Poker Darts

Build the highest-ranking poker hand by throwing darts at a standard dartboard. Each dart that lands on a numbered segment "collects" that number as a card in your hand. Doubles and trebles act as multipliers, giving you pairs and three-of-a-kind from a single dart. The player who assembles the best poker hand wins the round.

Poker Darts (also known as Dart Poker, Card Parlour Darts, or Texas Toss'em) merges the strategic decision-making of draw poker with the physical skill of darts, making it an ideal party game for 2–6 players.

Use a standard bristle dartboard and a set of 3 darts per player. Each player should have a scoresheet or whiteboard column to record the numbers collected in their hand and the resulting poker-hand ranking.

Determine throwing order by having each player throw one dart at the bullseye; the closest dart throws first, with play proceeding clockwise. Agree before the game begins on the number of rounds to be played (a typical session is 5–10 rounds) and whether you will use the Draw Poker format (re-throws allowed) or the Stud Poker format (no re-throws). If using the optional chip-betting system, distribute 20 chips to each player at the start.

Each round proceeds as follows:

• If using the chip-betting system, every player antes 5 chips into the pot before any darts are thrown.
• Each player throws 3 darts at the standard dartboard. Every dart that lands on a numbered segment collects that number as a "card" in the player's hand.
• A dart landing in a double ring counts as hitting that number twice — instantly forming a pair. A dart landing in a treble ring counts as hitting that number three times — instantly forming three-of-a-kind.
• A single dart in the single segment counts as one occurrence of that number.

Draw Poker format (recommended): After the first throw of 3 darts, the player may choose to remove 1, 2, or all 3 darts from the board and re-throw them in a second visit to improve the hand — exactly as discarding and drawing in card poker. Darts the player elects to keep must remain in the board and their values are locked. The player then throws the removed darts again; whatever they land on replaces the discarded values.

Stud Poker format: Each player throws 3 darts with no re-throws permitted. The hand is whatever the player collects on that single visit.

Building the hand: Because doubles and trebles multiply a single dart's hit count, a player can accumulate more than 3 "cards" from 3 physical darts. For example, throwing treble 17, double 17, and single 5 yields 17–17–17–17–17–5, which constitutes five-of-a-kind in 17s (though standard poker rankings typically cap at four-of-a-kind; see Scoring). Hands are evaluated using standard poker-hand rankings applied to the collected numbers.

Missed darts: Any dart that misses the scoring area of the board (lands off the board or falls out) counts as a dead card and contributes nothing to the hand. It may not be re-thrown unless the Draw Poker format is in use and the player has re-throws remaining.

Hands are ranked using standard poker-hand hierarchy, adapted for the dartboard. From lowest to highest:

• High Card – No matching numbers and no straight; hand is valued by the highest single number collected (e.g., collecting 20, 14, and 3 is "high card 20").
• Pair – Two of the same number (e.g., hitting double 18 gives a pair of 18s).
• Two Pair – Two different pairs (e.g., double 19 and double 12 yields pairs of 19s and 12s).
• Three-of-a-Kind �� Three of the same number (e.g., treble 15 gives three 15s from a single dart).
• Straight – Numbers in consecutive sequence (e.g., collecting 5–6–7–8–9). Note: consecutive numbers on the dartboard are not physically adjacent, making straights extremely difficult to hit deliberately.
• Flush – All darts land in the same ring type: all singles, all doubles, or all trebles (e.g., single 4, single 11, single 20 is a singles flush).
• Full House – A pair plus three-of-a-kind (e.g., treble 8 and double 14 yields three 8s and two 14s).
• Four-of-a-Kind – Four of the same number (e.g., treble 20 plus single 20 yields four 20s).
• Straight Flush – A straight where all darts also land in the same ring type (e.g., double 5, double 6, double 7 — consecutive numbers, all doubles).

When two players hold the same hand rank, the hand containing the higher number breaks the tie. For example, a pair of 19s beats a pair of 14s. If pairs are equal, the highest remaining "kicker" number determines the winner. If hands are completely identical in rank and values, the round is declared a draw and the pot (if using chips) carries over to the next round.

Points-based play: The player with the best poker hand each round scores 1 point. After the agreed number of rounds, the player with the most points wins the match. If two or more players are tied on points at the end, play additional sudden-death rounds until the tie is broken.

Chip-based play: Each player antes 5 chips per round and the winner of that round takes the entire pot. The match continues until one player holds all the chips, or after a pre-agreed number of rounds the player with the most chips is declared the winner.

Stud Poker Darts: No re-throws are permitted. Each player throws 3 darts and the resulting hand stands. This speeds up play and increases the importance of accuracy on the first visit.

Draw Poker Darts: The recommended format described in the main rules above, where players may discard and re-throw 1–3 darts after their first visit, mimicking the draw phase of card poker.

Texas Hold'em Darts: A designated player (rotating each round) throws 2 "community" darts that count toward every player's hand. Each individual player then throws their own darts, combining personal results with the community darts to build the best 5-card hand. This variant works best with larger groups of 4–6 players.

Specialized Poker Dartboard: Some commercial sets use a dartboard printed with actual playing-card faces (suits and ranks) instead of standard numbers. Players throw at card segments and build literal poker hands. The rules of hand ranking follow traditional card poker exactly, including proper suits for flushes. Dartskins Poker is one branded commercial variant of this type.

Target the trebles for instant three-of-a-kind: A single dart in a treble segment immediately gives you three-of-a-kind — one of the strongest hands you can build. Treble 20, treble 19, and treble 18 are high-value targets that also win tiebreakers against lower three-of-a-kind hands.

Combine treble and single for four-of-a-kind: If you land a treble on your first dart, keep it and aim your remaining darts at the same number's single segment. For instance, treble 20 plus single 20 yields four 20s — a dominant hand that is nearly unbeatable.

Use the draw wisely — protect your pairs: In Draw Poker format, if your first throw gives you a pair (via a double or two singles on the same number), keep those darts in the board and re-throw only the unmatched dart. You have a strong chance of improving to two pair, a full house, or even three-of-a-kind on the re-throw.

Don't chase straights: Consecutive numbers on the standard dartboard (e.g., 5, 6, 7) are scattered around the board in non-adjacent positions. Deliberately hitting three or more consecutive numbers is extraordinarily difficult. You are almost always better off pursuing pairs and sets by targeting a single number repeatedly.

In chip play, manage your bankroll: With only 20 chips and a 5-chip ante each round, you have just 4 rounds of play before you are eliminated. Focus on building at least a pair every round to stay competitive — even a modest pair of high numbers can win a pot when other players miss their targets.