Killer Darts: The Multiplayer Elimination Game for Pub Nights

Introduction

Killer Darts is the ultimate multiplayer darts game for pub nights, house parties, and any gathering where you have a dartboard and three or more willing throwers. Unlike 501 and Cricket, which are typically played between two players or two teams, Killer is designed for large groups — and the more players you have, the more chaotic and entertaining it becomes.

The premise is beautifully simple. Each player is randomly assigned a number on the dartboard. You must first hit the double of your own number to become a “killer.” Once you are a killer, you attack other players by hitting the double of their assigned numbers, removing their lives. Each player starts with 3 lives, and when all your lives are gone, you are eliminated. The last player standing wins.

What makes Killer so compelling is the social dynamic. Alliances form and break. Players gang up on the leader. Friendships are tested when someone lands a double on your number with a smirk. Eliminated players become invested spectators, cheering for the underdog or urging the killer who took them out to suffer the same fate. It is, in many ways, the perfect pub game: easy to learn, loud, dramatic, and guaranteed to generate stories worth retelling.

What You Need

• A standard bristle dartboard — hung with the bullseye at 1.73 metres (5 feet 8 inches) from the floor and the 20 segment at the top.
• A set of 3 darts per player — though players can share a single set if needed, since only one person throws at a time.
• A chalkboard or scoreboard — essential for tracking each player’s assigned number, killer status, and remaining lives. A whiteboard, piece of paper, or even a notes app on a phone works in a pinch.
• The oche — the throwing line marked at 2.37 metres (7 feet 9.25 inches) from the face of the dartboard.

Setting Up the Game

Step 1: Assign Each Player a Number

This is the most distinctive part of Killer and sets the tone for the entire game. Each player throws one dart at the board using their non-dominant hand. Right-handed players throw with their left hand; left-handed players throw with their right. The number the dart lands in becomes that player’s assigned number for the duration of the game.

Using the non-dominant hand ensures the number assignment is essentially random. If players could throw with their strong hand, experienced throwers would choose strategically positioned numbers, creating an unfair advantage. The awkward, wobbly throws with the off-hand create laughs, surprises, and a level playing field from the very first dart.

Important rules for number assignment:

• Each player must have a unique number. If a player hits a number already assigned to someone else, they throw again.
• If a dart misses the board entirely, bounces out, or lands in the bullseye (which has no associated single number segment), the player throws again.
• Doubles and trebles of a number still count as that number. If your off-hand dart lands in the treble 14, your number is 14.

Step 2: Set Up the Scoreboard

Write each player’s name on the scoreboard along with their assigned number. Next to each name, draw three marks representing their three lives. A common format looks like this:

Determine the throwing order by any agreed method. Many groups simply follow the order in which numbers were assigned. Others throw at the bullseye with their dominant hand, with the closest to the bull going first.

How to Play Killer Darts

The game proceeds in two distinct phases: becoming a killer and eliminating opponents. Both phases overlap, as some players achieve killer status before others.

Phase 1: Becoming a Killer

1. Throw at your own double On your turn, throw your three darts at the double segment of your assigned number. The double is the narrow outer ring of the dartboard. For example, if your number is 7, you are aiming at double 7 (the outer ring of the 7 segment).
2. Earn killer status The moment one of your darts hits your own double, you become a killer. A “K” is marked next to your name on the scoreboard. You can now attack other players with your remaining darts in the same turn (if you achieved killer status with your first or second dart).
3. Non-killers cannot attack Until you achieve killer status, any darts that happen to land on other players’ doubles have no effect. Only killers can remove lives from opponents. This creates an urgent race to become a killer — every turn you spend without killer status is a turn where you are defenceless.

Phase 2: Eliminating Opponents

1. Target opponents’ doubles Once you are a killer, you can attack any opponent by hitting the double of their assigned number. Each time you hit an opponent’s double, that opponent loses one life. Erase or cross out one of their life marks on the scoreboard.
2. Choose your targets wisely With three darts per turn, you can target a single opponent aggressively (throwing all three darts at their double) or spread your attacks across multiple opponents. You are free to change targets between darts within the same turn.
3. Watch out for your own double If a killer accidentally hits their own double, they lose one of their own lives. This self-hit rule is critical and adds a layer of risk, especially when your assigned number is physically close to an opponent’s number on the board. Careful aim is essential.
4. Eliminate players When a player loses all 3 lives, they are eliminated from the game. They remove their darts from the equation but often remain to watch (and heckle). Play continues with the remaining players.
5. Last player standing wins The game continues until only one player has lives remaining. That player is the winner.

Detailed Example Game

Let us walk through a few turns of a 5-player game to illustrate how Killer Darts unfolds in practice.

Number assignment (non-dominant hand throws):

• Sarah gets 7
• Tom gets 3
• Lisa gets 18
• Mike gets 11
• Jess gets 15

Round 1:

• Sarah (target: double 7) — Throws three darts at double 7. First dart hits single 7, second dart misses into 16, third dart hits double 7. Sarah becomes a killer. She has no remaining darts to attack this turn.
• Tom (target: double 3) — All three darts miss double 3. He lands in single 3 twice and the 17 once. Still not a killer.
• Lisa (target: double 18) — First dart hits double 18. Lisa becomes a killer. Second dart: she throws at Tom’s double 3 and misses into single 19. Third dart: she throws at Mike’s double 11 and hits it. Mike loses one life (down to 2).
• Mike (target: double 11) — First two darts miss. Third dart hits double 11. Mike becomes a killer but has no darts left this turn.
• Jess (target: double 15) — All three darts miss double 15. Not yet a killer.

Round 2:

• Sarah (killer) — Throws all three darts at Jess’s double 15 (targeting the non-killer who cannot fight back). Hits it once. Jess drops to 2 lives.
• Tom — Still trying to become a killer. Hits double 3 with his second dart. Becomes a killer. Third dart goes at Sarah’s double 7 — misses into double 16. No damage done.
• Lisa (killer) — Throws at Sarah’s double 7 and hits it once. Sarah drops to 2 lives.
• Mike (killer) — Targets Lisa’s double 18 with all three darts. Hits it twice. Lisa drops from 3 lives to 1.
• Jess — Finally hits double 15 and becomes a killer. Immediately throws her remaining two darts at Lisa’s double 18, hoping to eliminate her. Misses both. Lisa survives on 1 life.

This example illustrates the evolving alliances and shifting targets that make Killer so dynamic. Notice how Lisa, an aggressive early killer, quickly becomes a target for everyone else. The game rewards both aggression and smart target selection.

The Scoreboard in Practice

A well-maintained scoreboard is essential for Killer Darts. After round 2 of the example above, the board looks like this:

Update the scoreboard after every turn. In a noisy pub, misremembered life counts cause arguments. A clear, visible scoreboard prevents disputes and keeps the game flowing.

Strategy Tips for Killer Darts

Variants of Killer Darts

Like most pub games, Killer has spawned numerous variants over the years. Here are the most popular.

Singles Killer (Beginner-Friendly)

In this simplified version, any hit on the target number counts — not just the double. To become a killer, you hit any part of your assigned number (single, double, or treble). To attack opponents, you hit any part of their assigned number. This variant is much easier and is recommended for groups that include beginners or younger players who may struggle to hit the narrow double ring consistently.

Blind Killer

Numbers are assigned secretly. Instead of throwing with the non-dominant hand, each player draws a number from a hat (or a shuffled deck of cards numbered 1–20). Players do not reveal their number to anyone. The game proceeds as normal, but nobody knows which number belongs to which player. Hits on other players’ doubles are announced by a neutral scorekeeper, adding a layer of deduction and paranoia. This variant works best with 5 or more players and a trusted scorekeeper.

Team Killer

Players divide into teams of 2 or 3. Team members share a pool of lives (typically 5 or 6 for a team of 2, or 9 for a team of 3). Each team member has their own assigned number and must independently achieve killer status, but any lives lost come from the shared pool. This variant encourages team coordination — one team member might focus on becoming a killer quickly while the other plays more defensively.

5-Life Killer

Simply increase the starting lives from 3 to 5. This creates a significantly longer game with more opportunities for comebacks, shifting alliances, and dramatic late-game swings. Best suited for groups that want an extended session rather than a quick round.

Sudden Death Killer

Each player starts with only 1 life. One hit and you are out. This creates an extremely tense, fast-paced game where every dart matters and the first player to become a killer holds enormous power. Games typically last 5 to 10 minutes, making it ideal for quick rounds between other games or when time is limited.

Revenge Killer

When a player is eliminated, they get one final “revenge turn” of three darts. If they hit any active player’s double with their revenge darts, that player loses a life. This variant gives eliminated players a dramatic send-off and can radically change the game in the final moments. The revenge mechanic also discourages players from targeting the weakest opponent, since eliminating someone means facing their revenge throws.

The Self-Hit Rule: Why It Matters

The rule that killers lose a life when they hit their own double is not a minor detail — it is the balancing mechanism that prevents the game from becoming one-sided. Without the self-hit rule, a killer with a high assigned number (like 20 or 18) could attack with impunity, never worrying about stray darts finding their own double. The self-hit rule introduces risk into every attack, especially when targeting opponents whose numbers are neighbours on the board.

Consider this scenario: your number is 11, and you are targeting an opponent whose number is 14. On the standard dartboard, 11 and 14 are directly adjacent. Every dart aimed at double 14 that drifts slightly to the right could land in double 11, costing you a life instead. Experienced Killer players learn to evaluate these risk-reward calculations before every turn: is it worth targeting an adjacent opponent and risking a self-hit, or is it safer to attack someone whose number is on the other side of the board?

This dynamic creates fascinating strategic depth in what appears to be a simple party game. The board layout — specifically which numbers are neighbours — becomes a genuine strategic factor, and players who understand the board geometry gain an advantage.

Board Layout Reference for Killer

Understanding which numbers sit next to each other on the dartboard is valuable in Killer Darts. Here is the full clockwise sequence starting from the top:

20 — 1 — 18 — 4 — 13 — 6 — 10 — 15 — 2 — 17 — 3 — 19 — 7 — 16 — 8 — 11 — 14 — 9 — 12 — 5 — (back to 20)

Knowing this sequence helps you assess risk. If your number is 6, your neighbours are 13 and 10. Targeting players with numbers 13 or 10 is risky because your darts could easily stray into your own 6 segment. Conversely, targeting a player with number 17 (on the opposite side of the board from 6) carries almost no self-hit risk.

Killer Darts Etiquette

Killer is a social game, and good etiquette keeps the atmosphere fun rather than hostile:

• Do not take eliminations personally. Being targeted and eliminated is part of the game. Reacting with genuine anger or sulking kills the mood for everyone. Accept it with good humour and enjoy watching the rest of the game unfold.
• Announce your targets clearly. Before each throw, it helps to say aloud who you are targeting, especially in a noisy pub. “Going for Lisa’s 18” removes ambiguity and makes the game more transparent and exciting for spectators.
• Keep the scoreboard accurate. Assign one person to manage the scoreboard, or designate the most recently eliminated player. Disputed life counts ruin the game faster than anything else.
• Be gracious in victory. Winning Killer means you were the last person standing while everyone else watched from the sidelines. A simple “good game” goes further than extended celebration.
• Rotate the first thrower. In subsequent games, rotate who throws first so the same player does not always get the advantage of early killer status.

Killer vs Other Darts Games

Frequently Asked Questions