01 Games

01 games are among the most popular and important dart games. 501 is the most common competitive game used in both soft and steel competitions. For nearly all darts players 01 games offer some of the the best practice and challenges to improve your skills.

301 & 501 are basically the same game. The objective is to reduce the score from 301 or 501 to zero. Players reduce the score to zero by scoring points with each dart thrown. The first player to reach zero wins the game. But the game has a few complications that make it a little more challenging. The final score must be reduced to zero without passing zero. For example a player’s remaining score is 15 at the start of the turn. He/she scores 30 passing zero. This player “busts” and loses a turn. All points scored during that turn are lost and the next round will begin at 15 again.

Soft tip and steel tip 01 games differ slightly. Standard electronic games are usually played “single in, single out.” This means that to start the game you can score using any point, and may be finished by hitting any remaining number to reach zero. In steel tip games the most common game is single in, double out. Any number may be hit to begin scoring but the closing score must be made hitting a double score. There are also “double in, double out” games requiring doubles on both. Many soft tip machines also offer these options as selections in their game menus.

The key strategy to 01 games is to score as quickly as possible to reduce the number to where it can be easily finished in one round. There are out shot tables that will help you plan your strategy. Out shots are combinations of shots necessary to reach zero. For example if you are playing electronic 501 using a single out rule and have 21 points remaining a possible out shot would be 20 single and 1 single. Or 19 single and 2 single etc…

When playing double outs the out shots become a little more complicated. For example 21 points becomes single 19 double 1 or single 1 double 10. In time you will need to memorize out shots to help you adjust your playing as the game progresses. Competing in 501 requires being able to quickly determine your next round of shots or the next dart if you miss what you initially tried for. Dartbug has included an out shot table that you can download for playing double outs.

01 play in soft and steel darts can be a little different beyond the use of out shots. The bull in the center of the 501 electronic game can have a maximum score of 150, while in steel darts the triple 20 is the highest scoring area. As the electronic board’s bull is a larger target it is often the choice when playing 501. But if you watch many of the top pro darters in hard darts, they typically reduce their score as much as possible using triple twenties.

We encourage you to play electronic 501 with double outs. It is a great way to practice doubles and will help improve your darting skills. It also adds a little more challenge to the game for more advanced darters. Happy darting!!! And Good Luck!!!