The start of a darts match often baffles newcomers: why 501? The answer lies in the need for competitive balance. In professional darts, players can achieve a nine-dart finish—the perfect leg—with relative ease if the starting score were 500. By beginning at 501, an odd number, the game forces players to hit an odd score before reaching a finish, adding difficulty and prolonging matches.
The PDC World Darts Championship, won by Peter Wright in January 2022, highlighted the drama that the 501 format can produce. Wright staged a comeback to defeat Michael Smith 7-5 at Alexandra Palace. The tournament, like all PDC events, used the 501 start, ensuring that every leg required strategic mixing of trebles, doubles, and odds.
Historically, other darts formats exist. One fan on Quora noted that before the professional circuit, the standard game was 301 with a double start—meaning no score counted until a double was hit. The shift to 501 in professional play made the game more spectator-friendly while retaining the core challenge: finishing on a double after reaching an even number.
The rule is simple in principle but often misunderstood. Starting at 501 rather than 500 prevents players from simply aiming for 20s (single, double, or treble) to reach zero. Instead, they must chart a varied path around the board, making the game more skilful and unpredictable. As the 2022 season gets underway, fans can appreciate that this seemingly arbitrary number is key to darts' enduring appeal.
