So, what is a Bust in darts? Let’s find out!

Scoring a game of darts is simple, especially when using common formats like 501 and 301. However, the rules for victory and the best way to achieve victory are not always obvious, especially to new players.

Among the rules that can make players nervous is “bust.”

In this article, we’ll talk about what is a bust in darts.

What Is Bust in Darts?

A bust is when you hit a score that makes your points go below zero. And, according to the official rules, if you bust, the round ends there, and then you start another round with the score you had before the busted round.

What Happens When You Bust?

After “busting,” a player must start another round from the score they had before the busted round.

Let’s suppose a player needs 32 points to win a game. In this case, they must hit a double 16.

But, the player is unable to hit a double 16 and hits a single 16. Now, the player has 16 points remaining. Now, the player must only hit a double 8 to finish and win the game. In this case, if the player can hit a double 8, they win. But, if they cannot hit a double 8 and hit some other scoring area more than or equal to 15, they bust. In this case, they’ll miss a turn and again start from 32.

The points will keep resetting as long as the player keeps busting.

Types of Busts in Darts

When You Overscore

For example, suppose a player has a score of 70. In this case, the player can make a triple 20, and double 5 to win the game. Now, if the player accidentally hits the 20 or 18 scores on the board, the player’s score will be less than zero, and they will BUST.

Once the player hits 20 instead of double 5, his score drops to -10. Hence, making it a “bust” according to the rules. While their score for the round will remain zero, the player will be allowed to play another round and will resume playing with the same number of points as before the score of the busted round.

When You Don’t Finish on a Double

Contrary to popular belief, busting is also when you’re unable to reach zero points with a double finish. In other words, if you cannot hit a double to finish the game, you bust.

For example, suppose a player has 16 points left to win the game. In this case, they must hit a double 8 to win the game. But, they are unable to hit a double 8 and rather hit a single 16. In this case also, the player busts because they didn’t finish on a double. And, they will play another round with 16 as their starting score.

That’s because, as mentioned earlier, they’ll play the next round with the score they had at the start of the busted round, which, in this case, is 16.

When You Are Left With 1 Point

You also bust when your remaining score is 1.

For example, suppose you have 6 points left on a game. In this case, you must hit a double 3 to win the game. But, you hit a double 2 on your first dart. Now, on your remaining two darts you must hit a double 1. But, you are unable to hit a double 1 and instead hit a single 1. Now, in this situation, your remaining score is 1. And, you busted because you can’t hit a double to score 1. Hence, your round will end and you’ll have to start another round with 6 points left.

Also, this method of busting is why players don’t prefer to hit an odd number.

What Happens if You Hit Multiple Busts?

It’s possible to hit multiple busts. But, a game permits a maximum of 20 turns per game. Now, if, even after 20 turns, no player can make his score zero, the game is over, and the person with the points closest to zero wins.

Now, if the score is still a tie after 20 rounds, the game continues for another 10 rounds.

In this case also, the first person to reach zero wins. But, after the 20th turn, whoever is the first to lower their scores wins.

However, if the remaining points are still equal after the additional 10 turns, the game ends in a draw.

Final Words

Darts is a fast-paced game, as seen by the performances of professional players. So as to cut the points down more rapidly, players usually aim all their three darts for triple 19s or 20s. But, it’s super difficult to land all you darts at the same place.

Hence, as the score becomes lesser and pressure begins to pile up on the other players, the players become vulnerable to busting.

This was a complete guide on what is bust in darts. We hope you found this article useful.

Read Also: What Is a Double in Darts?