There are a lot of dart games suitable for beginners but even some of the easiest games can be difficult to keep score of. If you’re new to the game of darts then one of the easiest games to pick up and play is “call three darts*.
Call three darts is a game with an easy scoring system and one that is also suitable for larger groups of players.
In this article, I’ll cover all the rules, scoring, tips, and general guide for how to play call three darts.
Table of Contents
Number of Players
2 or more players.
For a game of Call Three Darts, you will need at least 2 players. There is no limit on how many players can play in a round. Each player will play individually.
Call Three Darts Rules and Scoring
The rules of Call Three Darts are very straightforward. Each player will get 3 darts on their turn. The player who goes after them will be three numbers from the dartboard. The player will try to hit those numbers in order and be awarded a point for each one they get correctly.
To keep score of this game, each player’s name should be written across the top of the scoreboard. On the left-hand side, you should write down the numbers 1 through 10. These will represent the number of rounds being played. In each round, you can mark down the player’s score beside the round number.
Anytime a player lands on a double it will be worth 2 points and a treble is worth 3. At the end of 10 rounds, the player with the most points will win. If there is a tie, you can play an additional tiebreaker round. If a player is assigned the bullseye, the outer layer is worth 2 points and the middle is worth 3 points.
How to Play Call Three Darts Game
The rules to Call Three Darts are very straightforward, but this game gives players the freedom to have a different experience and challenge every time they play. Let’s take a look at how you can play Call Three Darts.
- All players will throw a dart at the board. Whoever hits the bullseye, or closest to it, will get to go first. Additionally, you can also flip a coin to see who goes first.
- When the first player steps up to the board, they are allowed three darts. The player who goes after them will assign them three targets on the board. The first player will try to hit each target in the order they are called. They will receive a point for every target they landed.
- If a player misses their first target, they will still use their second dart to aim at the second target. You will only be able to collect points when the right dart hits the right target.
- The game will continue to go in this fashion until 10 rounds have been completed. The player with the highest score after 10 rounds wins.
Call Three Darts Example Games
Let’s look at an example of how this game works. This is an example of a two-player match:
- Player A is ready to throw their darts. Player B decides on 10, 14, and 20 as targets. Player A misses the first two targets but lands a double 20 for 2 points.
- Player B is ready for their turn. Player A assigns them 4, 12, and 16. Player A lands their first 2 targets but misses the last. They now have 2 points on the board.
- Player A is ready for their second turn. Player B spices it up and assigns them 5, 16, and bullseye. Player A gets the first two targets and lands on the middle bullseye. They receive 5 points for this round, bringing their score up to 7.
- Player B is ready to play. Player A assigns them 3, 10, and 20. Player B lands a treble 3, double 20, but misses the last one. They get 2 points this round, bringing their score up to 4.
- Player A is ready for more. Player B assigned them 12, 19, and 20. Player A misses the first 2, but lands treble 20. They receive 3 points, with an overall score of 10.
- Player B is ready for their third turn. Player A gives them 4, 10, and bullseye. Player B lands a double four, misses the 10, and catches the outer layer of the bullseye. They get 4 points this round, for a total score of 8.
The game will continue to follow this pattern until the players have completed 10 rounds. Once they finish the 10th round, they can add up their scores to see who wins.
Call Three Darts Tips
The concept of call three darts is quite simple but it might take players a while to get used to before they can use any specific strategies and gain an advantage.
The first strategy to use is to select numbers that your opponent will struggle to hit. This could be numbers you know they are not good with or one’s that can be spread across the board so that they can’t get any consistency or rhythm.
Secondly, you could choose numbers that are close together like 16, 8, 7. The reason for this is that the first dart at 16 could then block the following two darts or at least make them more difficult to hit. This will of course depend on the player’s ability and level of accuracy as some might find it easier if numbers are grouped together.
For more experienced players, you can make the games more challenging by including the doubles and trebles in your call three numbers. This will benefit good players who will likely get bored when throwing for single numbers.
Summary
There are not many “simple” dart games that you can just pick up and play, especially when playing with a larger group. Sometimes it’s preferable to just have an easy game that anyone can grasp the concept of.
Call three darts is one of those games. For this game, you only need to keep track of the numbers that your opponent has given you to hit – which is about as easy as it gets for a darts game!
There are variations that you can add to the rules though so call three darts isn’t just a fun game for beginners as experienced players can use it as a challenging game as well.
If you like call three darts, you might also like the following:
Count up darts
High score darts
Knockout darts
