1.1 Equipment

• The Decks– two 2’x2’ boards
• The Darts- two sets of darts- three darts per team 
• The Cans – choose your favorite beverage – 12 oz. cans recommended

1.2 Deck Darts Approved Equipment 

Deck Darts Approved Boards:

• Hardwood plywood playing surface measuring 24” x 24”.
• The playing surface has a minimum thickness of 1/4”.
• The innermost rectangle (three pointer) must measure 2.5” x 5”.
• The middle rectangle (two pointer) must measure 6” x 8”.
• The outermost rectangle (one pointer) must measure 14” x 16”.
• The back of the board is 8” from the ground to the top of the playing surface.

Deck Darts Approved Darts:

• Both sets of darts must be metal and weigh the same.
• Recommended Weight: Between 22 and 30 grams. Darts less than 22 grams may not stick as well. 

2.1 Deck Darts Court Layout

Court: A regulation size court is 8 feet wide and 20 feet long with a recommended vertical clearance of ten (10) feet. If a tournament court has a clearance of less than 10 feet, it must be noted in the tournament listing prior to the event.

Boards are positioned 12’ from the front edge of one board to the front edge of the other board.

Pitchers Boxes: A designated pitchers box is the area at each end of the court and behind each board. Players must throw their darts from behind the back edge of the board. 

Foul Lines: The back edge of the board is the foul line. Players may not cross this line while darts are being thrown. This includes ALL players. If a player on the opposite side of the thrower crosses their foul line before all darts are thrown it is a foul. 

 

2.2 Deck Darts Court Preparation and Maintenance

Deck Darts™ boards will take a beating. Boards shall be used until point lines are no longer distinguishable or darts no longer stick consistently enough to play.

The two boards in a deck dart set must always stay together and be used together to guarantee fair play. 

Board Integrity Test: Throw six darts at the board from game distance. If three or more darts fail to stick out of the six that were thrown then the boards should be replaced. For accurate results, use darts greater than 22 grams. 

3.1 Gameplay Options

Traditional 21: The game shall be played to the predetermined number of twenty-one (21) points. The first player/team to reach or exceed that amount at the conclusion of a frame is the winner.

Hardcore 21: The game shall be played to the predetermined number of twenty-one (21) points. The first player/team to reach that EXACT amount at the conclusion of a frame is the winner. If a player/team exceeds 21 at the conclusion of a frame, that player/team’s score will be reset to 15 points. When this occurs the team that exceeds 21 will have the first throw in the following frame. 

3.2 Deck Darts Scoring – Point System

0 Points – Any dart that lands outside the outermost box or misses the playing surface entirely. 

1 Point – Any dart that lands within the outermost box.

2 Points – Any dart that lands within the middle box.

3 Points – Any dart that lands within the innermost box or pierces the can.

***Any dart that is on the border line between point boxes – the higher point is counted if the tip is touching the border even in the slightest.

***Any dart that piggybacks (sticks into the tail of a previously thrown dart) another dart shall be counted as if it landed in the same point box of the dart it stuck into.

 

3.3 The Can 

Deck Darts™ can be played with or without a can in place. When playing Deck Darts™ you have several options:

Without a Can: The game is played without a can. Scoring is the same.

With a Can: The game is played with a can in the 3 point box. Scoring depends on the can being full or empty. See below.

*** Three point shot: Full Can vs Empty Can ***

Full Can Rules:

When a dart lands in the 3 point box without piercing the can, it still counts as 3 points.

When a dart hits the can without piercing it and ricochets off, the dart is counted where it stuck into the board. If it doesn't stick after the ricochet, no points are rewarded.

When a dart pierces the can, 3 points are rewarded. 

Empty Can Rules:

When a dart hits the can hard enough to move it out of the 3 point box, it counts as a 3 point shot. Even if only part of the can is outside the box.

If a dart just grazes the edge of the empty can but doesn’t move it out of the 3 point box it is not a 3 point shot. 

 

3.4 Method of Scoring

Cancellation Scoring: The approved method of scoring for the sport of Deck Darts™ is “cancellation” scoring. In cancellation scoring, the points of one player cancel out the points of their opponent. Using this method, only one player/team can score in each frame.

Example:

Red hits one 1 pointer, one 2 pointer and one 3 pointer during the frame (6 total points)

Blue hits two 1 pointers and one 2 pointer during the frame (4 total points)

6 points – 4 points = Red scores 2 points for that frame

 

3.5 Designated Foul Darts

Any dart thrown when the thrower’s feet crossed the foul line - the imaginary line along the back edge of the board.

Any dart thrown where the thrower’s teammate crossed their own foul line during the throw. 

If a member of the opposing team crosses their own foul line during a team's throw, the next dart to be thrown by the opposing team shall be discarded. 

Any dart not thrown within the 15 second time limit.

 

3.6 Recording the Score

No dart shall be moved before the scoring is determined. If this decision is in doubt, a Certified Official shall be called to determine the scoring for the frame in question.

Recording the Score: Players are encouraged to pay close attention to the score at all times. Players are required to update their score on the score tower at the conclusion of each frame. Players may call upon the Certified Official between frames if any discrepancy occurs regarding the correct score.

Calling the Score: When a third party is being used to manage the score tower, it is the responsibility of the player/ team who scores in each frame to call out the score to the scorekeeper. It is the responsibility of the players/teams to ensure the score is represented correctly on the score tower at the conclusion of each frame before moving to the next frame.

4.1 Overview of Singles and Doubles Play

Singles Play:

Player A competes against Player B.

Both players stay in their designated lane for the whole game.

Both players will throw from the same side at the same board.

Players start the game at the headboard and will alternate throwing darts until each player has thrown all (3) of his/her darts.

Players then walk to the other board, take score, and resume throwing back to the other board.

Doubles Play:

Team A competes against Team B – each team is composed of two (2) people.

Each team will stay in their designated side for the whole game.

Players at the headboard will alternate throwing darts until each player has thrown all (3) of his/her darts.

Players at the footboard will remain 6 feet away from the footboard while darts are being thrown.

Players at the footboard will take score and resume pitching back to the other board.

 

4.2 Throwing Rotation, Lane Assignments, & Dart Color

The First Throw, Lane Assignments, and Dart Color: The format of the tournament will help determine first throw, lane assignments and dart color.

 

Seeded Tournaments

The player/team with the higher seed has their choice of dart color.

The player/team with the higher seed throws first.

In singles play, the player with the higher seed chooses lane assignments

In doubles play, the higher seeded team chooses one of the following options:

1.  Choose lane assignments

2. Choose their opponent to pitch against (head-to-head)

If option #1 is selected, the higher seed chooses their lane and takes their positions in the Pitcher’s boxes, then the lower seeded team chooses their own Pitcher’s boxes to determine head-to-head match-ups.

If option #2 is selected, the lower seed chooses their lane and takes their positions in the Pitcher’s boxes, then the higher seeded team will choose their own Pitcher’s boxes to determine head-to-head match-ups.

If playing best 2 out of 3 matches, the First Throw and Pre-Match options go to the higher seed in game #1 and to the lower seed in game #2. If a third game option return to the higher seed.

 

Randomly Seeded Tournaments

The player/team winning the coin-toss chooses their dart color.

The player/team winning the coin-toss throws first.

In singles play, the player winning the coin toss chooses their lane assignment.

 

 

In doubles play, a coin-toss is used to determine which player/team selects one of the following options:

1. Choose the lane assignments

2. Choose their opponent to pitch against (head-to-head)

If option #1 is selected, the coin toss winner chooses their lane and takes their positions in the Pitcher’s boxes, then the opposing team chooses their own Pitcher’s boxes to determine head-to-head match-ups.

If option #2 is selected, the coin toss loser chooses their lane and takes their positions in the Pitcher’s boxes, then the coin toss winner will choose their own Pitcher’s boxes to determine head-to-head match-ups.

If playing best 2 out of 3 matches, the First Pitch and Pre-Match option choices go to the coin toss loser in the second game. If a third game is necessary, another coin toss will decide who has the options.

 

4.3 Throwing the Darts

 

*Before any darts are thrown, players at footboard must be at least 6 feet from the target and spectators must be 6 feet from the court.

 

*Always check your surroundings before throwing. 

 

Throwing

Players alternate throwing darts (one player at a time) until each player has thrown all (3) of his/her darts.

A player must throw all (3) darts from their designated pitchers box.

When throwing a dart, players must release the dart before any part of the player’s body touches the ground on or beyond the foul line.

Throwing the Next Frame:

The player/team who scored in the preceding frame shall throw first in the next frame. If neither player/team scores, the player/team who pitched first in the preceding frame shall retain first throw in the next frame.

Accidental Release

Any dart that leaves a player's hand once forward motion of the delivery process has started, shall count as a thrown dart.

A dart that is accidentally dropped by a player before the final forward motion has started, shall not be considered a foul dart and may be picked up and thrown.

Throwing Out of Turn:

If a player throws out of turn at any time during a frame, their throw will be considered a Foul Dart and removed from the playing surface.

If the out-of-turn dart affects any darts in play, their opponent has the option of returning all darts to their original position on the playing surface or leaving all darts as they are.

If the error is not discovered until after two (2) darts have been thrown, the frame shall continue and be scored accordingly.

If no agreement can be reached, a Certified Official shall be called. The Certified Official shall either determine the scoring or void the inning and order it to be rethrown.

 

Touching the darts before the Frame is complete:

If any darts in scoring positions are touched by a player, whether intentionally or unintentionally, before all darts during the frame are thrown, the frame is over.

The offending team (team who touches the darts) forfeits all remaining darts and tallies the score for the darts they have already thrown during the frame.

The non-offending team tallies 9 points as if they had thrown three 3 pointers during the frame.

EXAMPLE:

Red has thrown 2 darts equaling 3 points to this point in the frame

Blue has thrown 2 darts equaling 4 points to this point in the frame

Blue accidentally reaches down and grabs the darts

The frame is over

Blue’s remaining dart is declared dead and their previous points are tallied

Red tallies 9 points for the frame, as if they had thrown three 3 pointers

9 Red points – 4 Blue points

Red scores 5 points for that frame

Time Limits – Throwing and Scoring

Throwing

A player must throw each dart within fifteen (15) seconds of their opponent’s dart coming to rest.

* Exceptions may be made by the Certified Official considering any physical disabilities or difficulties

Scoring

The frame will be scored 5 seconds after the last dart is thrown, comes to rest, and all darts on the playing surface have stopped moving. Any dart that moves in position after 5 seconds will be scored based on its previous position.

If timing cannot be agreed on, the Certified Official will score or negate the frame.

By purchasing and/or using products from Deck Darts LLC, you acknowledge and agree to the following terms and conditions:

• Release of Liability: You, and any other users or participants ("Players"), expressly and unconditionally release Deck Darts LLC, its agents, directors, officers, shareholders, and employees, from any and all liabilities, claims, or actions that may arise from the use, misuse, or malfunction of the product. This includes but is not limited to any action, inaction, negligence, or improper use by any player.
• Age Restrictions: All Players must be at least 21 years of age or older within the United States to use this product in conjunction with alcoholic beverages. Identification may be required.
• Optional Alcohol Consumption: Use of alcoholic beverages is optional and not required to participate in the game. Players choosing to consume alcohol are responsible for their own actions and Deck Darts LLC assumes no liability for any consequences related to alcohol consumption.
• Safety Precautions: Players are advised to stand clear of thrown darts and to take reasonable safety precautions while participating in the game, up to and including wearing close toed shoes, eye- protection and floor length shoes. Keep sharp objects out of reach of children.
• Indemnification: You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Deck Darts LLC against any and all claims, damages, losses, and expenses, including legal fees, that arise from or are in any way related to your use or misuse of the product.
• Binding Agreement: This is a binding agreement that governs the use of the Deck Darts LLC product, and by purchasing the product, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these terms, and agree to be bound by them.