Darts Betting Rules: 180s, Checkouts, Handicaps and Unfinished Matches
Quick answer: darts bets settle on the official result of the scheduled match format. If a match is not finished, every market still open is void and markets already decided stand. Handicaps, totals and correct scores need a completed match. In most 180s and highest checkout, a tie is the trap: where a Tie is priced, both player bets lose, and in combined bets such as the match treble any tie loses the whole bet.
Darts looks simple to settle: one player wins, there is no draw and the scoreboard is exact. The disputes come from everything around the result. A player withdraws mid-match with the 180s count already past your line. Two players finish level on maximums. A handicap of 1.5 legs meets a 5-4 finish. The format is changed after the market opened.
This guide sets out how each darts market is settled, quoting a UK bookmaker's published rules where the wording decides the outcome, with worked examples on the best-of-9-legs format used in the Grand Slam of Darts groups. It is about how bets are settled, not about who to back.
The next six weeks: two televised PDC majors
Updated 7 November 2026. The Grand Slam of Darts starts next weekend with a new 48-player group format, and the World Championship follows at Alexandra Palace. Group matches at the Grand Slam are short (first to five legs), which is exactly where leg handicaps and total legs lines are tightest. The full group format and the three-way tie rules are in our Grand Slam of Darts 2026 guide.
| Event | Dates | Venue | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam of Darts | Sat 14 to Sun 22 Nov 2026 | WV Active Aldersley, Wolverhampton | 48 players, 16 groups of three; group matches best of 9 legs, last 16 best of 19, quarter-finals to final best of 31 |
| PDC World Darts Championship | Fri 11 Dec 2026 to Sun 3 Jan 2027 | Alexandra Palace (Great Hall), London | 128 players, set play; Christmas break 24 to 27 December |
How each darts market settles
The table follows Midnite's published darts rules, a UK-licensed bookmaker, read on 7 November 2026. Two general lines govern all of it: "Bets are settled using official match results declared by the Governing Body" and "All references to sets, legs, 180s and checkouts are based on the match format as scheduled." Your own bookmaker's darts rules have the final word.
| Market | What it settles on | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Match winner | The official result declared by the governing body. Darts matches have no draw. | Not finished and no winner decided: void. At Midnite, a player who goes through after an abandoned match is settled as the winner. |
| Correct score (sets or legs) | The final score of the completed match. | Void if the match is not finished. |
| Leg, set and 180s handicaps | The handicap is added to the final score or count at the end of the match. | Void if the match is not finished, even if one side was already well clear. |
| Total legs, total sets, total 180s | The total over the full match, or the named player's total for player markets. | Void if the match is not finished. |
| Most 180s | The player with more 180s at the end of the match. | Ties: read the market. With a Tie selection, both player bets lose on a tie. |
| First player to score a 180 | Whoever hits the first 180. | Void if nobody hits one, or if the match ends early before the first 180. |
| Highest checkout, 170 checkout | The single highest finish in the match; a 170 is the maximum checkout. | 170 market: void if the match is not finished and no 170 had been hit yet. |
| Set and leg markets (set X winner, leg X winner) | That set or leg only. | Set markets: void if the set is not finished. Leg markets: void if the leg does not take place. |
| Match treble and other combinations | Every part must be correct. | Midnite: any tie in any part loses the bet; not finished is void. |
Retirements, walkovers and matches that are not finished
The general rule is short: "If a match is not finished, all undecided markets are considered void." It is paired with a definition that does the real work: "A market is only considered decided when its outcome has been fully and unconditionally determined." A darts match can stop early for a medical problem, an equipment issue or a withdrawal, and the same bet slip can then contain winners, losers and refunds.
The match: a best-of-9-legs group match stops at 3-2 in legs when one player withdraws. Four 180s have been hit, the first of them by the player who withdrew.
First player to score a 180: stands. It was decided in full before play stopped.
Leg handicap, total legs, correct score: void, stake returned. None of them can be decided without a completed match.
Total 180s over 3.5:the line had already been passed, but Midnite's totals section says totals are void if the match is not finished. Where the general rule and a market rule point different ways, this is the case to ask your bookmaker about rather than assume it stands.
Match winner:Midnite settles a player who goes through to the next round after an abandoned match as the winner. In a round robin group there is no "next round" from a single match, so check how your bookmaker words withdrawals before a group stage.
Format changes are covered separately: "If the match format is changed after markets are offered, affected bets may be voided." The word is "may", so a bet on total legs in a match moved from best of 19 to best of 21 is at the bookmaker's discretion. How the same questions are handled in football, cricket and tennis is in our abandoned match betting rules guide.
Ties in most 180s and highest checkout
Two players level on maximums is common in short matches, and the settlement depends entirely on how the market was built. Read the bet slip before the first dart, because the three versions pay very differently.
- Three-way market with a Tie: a tie is a result in its own right. Tie bets win; both player bets lose.
- Two-way market under dead heat rules: half the stake is paid at full odds and half is lost. 10 pounds at 1.83 becomes 5 pounds at 1.83, a return of 9.15 pounds against the 18.30 a clear win would have paid.
- Combined markets:at Midnite, "If the most 180s result is tied, bets are losing" in match winner and most 180s, and "Any tie in any component results in a losing bet" in the match treble (winner, most 180s and highest checkout).
The dead heat calculator works out any stake, and dead heat rules explained covers the rule across sports.
Leg handicaps on a best-of-9 match
A leg handicap adds legs to one player's final score. On a first to five legs match the usual line is 1.5: the favourite at -1.5 must win by two clear legs, the outsider at +1.5 covers by winning or by losing 4-5. The half leg means the bet can never land exactly on the number.
| Favourite's result | Favourite -1.5 | Outsider +1.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Wins 5-1 | Win | Lose |
| Wins 5-3 | Win | Lose |
| Wins 5-4 | Lose | Win |
| Loses 4-5 | Lose | Win |
| Loses 2-5 | Lose | Lose |
Whole-number lines such as -2 can land exactly: a 5-3 win is a margin of two, and with no handicap tie offered the bet is normally cancelled with the stake returned. Where a handicap tie is priced as a third outcome, the tie wins and both sides lose. Set handicaps at the World Championship work the same way on the set score.
Total legs: why 7.5 is the line on a first to five
A best-of-9 match can last five to nine legs. The table shows how often each total comes up in a simple model where every leg is an independent contest: once for two evenly matched players, and once for a favourite who wins 65% of legs. Real matches are not quite independent (the throw alternates, and holding throw is an advantage), so treat the figures as a guide to the shape, not as prices.
| Total legs | Evenly matched (50% per leg) | Favourite wins 65% of legs |
|---|---|---|
| 5 legs (5-0 or 0-5) | 6.2% | 12.1% |
| 6 legs (5-1 or 1-5) | 15.6% | 22.0% |
| 7 legs (5-2 or 2-5) | 23.4% | 24.6% |
| 8 legs (5-3 or 3-5) | 27.3% | 22.5% |
| 9 legs (5-4 or 4-5) | 27.3% | 18.8% |
| Over 7.5 legs | 54.7% (fair odds 1.83) | 41.2% (fair odds 2.43) |
Two things follow. Between equals, eight and nine legs are the two most likely totals, and over 7.5 is slightly better than a coin flip. Once one player is clearly stronger, the short finishes become more likely and the over drifts. In the same model the 65% favourite wins the match 82.8% of the time but covers -1.5 legs only 70.6% of the time. To turn any of these percentages into decimal or fractional odds, use the odds converter; the margin calculator shows how much of a two-way price is the bookmaker's margin.
Outright and each-way bets on a darts tournament
Tournament outrights are settled on the winner of the event, whatever happens in individual matches. Each-way terms on darts (the fraction of the odds and how many places are paid) vary by bookmaker and by event, and they are printed on the market: read them before you place the bet, not after a semi-final exit. The each-way calculator shows the return for any terms, and outright betting explained covers withdrawals before and during a tournament.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to darts bets if a player retires or the match is not finished?
Markets that were still open are void and stakes are returned; markets already decided before play stopped stand. Midnite's rules say: "If a match is not finished, all undecided markets are considered void." So a bet on the first player to score a 180 that had already been settled still counts, while totals, handicaps and correct score bets are void. For the match winner, Midnite settles a player who goes through to the next round after an abandoned match as the winner; other bookmakers word this differently, so check your own before the match.
How are most 180s bets settled if both players hit the same number?
It depends on how the market was offered. If the market lists a Tie as a third selection, a tie wins only for Tie bets and both player bets lose. In combined markets such as match winner and most 180s, Midnite states that a tied most 180s result makes the bet a loser. If only the two players are priced and your bookmaker applies dead heat rules, half your stake is paid at full odds: 10 pounds at 1.83 returns 9.15 pounds.
How does a leg handicap work in darts betting?
The handicap is added to the final leg score. In a best-of-9-legs match, a player at -1.5 legs must win by two legs or more: 5-3 wins the bet, 5-4 loses it. The opponent at +1.5 wins the bet by winning the match or by losing it 4-5. Half-leg lines cannot end level; a whole-number line that lands exactly on the margin is normally cancelled with the stake returned, unless a handicap tie was priced as its own outcome.
What is a match treble in darts betting?
A single bet that one player wins the match, hits the most 180s and has the highest checkout. All three parts must be achieved outright: Midnite's rule is that any tie in any component makes the bet a loser, so a player who wins the match and the 180s count but shares the highest checkout with his opponent loses the treble. If the match is not finished, the bet is void.
When are the Grand Slam of Darts and the World Darts Championship?
The Grand Slam of Darts runs from Saturday 14 to Sunday 22 November 2026 in Wolverhampton, with 48 players in 16 groups of three and best-of-9-legs group matches. The PDC World Darts Championship runs from Friday 11 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 at Alexandra Palace, London, with 128 players and the usual Christmas break from 24 to 27 December.
Sources and method
Read on 7 November 2026. Quoted wordings are from the published darts rules of Midnite, a bookmaker licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (page dated 19 March 2026). The Grand Slam of Darts format and dates are from our Grand Slam guide, which lists its own sources; the World Championship dates, venue and field size are from Sky Sports' announcement of 6 August 2026. The leg-total and handicap percentages are our own calculation with a binomial model, rounded to one decimal place.
- Midnite, Darts betting rules — help.midnite.com
- Sky Sports, World Darts Championship 2026/27 dates confirmed for Alexandra Palace — skysports.com
18+. Darts is on television almost every night from mid-November to January, and leg markets settle every few minutes. Decide before the session how much you are prepared to lose, and stop there. Deposit limits, time-outs and support are on our responsible gambling page.