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How to Play Bob’s 27 Darts

How to Play Bob’s 27 Darts (The Best Doubles Practice Game)

If finishing is a particular weakness to your game then don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Hitting a double has pressure on it so is no easy task regardless of the level you play at, when you factor in needing to hit a double in a match situation, it’s a good idea to get yourself confident on every double – not just your favorite double top or double 16!

If you want to get better at doubles then read on, we’ll cover how to play Bob’s 27 darts, a dart game that focuses on hitting all doubles on the board. 

The reason this is such a good practice game is because of the community aspect, this is a practice game where players post their scores online giving you a good idea of playing standards and also something to work towards. 

Number of Players

1 or more.

How to Play Bob’s 27 Darts

Rules 

The game is another based on purely aiming for the doubles on the board, invented by ex legend Bob Anderson, it involves throwing at each double from 1 through to 20 in numerical order. Starting with a score of 27 you add to that total every time you hit a double, should you miss however you then get deducted 2 x the value of the double, and should you fall below the score of 0 the game is over.

The last throw involves throwing at the bull, if you miss that then you have 50 points deducted so keep that in mind if you are trying to achieve a decent score as this is something that catches many good players. 

The higher the value of the double the more you can add to your total or the more you can lose from your total and it’s this that adds to the excitement of the game, though it should be noted that the game is a good solo way of practicing hitting doubles consistently rather than in a match situation which would require a dedicated finishing routine focusing on 2 – 3 dart checkouts. 

Scoring Example

The player throws the first throw at double 1 and hits it twice, scoring him 4 points (2 x 2) he adds that to his starting score of 27, so now has 31.

Player 2 takes his first throw and again hits 2 double 1s and his score goes to 31. Player 1 now throws at double 2 but misses with all 3 darts and so is deducted 4 points (the value of the double) so his score now decreases to 27.

Player 2 hits all of his doubles on number 2 scoring him 12 points (3 x 4) and his score advances to 43. The players continue around the board remembering that should their score drop below 0 by continually missing doubles, then their game is over.

The higher the number of the double they are aiming for the higher scores are likely to be achieved by consistently hitting them. 

For example, hitting 3 double 19s will score you 124 (3x 38) boosting your score, but if you miss the double 19 you will be deducted 38 points(the value of double 19). So, it’s vitally important to hit high doubles if you want to score high and by the same token, equally important not to miss high doubles values, otherwise you run the risk of a low score.

What Is a Good Score for Bob’s 27s?

The average player will be happy just to achieve the prospect of not falling below 0 and managing to get around the board as far as they can, thereby increasing their ability to hit doubles with regularity. 

Players who play regularly and are of a good standard will hope to score high with this game and a score of about 400 and above will be well within their reach if they consistently hit most of the doubles and do not miss high-scoring doubles. 

My current best is 252 after 20 – 30 games and can attest to the fact that you feel match pressure when playing this practice game. There’s always the thought that if you miss the next double you’ll lose and this is exactly the kind of practice you need in order to simulate game situations. 

The game is a good way of seeing which doubles you hit or miss with regularity and so gives you the chance to sharpen up or change your stance on those particular numbers and should help you adjust your game accordingly.

For a good baseline, check out this forum where you’ll find a tally of scores for Bob’s 27s from casual players around the world – https://www.dartsnutz.net/forum/thread-29585.html. I’ve just said casual players but as you’ll see from some of the scores, there’s a high standard to aim for! 

A perfect score for Bob’s 27s is 1437. 

What Next

If you’ve given Bob’s 27s a try but want some more games similar, we’d recommend checking out a game similar in terms of being specifically for double practice but with a different scoring format to mix things up a bit. 
Our recommendation would be to check out 420 darts.