Upstairs

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"Upstairs" refers to the upper half of the dartboard — primarily the numbers at the top: 20, 1, 18, 4, and 13. This is where the vast majority of darts action takes place, because the 20 segment sits at the crown of the board, and scoring involves pounding away at treble 20. When commentators say "he's staying upstairs," they mean the player is keeping their darts in the top portion of the board — hitting 20s, maybe drifting into 18s or 1s, but generally maintaining good board position for scoring. It's a compliment, suggesting controlled, purposeful throwing. The upstairs/downstairs distinction becomes most relevant during checkouts. While scoring happens upstairs, checkout routes often require trips downstairs — D16 is in the lower portion, as are many setup shots through 19, 7, or 3. A player who stays upstairs for scoring but transitions smoothly to downstairs targets during checkouts demonstrates excellent board versatility. The 18 segment, sitting just left of the 20 at the top, is an important upstairs neighbor. When your aim drifts to the 18 side, treble 18 (54) is still a strong score. Some checkout routes deliberately use T18 as a setup shot. The 1 segment on the other side of 20 is less forgiving — treble 1 is only 3 points. The 4 and 13 segments, while at the top of the board, are less commonly targeted during scoring. However, they appear in certain checkout routes and cricket games, so familiarity with the entire upstairs neighborhood is valuable. Understanding upstairs as a concept helps you think about board geography and develop a mental map of where targets are relative to each other.