40 Checkout“Tops”
1-dart checkout
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Strategy
Tops — the most iconic single-dart finish in darts. Double 20 sits at the very peak of the board, directly above the number 20. It's the first double most players learn, and the one they practice most. When the caller shouts "Tops!", everyone knows what it means. Missing D20 is forgiving: a miss too high goes off the board (no score, try again on your next dart), a miss inside hits S20 (leaving 20, which is D10), and a miss into the thin wire might drop you into S1 or S5. The key is to throw with confidence — hesitation on tops is the enemy. In pressure situations, some players switch to D10 (half of 40) as a safety route, but most prefer to back their ability on tops.
Alternative Routes
There's only one way to checkout 40: D20. No alternatives exist for single-dart finishes.
Pro Tip
D20 (tops) is the most practised double, but missing inside to S20 leaves you on 20 (D10) — still a clean single-dart finish. Train this double by focusing on the very edge of the board.
Related Checkouts
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