The three-dart average
In darts, the standard measure of scoring power is the three-dart average: the average number of points scored per visit of three darts.
3-dart average = total points scored ÷ darts thrown × 3
In 501, a player who wins a leg scores exactly 501 points; the darts thrown include the ones that missed or bounced out. Professional broadcasts count every dart thrown in the match.
Example
Winning three legs of 501 (1,503 points) in 54 darts gives 1,503 ÷ 54 × 3 = 83.5, or 18 darts per leg. A nine-dart finish, the perfect leg, is a 167 average.
Other statistics
- First-nine average: the average of the first nine darts of each leg, before checkout attempts slow scoring down. It measures pure scoring power and is often 5 to 10 points higher than the full average.
- Checkout percentage: doubles hit ÷ darts thrown at a double. Professionals hover between 35 and 45%.
- Darts per leg: 15 to 18 for top players, 21 to 27 for good club players.
Benchmarks
| 3-dart average | Typical level |
|---|---|
| 95 and more | Top professional |
| 80 to 95 | Tour card or strong county player |
| 55 to 80 | Good league player |
| 40 to 55 | Pub or casual player |
How to improve
- Practice treble 20 grouping first: average is driven by scoring visits of 100 and more.
- Learn standard checkout routes from 170 down, and the “set-up” shots that leave a favorite double such as 32 (double 16).
- Track checkout percentage separately from scoring; many players lose legs on doubles, not trebles.
Keep the same counting rules from session to session so that your averages remain comparable. If you practice alone, games such as round-the-clock on doubles or a fixed 99-dart scoring drill give a repeatable test: log the result every week, and judge progress on a monthly average rather than a single session, because form varies a lot from day to day.