Leagues / Rules & League Info

Rules & League Info

The official reference for league play — machine specs, scoring, fouls, skill ratings and every feat worth bragging about.

Equipment & Setup

Dart machine specifications
  • 8 ft. (96") from the face of the target to the front edge of the foul line
  • 5 ft. 8 in. (68") from the floor to the center of the Bull's Eye

Note: the measurement is from the foul line to the face of the dart board — not to the front of the machine cabinet.

The throwing area

The area directly in front of the assigned board — not extending past the boards on either side — is the official throw area. Before throwing a dart you may leave it; once a dart has been thrown you may not completely leave the throw area to the rear or side (partially stepping on or over the line is NOT a foul). The player's box behind the foul line is reserved for the player currently shooting. Completely leaving the throw area signals your turn is complete. For wheelchair participants, the torso may be on but not across the foul line.

Dart equipment specifications
  • Plastic-tip darts only (standard factory issue for electronic darting; no broken tips)
  • Maximum 8" total length, tip to flight
  • Flights no wider than 3/4", no more than four wings
  • Maximum 18 grams (NDA standard; local league standards may vary)
  • Darts will be inspected on request

Play & Scoring

General rules of play
  1. Stand at the throw line, 96" from the board face. Leaning over is legal; step on but not across the line.
  2. Maximum three darts per turn, thrown only when the machine shows "Throw Darts" and your player number is lit.
  3. You may pass or throw fewer than three darts.
  4. Any thrown dart counts — bounce-outs and complete misses included. No re-throws; dropped darts may be re-thrown.
  5. Don't touch darts on the board until the turn ends and the machine recognizes it — except a "Stuck Segment" dart, which the opposing captain removes before further throws.
  6. A round runs from the end of your turn to the start of your next (or your partner's, in shared-score games).
Scoring procedures (the machine is always right)

The score the machine records is the score you get. The one exception is the Last Dart–Winning Dart: if it sticks, "Throw Darts" was displayed and all rules were followed, the win counts even if the machine fails to score it.

  • A stuck dart that doesn't register may not be manually scored.
  • If the machine seems wrong: STOP THE GAME — don't remove darts, don't hit Player Change. Captains resolve it, call for service, or move to another board and re-enter scores. In tournaments, call a referee.
  • Bounce-outs count as thrown and may not be re-thrown.
  • A dart thrown before "Throw Darts" lights doesn't score and counts as thrown.
Fouls

Fouls can cost a turn, a game, a match, or league/tournament eligibility. Unless stated otherwise the penalty is loss of turn. Highlights:

  • Distracting an opponent mid-throw (including throwing on a non-coined machine).
  • Foot-fault: the dart must hit the board before your foot lands past the line — warning first, then loss of three darts on referee confirmation.
  • Throwing on the wrong player number — turn corrections and lost turns apply as detailed in the league packet; ending a game on an out-of-turn throw forfeits it.
  • Manually scored points on either score cost turns.
  • Machine resets from power failure: replay the game. Resets caused by a player: loss of game.
  • Reaching zero in a round where your team fouled: loss of game.
  • Overweight or illegal darts: forfeit all games in the current match; protests must come before the third game ends.
  • Three fouls in one game forfeits the game. Referee and director decisions are final.
Qualifying weeks (tournament eligibility)

A qualifying week is a match played between 12:01 AM Monday and 12:00 AM Sunday — however many matches you play in that window, it counts as ONE qualifying week (double-headers included). Current requirements:

  • 7-State: 8 weeks from the Summer or Fall session
  • MOMA: 8 weeks from the previous year (Winter, Summer, Fall)
  • MTA: 8 weeks from Summer, Fall or Winter
  • Year-End: 8 weeks from Summer, Fall or Winter

Questions about your eligibility? Contact ted@deanvending.com.

Skill Ratings & Feats

PPD & MPR — how players are rated

Points Per Dart (PPD) and Marks Per Round (MPR) are the official means of classifying and ranking players.

  • PPD ('01 games): total points ÷ actual darts thrown. Win 301 on your 12th dart → 301 / 12 = 25.08 PPD.
  • MPR (Cricket): total marks ÷ actual darts thrown × 3. Win with 59 marks on your 46th dart → 59 / 46 × 3 = 3.85 MPR.

A minimum of 24 qualifying league games in a season establishes a skill rating ('01 open-in/open-out with 50-point bull; standard-scoring Cricket with split 25/50 bull, both on 15.5" targets).

301 & 501 feats
  • Dart Outs — 301: 6/7/8/9DO (6 darts is perfect). 501: 9/10/11/12DO (9 is perfect).
  • Round Outs — 301: 4RO (win on dart 10–12). 501: 5RO (dart 13–15).
  • Low Ton (LT) — 100–150 points in one turn (a Hat Trick doesn't count as a Low Ton).
  • High Ton (HT) — 151–180 points in one turn.
  • Hat Trick (HAT) — all three darts in the Bull's Eye in one turn.
  • Assist (A) — credit when your partner wins the game.
  • Win (W) — you threw the winning dart.
Cricket feats
  • 8DO / 9DO — perfect games (8 with a double bull, 9 without).
  • White Horse (WH) — three different, previously unmarked Cricket triples in one turn.
  • 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 Mark rounds — combinations of triples and doubles in a single turn, from three triples (9M) down.
  • Crick Hat (CHT) — all three darts in the Bull's Eye (3–6 marks depending on inner/outer).
Common dart terms
  • Blocked / Frozen — you can't go out because your partner's score is higher than the opponents' combined score (Frozen = you're at 1 point, or 2 in Double Out). Going out while blocked loses the game; you can go out on a tie.
  • Closed / Unclosed — three marks on a Cricket number closes it; two or fewer is unclosed.
  • Mark — singles score 1, doubles 2, triples 3; outer bull 1, inner bull 2.
  • Match / Games / Round / Turn — a match is the night's games; a turn is up to three darts; a round is your team's pass through the order.
  • Open / Ladies / Mixed Doubles — team gender formats.
  • Classified / Geographic league — grouped by skill or by area.
  • Spot Darts / Spot Rounds — handicapping by fewer opening darts.
  • Actual Darts Thrown — the only approved feat-tracking method for the NDA's Team Dart tournament.
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