same player twice in a game. Every pick has to be a fresh name, which is what stops you from simply spamming your favourite striker to the finish.

A worked example

Suppose the category is "Premier League goals". You might:

• Open on 501 and name a prolific striker worth 175 — but wait, 175 is a bogey number, so it scores 0. Pick again.
• Name a striker worth 160. New total: 341.
• Name a midfielder worth 120. New total: 221.
• Name a forward worth 110. New total: 111.
• Name a winger worth 100. New total: 11.
• Name a defender worth 14. New total: -3 — a checkout!

Strategy tips

• Go big early. While your total is high, reach for the record-breakers to bring it down fast.
• Plan your finish. As you near zero, switch to players with small, well-known numbers so you can land in the win zone without busting. Read our Advanced Checkout Strategy Guide for detailed advice on phase-by-phase planning.
• Avoid awkward leaves. Try not to leave yourself on a total that forces a near-impossible last pick — think one move ahead, like leaving a makeable double in real darts.

Ways to play

• Daily Challenge — the same category for everyone, once a day, with a global leaderboard and a shareable result.
• Local multiplayer — take turns on one device.
• Online multiplayer — create a game and send the link to a friend to play live.

That is the whole game. Ready? Play the Daily Challenge or browse the FAQ for the finer points.