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Darts is a game that historians believe originated in the 1600's when soldiers would throw small spears at the bottom of empty wine kegs to improve their aim. Where ever the game originated from, it has blossomed into a social game that's still played widely the world over today. Here are the basic rules for the game of darts as played on a Standard English dart board.

* Each player is allowed to throw nine darts as a warm up before the game begins.

* Each player throws a single dart at the dart board to determine who goes first. The player who scores closest to the bull's-eye goes first. If the first player hits a bull's-eye, the next player can ask for the dart to be removed so they can have a clear shot.

* Players then take turns, alternating throws between teams throughout the game.

* If a player throws out of turn and it is noticed before the next player on the same team throws, said player's darts are not counted. If it is noticed after the next player on the same team throws, said player should skip their next turn to return the player sequence to proper order.

* A maximum of 3 darts may be thrown per turn.

* Darts must stay on the board for at least five seconds after a player's final throw in order to count.

* A throw does not score if it sticks into another dart or if it falls off the board.

* If a player's foot extends over the throw line, it is a foul. Any darts thrown in that round are void.

* The dividing wires on the board determine where the dart entered the board, not the colored sections.

* Points are calculated as follows:
Darts landing in the wedge score the amount posted on the outer ring.
Darts landing in the double ring score twice the number hit.
Darts landing in the triple ring (the inner, narrow ring) score three times the number.
A bulls eye (outer bull) scores twenty-five points.
A double bulls eye (inner bull) scores fifty points.

* If a dart falls loose from the board or is knocked out it is void and may no be re-thrown.

* If a dart falls out or is taken out by a player before scoring, said dart is void.

* It is legal to grab a dart from the board before it falls out, but only after all darts for that round have been thrown.

* After each player throws the score should be agreed upon and recorded accordingly before the darts are removed.

* You may approach the board at any time during a round to check the location of a dart, but you may not touch any dart until the round is complete.

Though there are variations of these rules and the game of darts itself, this is the basic method for play and scoring.

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