Guides · Nine-dart finish · 15 min read
Nine-dart finish: every way to throw the perfect leg
A nine-dart finish is a leg of 501 won with nine darts, the fewest possible, with the last dart in a double or the bullseye. It is the perfect leg in darts and works out at a 3-dart average of exactly 167.00; there are 3,944 ways to throw one dart by dart, and this guide lists every route.
In short
- Nine darts, 501 points: three visits, the ninth dart in a double.
- The classic: 180, 180, 141 with T20, T19, D12.
- 3,944 ways if every dart counts in order, 71 if you only look at visit scores.
- Average 167.00: the highest possible in a leg of 501.
The perfect leg
What is a nine-dart finish?
A nine-dart finish, or nine-darter, means checking out 501 with the minimum of nine darts under double out. Eight darts can score at most 480, so nine is the lower limit, and nobody can beat a nine-darter in a leg of 501.
- 9darts, three full visits
- 167.003-dart average: 501 ÷ 9 × 3
- 55.7points per dart on average
- 3,944different dart sequences
- Why the last dart is specialIn double out the leg has to end in a double, and the bullseye counts as double 25. Every one of the nine darts must score at least 21.
- No singles, no 25A single scores 20 at most and the outer bull 25, too little to stay on track. Only trebles 15 to 20, five doubles and the bullseye ever appear.
- Why it is called perfectThe 3-dart average for the leg is 167, the ceiling for 501. A ten-darter is great, a nine-darter cannot be bettered.
The classic route
What is the classic nine-dart route?
The classic route is 180, 180, 141: six darts in the treble 20, then T20, T19 and double 12. It is the route on the checkout chart, and the one most TV nine-darters follow.
Ten ways to take out 141
After two maximums, 141 is left. Ten combinations of three darts finish it. Six need nothing but trebles before the double, four use the bullseye.
| Route | Note |
|---|---|
| T20 T19 D12 | Standard route |
| T20 T15 D18 | Greatbatch, live on TV, 2002 |
| T17 T18 D18 | Lowe, first on TV, 1984 |
| T19 T16 D18 | Standard route |
| T20 T17 D15 | Standard route |
| T19 T18 D15 | T19 first |
| T17 D20 Bull | Bullseye last |
| T17 Bull D20 | Bullseye second |
| T19 D17 Bull | Bullseye last |
| T19 Bull D17 | Bullseye second |
Why T19 and D12? After the first T20 you need 81, and T19 leaves 24, the double 12. John Lowe and Shaun Greatbatch went for D18 instead, so there is no single right route.
Route families
Which other routes lead to a nine-darter?
Any three visits that add up to 501 work, as long as the third one ends in a double. Scoring visits from 151 to 180 and checkouts from 141 to 170 fit together, and the bullseye shows up far more often than you might think.
- 180 · 177 · 144One T19 in the scoring, then T20 T20 D12. 102 dart orders, five times as many as 180 · 180 · 141.
- 180 · 174 · 147T20 T17 D18 to finish, or T19 T18 D18. A popular TV route when the 20 bed gets crowded.
- 167 · 167 · 167T20 T19 Bull three times. Mostly seen in exhibitions, because it needs three bullseyes.
- 180 · 171 · 150150 can even be checked out with three bullseyes, or with T20 T20 D15.
- 180 · 151 · 170The nine-darter with the Big Fish. The 151 needs a double or two bulls in a scoring visit, for example T17 Bull Bull.
- 180 · 160 · 161With T20 T20 D20 or T20 Bull Bull as the 160 and T20 T17 Bull to finish. In double in, D20 T20 T20 is the opening.
Which scores can the two scoring visits be?
Only 14 totals between 151 and 180 ever show up in visits one and two. The table shows the darts behind each one; the order inside the visit does not matter.
| Visit | Darts |
|---|---|
| 180 | T20 T20 T20 |
| 177 | T20 T20 T19 |
| 174 | T20 T20 T18, T20 T19 T19 |
| 171 | T20 T20 T17, T20 T19 T18, T19 T19 T19 |
| 170 | T20 T20 Bull |
| 168 | T20 T20 T16, T20 T19 T17, T20 T18 T18, T19 T19 T18 |
| 167 | T20 T19 Bull |
| 165 | T20 T20 T15, T20 T19 T16, T20 T18 T17, T19 T19 T17, T19 T18 T18 |
| 164 | T20 T18 Bull, T19 T19 Bull |
| 161 | T20 T17 Bull, T19 T18 Bull |
| 160 | T20 T20 D20, T20 Bull Bull |
| 157 | T20 T19 D20, T19 Bull Bull |
| 154 | T20 T20 D17, T20 T18 D20, T18 Bull Bull, T19 T19 D20 |
| 151 | T20 T19 D17, T20 T17 D20, T17 Bull Bull, T19 T18 D20 |
The count
How many ways are there to hit a nine-darter?
There are 3,944 ways if you count each dart in the order it is thrown. That is the number you see quoted most, and our own count gives exactly the same. It shrinks a lot once you stop caring about order.
- 3,944 sequencesT20 T20 T19 and T19 T20 T20 count twice. Only the last dart is fixed: it has to be the double.
- 342 visit by visitEach visit as a set of three darts. T20 T20 T19 in any order is one visit.
- 71 by visit scoresJust the three totals in order, like 180, 177, 144 or 177, 180, 144.
- 22 sets of dartsWhich nine darts land, ignoring every order, with the finishing double kept apart.
Where can a nine-darter end?
How we counted. A short program tried every field of the board for each of the nine darts and kept every sequence that makes 501 with a double last, and the result matches the published breakdown by finishing double and the 574 double-in-double-out sequences. A figure of 145 “combinations” also does the rounds; we could not reproduce it with any clear definition, so we leave it out.
The full list
What is the complete list of nine-dart routes?
Here are all 38 pairs of scoring visits, grouped by the higher one, with every way to finish what they leave. Visits one and two can come in either order; the last column counts the dart orders of both.
Starting with 180: 14 visit pairs, 992 dart orders
| Visits 1 and 2 | Left | Finish | Dart orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 180 + 180 | 141 | T20 T19 D12, T20 T17 D15, T20 T15 D18, T19 T18 D15, T19 Bull D17, T19 T16 D18, T18 T17 D18, T17 Bull D20, T19 D17 Bull, T17 D20 Bull | 20 |
| 180 + 177 | 144 | T20 T20 D12, T20 T18 D15, T20 Bull D17, T20 T16 D18, T19 T19 D15, T19 T17 D18, T18 T18 D18, T18 Bull D20, T20 D17 Bull, T18 D20 Bull | 102 |
| 180 + 174 | 147 | T20 T19 D15, T20 T17 D18, T19 T18 D18, T19 Bull D20, T19 D20 Bull | 120 |
| 180 + 171 | 150 | T20 T20 D15, T20 T18 D18, T20 Bull D20, T19 T19 D18, T20 D20 Bull, Bull Bull Bull | 180 |
| 180 + 170 | 151 | T20 T19 D17, T20 T17 D20, T19 T18 D20, T17 Bull Bull | 48 |
| 180 + 168 | 153 | T20 T19 D18 | 60 |
| 180 + 167 | 154 | T20 T20 D17, T20 T18 D20, T19 T19 D20, T18 Bull Bull | 72 |
| 180 + 165 | 156 | T20 T20 D18 | 42 |
| 180 + 164 | 157 | T20 T19 D20, T19 Bull Bull | 72 |
| 180 + 161 | 160 | T20 T20 D20, T20 Bull Bull | 72 |
| 180 + 160 | 161 | T20 T17 Bull, T19 T18 Bull | 48 |
| 180 + 157 | 164 | T20 T18 Bull, T19 T19 Bull | 54 |
| 180 + 154 | 167 | T20 T19 Bull | 60 |
| 180 + 151 | 170 | T20 T20 Bull | 42 |
Starting with 177: 10 visit pairs, 1,344 dart orders
| Visits 1 and 2 | Left | Finish | Dart orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 177 + 177 | 147 | T20 T19 D15, T20 T17 D18, T19 T18 D18, T19 Bull D20, T19 D20 Bull | 90 |
| 177 + 174 | 150 | T20 T20 D15, T20 T18 D18, T20 Bull D20, T19 T19 D18, T20 D20 Bull, Bull Bull Bull | 324 |
| 177 + 171 | 153 | T20 T19 D18 | 120 |
| 177 + 170 | 154 | T20 T20 D17, T20 T18 D20, T19 T19 D20, T18 Bull Bull | 108 |
| 177 + 168 | 156 | T20 T20 D18 | 90 |
| 177 + 167 | 157 | T20 T19 D20, T19 Bull Bull | 144 |
| 177 + 164 | 160 | T20 T20 D20, T20 Bull Bull | 162 |
| 177 + 160 | 164 | T20 T18 Bull, T19 T19 Bull | 108 |
| 177 + 157 | 167 | T20 T19 Bull | 108 |
| 177 + 154 | 170 | T20 T20 Bull | 90 |
Starting with 174: 6 visit pairs, 804 dart orders
| Visits 1 and 2 | Left | Finish | Dart orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 174 + 174 | 153 | T20 T19 D18 | 72 |
| 174 + 171 | 156 | T20 T20 D18 | 120 |
| 174 + 170 | 157 | T20 T19 D20, T19 Bull Bull | 144 |
| 174 + 167 | 160 | T20 T20 D20, T20 Bull Bull | 216 |
| 174 + 160 | 167 | T20 T19 Bull | 144 |
| 174 + 157 | 170 | T20 T20 Bull | 108 |
Starting with 171: 2 visit pairs, 300 dart orders
| Visits 1 and 2 | Left | Finish | Dart orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 171 + 170 | 160 | T20 T20 D20, T20 Bull Bull | 180 |
| 171 + 160 | 170 | T20 T20 Bull | 120 |
Starting with 170: 4 visit pairs, 324 dart orders
| Visits 1 and 2 | Left | Finish | Dart orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 170 + 170 | 161 | T20 T17 Bull, T19 T18 Bull | 36 |
| 170 + 167 | 164 | T20 T18 Bull, T19 T19 Bull | 108 |
| 170 + 164 | 167 | T20 T19 Bull | 108 |
| 170 + 161 | 170 | T20 T20 Bull | 72 |
Starting with 167: 2 visit pairs, 180 dart orders
| Visits 1 and 2 | Left | Finish | Dart orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 167 + 167 | 167 | T20 T19 Bull | 72 |
| 167 + 164 | 170 | T20 T20 Bull | 108 |
In the finish column the first two darts can swap places; a route like T20 T19 D12 also works as T19 T20 D12. Bull means the bullseye, 50.
On TV
When was the first nine-darter on TV?
The first televised nine-darter came from John Lowe in 1984. It was recorded and shown later, and the first one broadcast live followed in 2002.
- 1984 · John LoweMFI World Matchplay, 13 October, against Keith Deller: 180, 180 and 141 via T17 T18 D18. The first nine-darter on television, shown as a recording.
- 1990 · Paul LimThe first nine-darter at a World Championship, the BDO event at Lakeside, on 9 January against Jack McKenna.
- 2002 · Shaun GreatbatchDutch Open final, 3 February, against Steve Coote: the first nine-darter on live TV, finished with T20 T15 D18.
- 2009 · Raymond van BarneveldThe first nine-darter at the PDC World Championship, on 2 January in the quarter-final against Jelle Klaasen.
- 2010 · Phil TaylorTwo nine-darters in one match, in the Premier League final against James Wade on 24 May.
As of October 2026. Sources: Nine-dart finish (Wikipedia), Patrick Chaplin, darts historian: nine darters, 2010 Premier League Darts (Wikipedia).
Practice
How do you practise for a nine-darter?
Practise the two halves apart: tight groups in the treble 20, and big finishes like 141 and 144 on the first attempt. Nobody trains for nine-darters as such, but both skills win legs every night.
Let the app keep count
In X01 Sridu shows a checkout route as soon as you are on a finish, and the checkout calculator lists the alternatives for 141 or any other score.
After the match you see the average, first nine and your best leg in darts, so a nine-darter shows as 9 darts and 167.0.
- Group on the treble 20Three darts in one bed is the base. Check your misses with the T20 or T19 guide.
- Learn 141 and 144 by heartT20 T19 D12 and T20 T20 D12 share the double 12. Throw each route ten times and count the clean finishes.
- Play 121The 121 checkout drill, also called 9 Darts Out, gives you nine darts to finish 121 and climbs from there.
- Mix in random finishesCheckout King gives you random finishes from a range you pick and counts your streak. Set it high for the big ones.
On play.sridu.com a perfect leg also earns your profile the Nine-darter badge in levels and badges. Sound packs have their own slot for the moment.
FAQ
Questions about the nine-dart finish
What average is a nine-dart finish?
Exactly 167.00. You score 501 points with nine darts, so the 3-dart average is 501 ÷ 9 × 3 = 167. No leg of 501 can have a higher average.
How many ways are there to hit a nine-darter?
3,944, counting every dart in the order it is thrown and with the last dart a double or the bullseye. If you ignore the order of darts inside each visit it is 342, and there are only 22 different sets of nine darts.
Can you hit a nine-darter without a 180?
Yes. 2,952 of the 3,944 sequences have no 180 at all, for example 177, 177, 147 or 167 three times. Only 20 sequences start with two 180s.
Can a nine-darter end on the bullseye?
Yes, and more often than on any other double: 2,296 of the 3,944 sequences end on the bull. After two 180s you can finish with T17 D20 Bull or T19 D17 Bull.
Is a nine-darter possible in double in?
Yes, 574 sequences start with a double. The best known is D20 T20 T20, then 180, then T20 T17 Bull: 160, 180 and 161.
What is the perfect leg in 301 or 701?
In 301 it is six darts, for example 180 and then T20 T11 D14 for 121, an average of 150.50. In 701 it takes twelve darts, an average of 175.25.
Is a nine-darter the same as Nine-Dart Century?
No. Nine-Dart Century is a party game in which you get as close to 100 as you can with nine darts.
Chase the perfect leg in Sridu
Play X01 in your browser and let Sridu count every dart, suggest your finish and keep your best leg. With webcams it scores by itself, without them you tap your darts in.