Bob's 27 — Darts Doubles Practice Game
Bob's 27 is a solo practice game that tests your accuracy on every double on the dartboard. You start with 27 points and work through D1 to D20, finishing with the bullseye. Hit the double and score points — miss all three darts and lose points. It's the go-to doubles practice routine used by players at every level.
What Is Bob's 27?
Bob's 27 is the most widely used darts practice game for training doubles. It was popularised on online darts forums and is now a staple warm-up routine for club, league, and professional players alike. The game gives you a clear, repeatable score that tracks your doubles accuracy over time.
How to Play
You start with 27 points. The game has 21 rounds — one for each double on the board (D1 through D20) followed by the double bullseye (D-Bull). In each round you throw 3 darts at the current target double.
- •Hit the double: The double's value is added to your score for each hit. For example, hitting D5 once adds 10 points. Hitting it twice in the same round adds 20.
- •Miss all 3 darts: The double's value is subtracted from your score. Missing D5 costs you 10 points.
- •Your score can go negative — that's completely normal, especially for beginners.
Scoring Example
Here's a sample of the first few rounds to show how scoring works:
- •Round 1 (D1, worth 2): You hit it once → 27 + 2 = 29
- •Round 2 (D2, worth 4): You miss all 3 → 29 − 4 = 25
- •Round 3 (D3, worth 6): You hit it twice → 25 + 12 = 37
- •Round 4 (D4, worth 8): You miss all 3 → 37 − 8 = 29
- •...and so on through D20 and D-Bull
The Doubles & Their Values
Each round targets one double. The value at stake (gained per hit, or lost on a full miss) equals the double's point value:
- •D1 = 2 points, D2 = 4, D3 = 6, D4 = 8, D5 = 10
- •D6 = 12, D7 = 14, D8 = 16, D9 = 18, D10 = 20
- •D11 = 22, D12 = 24, D13 = 26, D14 = 28, D15 = 30
- •D16 = 32, D17 = 34, D18 = 36, D19 = 38, D20 = 40
- •D-Bull = 50 points — the final and highest-stakes round
Strategy Tips
Bob's 27 rewards consistency more than any single big hit. The later rounds (D16–D20 and D-Bull) carry much more weight — missing D20 costs 40 points while missing D1 only costs 2.
- •Focus on accuracy, not speed. Take your time on each dart.
- •Use it as a warm-up before league or ranked matches to dial in your doubles.
- •Track your scores over time. Consistent improvement matters more than a single great game.
- •The bull round (D-Bull, worth 50) can make or break your final score — practice it separately too.
- •Play it regularly. The best way to improve at doubles is repetition on every segment.
Maximum Possible Score
The theoretical maximum score is 1,437. This requires hitting all 3 darts on every single double — that's 63 consecutive doubles. Even top professionals rarely break 500, so don't be discouraged by a low score!
Score Brackets
| Score | Level |
|---|---|
| 🏆 1000+ | Professional |
| ⭐ 500–999 | Outstanding |
| 🔥 300–499 | Excellent |
| 💪 200–299 | Strong performance |
| 👍 100–199 | Good throwing |
| 👌 28–99 | Not bad |
| 😤 1–27 | More practice |
| 💀 ≤ 0 | Rough day |
Frequently Asked Questions
Bob's 27 is a popular solo darts practice game designed to improve your doubles. You start with 27 points and throw 3 darts at each double from D1 to D20, then the double bullseye. Hitting the double adds its value to your score; missing all 3 darts subtracts it. The game gives you a single number that measures your doubles accuracy.
For most pub and league players, finishing above zero is a solid result. A score of 28–99 is respectable, 100–199 is good throwing, and anything above 200 is a strong performance. Scores above 300 are excellent and typically only achieved by advanced players. Most beginners will finish negative — that's completely normal.
The maximum possible score is 1,437. This requires hitting all 3 darts on every double in all 21 rounds (63 consecutive doubles). In practice, even professional players rarely score above 500. The theoretical max is calculated as: 27 (starting) + 3×(2+4+6+...+40+50) = 27 + 3×470 = 1,437.
Yes, and it's very common. Missing the early doubles only costs a few points, but missing D15 through D20 costs 30–40 points each. Many players, especially beginners, finish with a negative score. The game continues even if your score drops below zero — you play all 21 rounds regardless.
There are 21 rounds: one for each of the 20 doubles on the dartboard (D1 through D20), plus one final round for the double bullseye (D-Bull, worth 50 points). Each round consists of 3 darts thrown at the target double.
Bob's 27 is widely considered the best doubles practice routine in darts. It forces you to throw at every double on the board, including ones you might normally avoid. The scoring system means that later rounds (higher doubles) carry more weight, which mirrors real match pressure. Many league and professional players use it as a regular warm-up.
The name comes from the starting score of 27 and was popularised on online darts forums. The origin of "Bob" is debated — it likely refers to the person who first shared the game format on a darts community forum. The name stuck and is now universally recognised in the darts world.
Yes. While Bob's 27 is traditionally a solo practice game, it works well as a multiplayer competition. Each player takes turns completing all 21 rounds, and the player with the highest final score wins. It's a great way to add a competitive element to doubles practice.