Bust

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Busting is one of the most painful experiences in darts. You're on a checkout, you throw, and suddenly your score goes below zero, or hits exactly 1, or reaches zero without landing on a double. Boom — your entire visit is wiped out. Your score reverts to what it was before you started throwing, and your opponent gets to step up knowing you just wasted three darts. The rules are specific: you bust if your remaining score would go below zero, if it would reach exactly 1 (because there's no double that scores 1 to finish on, since D1 scores 2), or if you reach zero but your last dart wasn't a double. All darts from that visit are voided — even the ones that scored before the bust dart. Busting is most common when players get aggressive with their checkouts. For example, on 40 you go for D20, but hit single 20, leaving 20. Your next dart goes for D10 but hits treble 10, scoring 30 — that puts you at minus 10. Bust. Your score goes back to 40. Smart checkout play is largely about avoiding bust situations. This is why good players think ahead: "If I miss the double, what am I left on?" Leaving yourself on an even number after missing a double means you still have a double to aim at. Leaving yourself on an odd number or on 1 is a disaster. The psychological impact of a bust is significant. It's demoralizing, and your opponent gets a momentum boost. Learning to manage checkout pressure and making safe decisions when ahead is a key skill that separates intermediate players from advanced ones.