How do you play Cricket in darts?

Only 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and the bull are in play. Three marks close a number, where a single is one mark, a double is two and a treble is three. Once you close a number you score its value on further hits until every opponent has closed it too.

How do you win at Cricket darts?

Close all seven numbers and be level or ahead on points. Closing everything while still behind does not win — you have to make the points back on a number an opponent has not yet closed.

How many marks is a treble in Cricket?

Three, which closes a number outright with a single dart. A double is two marks and a single is one. The inner bull is two marks and the outer bull is one.

When is a number dead in Cricket?

As soon as every player has closed it. A dead number scores nothing for anybody, and hits on it are wasted darts. This is the rule most casual scoreboards get wrong.

What is cut-throat Cricket?

A variant where the points you score are added to opponents who have not closed that number instead of to yourself, and the lowest score wins. It works best with three or more players.

How long does a game of Cricket take?

Usually 15 to 25 rounds for two players of similar standard. It is generally longer than a leg of 501 but less punishing, because there is no double to hit and no way to bust.

What is the difference between Cricket and Mickey Mouse?

They are broadly the same game. Mickey Mouse is the British name and sometimes includes extra targets such as doubles and trebles as their own rows, while Cricket is the American name and standardly uses 15 to 20 plus the bull.

Rules

Cricket Darts Rules

Cricket uses only 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and the bull. Three marks close a number — a single counts one, a double two and a treble three. Once you have closed a number you score its value on every extra hit, but only while an opponent still has it open.

Marks and closing

Every dart that lands in a Cricket number is worth marks rather than points, at least until the number is closed.

Dart	Marks
Single	1
Double	2
Treble	3 — closes the number outright
Outer bull (25)	1
Inner bull (50)	2

Three marks closes. Marks carry across visits, so a single 20 this turn and a double 20 next turn closes the number just as a treble 20 does. On a chalk board the shorthand is a slash for one mark, a cross for two, and a circle round the cross for three.

Scoring points

You score on a number only while you have closed it and at least one opponent has not. The instant everybody closes it, the number is dead and worth nothing to anyone.

Once a number is closed for you, further hits add its face value to your score, multiplied by the bed you hit. A treble 20 on a closed 20 is 60 points. The bull scores 25 for the outer and 50 for the inner.

A dart can also split its work. If you have two marks on 20 and throw a treble 20, one mark closes the number and the remaining two marks become 40 points — assuming an opponent still has 20 open.

Winning

Two conditions, and both have to be true at the same time.

•All seven numbers closed.
•Your score is equal to or higher than every opponent's.

The second condition is what gives Cricket its shape. A player who rushes to close everything while their opponent quietly piles up points on 20 has not won — they have run out of places to score, because every number they closed is now dead to them too. Closing a number is as much about denying it as claiming it.

Tactics that follow from the rules

•Ahead on points? Close everything. Killing numbers removes your opponent’s ability to catch up.
•Behind on points? Leave a number open. You need somewhere to score. Closing your last number while behind ends your only route back.
•20 first, almost always. It is the highest value and the bed you already aim at in 501, so it is worth the most both offensively and as a denial.
•The bull is worth closing early. It is the hardest target, and being the one player who has it closed is a lasting advantage.

Cut-throat

In cut-throat, points you score are handed to every opponent who has not closed that number, and the lowest score wins. Everything else is identical.

The tactical inversion is complete: scoring heavily on an open number is now an attack rather than a gain, and you choose who to hurt by choosing which number to hit. With three or four players it is a genuinely different and better game. With two players it is close to a mirror of standard Cricket.

The winning condition flips too: close all seven and be level or below every opponent.

Variants worth knowing

Variant	Change
No points	Pure race to close all seven. Fast, good for beginners.
Cut-throat	Points go to opponents, lowest score wins.
Random Cricket	The seven target numbers are drawn at random before the game.
Mickey Mouse	British name. Some versions add doubles and trebles as rows.
Wild Card	One number is nominated as a wildcard worth double marks.

Keep score with the free Cricket scoreboard, which handles marks, dead numbers and cut-throat, or read the rules of 501 for the other game every board gets used for.