Popdarts Rules

Getting started: who goes first and how far back to stand

• Play rock paper scissors to decide who starts. The winner chooses where the Target Marker goes and picks their color first.
• Each player has three darts, and you need at least two players.
• Whoever places the Marker can also set a rule for the round, for example “everyone throws from behind the couch, and only darts on the countertop count.”
• You have to stand at least 10 feet from the Marker, which is about 3 meters.
• The person who placed the Marker throws first, and then everyone takes turns until all the darts have been thrown.
• When the round is over, the team that scored gets to choose where the Marker goes next.

The closest dart is worth 3, and every other standing dart is worth 1

Once everyone has thrown, look at the darts that are still standing and find the one closest to the Marker. That dart is worth 3 points. Every other standing dart is worth 1 point, whether it’s yours or your opponent’s.

Kiss (Lippy): a dart touching the Marker gets one extra point

If your dart is standing and it’s also touching the Marker, that’s called a Kiss, and it earns one extra point. If that same dart is also the closest one, it’s worth 3 plus 1, for a total of 4. The official rules also call a Kiss a Lippy, and both names mean the same thing.

Land on Top (T-Nobber): a dart stuck on top of the Marker is worth 10

The PRO Marker has suction cups on both ends, so a dart can land and stick right on top of it. That dart is worth 10 points. If anyone lands on top during a round, nobody gets the 3-point closest dart that round, and every other standing dart is worth 1. The American Popdarts League (APL) calls this shot a T-Nobber, which means the same thing as Land on Top.

Wigglenobber: a dart stacked on another dart is worth double

Since Popdarts have cups on both ends, one dart can stick on top of another. The dart on top is worth double whatever the dart underneath is worth, and it doesn’t matter whose dart is underneath. For example, if the bottom dart is worth 3, the one on top is worth 6. If the bottom dart landed on the Marker for 10, the one on top is worth 20.

Dead darts: a dart that isn’t standing scores nothing

If a dart falls over and isn’t standing, it’s called a dead dart. Nobody picks it up, so it stays on the board until the round ends and can still get in the way of other darts, but it doesn’t score any points itself. In the American Popdarts League rules, a dead dart is also called a Dogbone.

T-Bone: a dart stuck sideways on another dart looks great but scores nothing extra

Sometimes a dart sticks sideways onto the body of another dart. That’s called a T-Bone. According to the official rules, it’s a very cool shot, but it doesn’t earn any extra points.

The two teams’ scores cancel out, and only the difference counts

At the end of each round, the two teams’ points cancel each other out, and only the team with the higher score gets the difference. Over the whole game, the first team to reach 21 points, or go past it, wins.

When you’re playing for real, the Popdarts Score Keeper can do the math for every round.

Board Play: how to play on a tournament board

• You can play singles with one player per team or doubles with two players per team. Each team has three darts, and both teams throw from the same side, taking turns.
• A dart that lands completely inside the white PD circle is worth 6 points.
• A dart that lands completely inside the grey circle is worth 3 points, and it’s fine if it touches the white circle inside it.
• Any other dart that sticks to the board is worth 1 point.
• Scoring still cancels out, and the first team to 21 wins. The team that scored in a round throws first in the next one. You don’t need a Target Marker for this version.
• Each player gets one Instant Win attempt per game, and you have to announce it before you throw. If the dart doesn’t land completely inside your team’s Instant Win circle, you take it off the board and keep playing as normal.

FAQ