Once everyone knows where the scoring rings are, 301 and 501 can start to feel familiar. Some evenings you want a quick points race. Other times, the fun is watching someone try to claim the last square in Tic-Tac-Toe or recover from a missed target in Half-It. The games below cover both moods.
Each one has a version you can score on paper. Some electronic boards also have games with these names, although the rules and menu options depend on the model. The Arachnid E3000ARA owner's manual is the reference for the named modes in this article. It does not establish which modes a YIRINATEK board offers. When you use a built-in game, follow the manual for your own board; when you keep score yourself, use the house rules here.
What should you play tonight?
| In the mood for... | Try... | Keep track of... |
|---|---|---|
| A short warm-up | High Score | Points from each turn |
| A race to a finish line | Count-Up | Running total |
| A fresh target every round | Shanghai | Points on the round's number |
| Friendly rivalry | Killer | Assigned numbers and lives |
| A chance to catch the leader | Half-It | Running total after each target |
| A test of accuracy | Golf | Darts used per hole |
| A baseball theme | Baseball-Inspired Rounds | Runs in each inning |
| A score to beat | Elimination | Previous turn's score and lives |
| A small strategy puzzle | Tic-Tac-Toe | Marks on a nine-square grid |
New to the board? Our beginner guide to scoring, 301, 501, and Cricket covers the basics. These are games to try after that.
1. High Score: a warm-up anyone can follow
Agree on the same number of turns for each player. Throw up to three darts per turn and add every scoring hit, including doubles and triples. When the turns are over, the highest total wins. If players tie, you can give the tied players one more turn.
There is almost nothing to remember between throws, which is handy when people are still learning the rings. The E3000ARA High Score mode defaults to three rounds and offers other settings. With a score sheet, the turn limit is simply something the group agrees on beforehand.
2. Count-Up: race to a shared target
Put a target total at the top of the page. Everyone begins at zero and adds their score after each turn. The first player to reach or pass that total wins. Doubles and triples keep their usual values.
High Score gives everyone a fixed number of turns. Count-Up has a finish line, so the last few turns feel different when somebody is close. The E3000ARA Count-Up mode has selectable point targets; for the paper version, pick one together. If the score rings still cause confusion, keep our dartboard scoring guide nearby.
3. Shanghai: follow the numbers
The target changes with the round. Aim for 1 in the first round, 2 in the second, and keep moving upward. Each player throws up to three darts on their turn. Only the current round's number scores: a single earns that number's value, a double twice its value, and a triple three times. Add the round scores when play ends; the highest total wins.
The E3000ARA Shanghai rules go through 1 to 20. At home, you can agree to stop earlier if you want a shorter game, then decide the winner by total points. That shorter ending is a house rule. The appeal is that nobody can spend the whole evening aiming at 20.
4. Killer: everyone has a number
Write a different number from 1 to 20 next to each player's name, then give everyone the same number of lives. Before you can attack anyone else, you must hit the double of your own number. Once that happens, you are a killer and can aim at the other players' numbers. In this paper-scored version, each hit on an opponent's assigned number removes one life. The last player with lives left wins.
That first double matters. A player who has not activated cannot take anyone else's lives, even if a dart lands on an opponent's number. The E3000ARA Killer mode uses the same activation idea, but its scoring variations may differ. For your home game, settle one question before throwing: should a double or triple on an opponent's number take away more than one life?
A game-night pause between turns. Keep pets and other bystanders clear of the throwing area when play resumes.
5. Half-It: one missed target can change the lead
Choose a short sequence of target numbers and a shared starting score. For each target, everyone gets up to three darts. Add points from hits on that target. Miss it with all three and your running score is cut in half. Before starting, decide how to record an odd total after halving it. The highest score after the last target wins.
The E3000ARA “Double Down” game starts at 40 and has its own target sequence. Our custom sequence is a house version. Half-It is worth trying when a straight points race has become predictable: the leader still has to hit the number called for the next round. If your board has a mode named Half-It or Double Down, check its actual rules before selecting it.
6. Golf: count darts, not points
Here, the numbers become holes. Start with 1, then move to 2, continuing through 9 if you want a nine-hole game. On the current number, a single is one mark, a double two, and a triple three. Three marks complete a hole. Write down how many darts each player used to get there; after the agreed holes, the fewest darts wins.
The E3000ARA Golf rules allow nine or eighteen holes. For a paper game, you may want an agreed limit on attempts per hole so one stubborn number does not take over the evening. A limit would be your house rule, and everyone should know it before hole 1.
7. Baseball-Inspired Rounds: keep the innings simple
Give each player up to three darts in every inning. The inning number tells you the target: aim at 1 in the first, 2 in the second, and so on through 9. In this home version, a single on the right number scores one run, a double two, and a triple three. Hits on other numbers score nothing. Add each player's runs after nine innings; most runs wins.
The E3000ARA Baseball mode also changes the target with the inning, but it tracks bases and has a special home-run rule. This version deliberately skips those mechanics. If your own board offers Baseball and the group wants to track runners, use that board's instructions. The paper game is for an evening when you want the baseball theme without another score sheet full of bases.
8. Elimination: the previous player sets the bar
Give every player the same number of lives. The first player throws up to three darts and writes down a turn score. Each player after that has to beat the immediately previous player's three-dart total. A tie or lower score costs a life. Continue around the group until only one player has lives left.
The E3000ARA Elimination rules use this same comparison. When scoring by hand, decide what score the next person must beat after a player is knocked out. You can also treat the first turn as an opening score that nobody has to beat. Those small choices are easier to settle before a close turn than in the middle of one.
9. Tic-Tac-Toe: aim for a square
Draw a three-by-three grid. The E3000ARA Tic-Tac-Toe game assigns these dartboard targets to the squares:
| 12 | 20 | 18 |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Bull | 6 |
| 7 | 3 | 2 |
One player or team takes X, the other O. A single on the number for a square is one mark; a double is two and a triple three. Three marks claim an unclaimed square. Put your symbol there, then look for a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line of three. First to complete one wins. For your paper grid, you can decide that hits on a square already claimed by the other side have no effect.
The interesting choice is often on the score sheet rather than the dartboard. Do you keep working on a square where you already have marks, or move to the square the other side is about to claim?
Using an electronic board for a paper-scored game
Keep the score yourself if your board does not list a game from this article. A paper score sheet works while the board registers ordinary scoring hits. When a built-in mode is available, the display and matching manual determine the options, player limit, special wins, and bounce-out treatment. The Arachnid reference above describes one Arachnid model; it is not a YIRINATEK game list.
Check the setup before everyone starts throwing. Our home dartboard setup guide covers the measurements. Keep others behind the thrower, and wait until a turn ends before retrieving darts. Follow your board's manual for dart type and child supervision. If soft tips keep bouncing out, our bounce-out troubleshooting guide can help you work through the issue.
Choosing a board for a new setup? You can browse YIRINATEK electronic dartboards, then check the actual game list in the manual for the model you like.
Questions people ask before playing
Can I play these games without an electronic dartboard?
Yes. You can use a segmented dartboard and keep the points, marks, lives, or target progress on paper.
Does every electronic dartboard include these nine games?
No. Menus and game variations depend on the model. Check your board's manual for automated modes, or play the paper-scored versions here.
Which game should a family try first?
Start with High Score if the group knows the scoring areas but wants little else to track. Shanghai is a better pick when everyone wants a new number to aim for each round.
What if a dart misses or bounces out?
Agree before the first turn whether a miss or bounce-out uses up a dart and whether a score recorded by the machine stands. For an automated mode, follow the model's manual.
Is “Half-It” the same as “Double Down” on my board?
The Half-It rules here are a paper-scored adaptation of the Arachnid Double Down mode. A mode on your board may use a different target order or scoring option, so check its manual.
