Guide
Legs and Sets explained
How darts matches are counted, from the club tournament to the World Championship
“Best of 5 Legs”, “sets format”, “first to 3”: darts formats sound more complicated than they are. This guide explains Legs, Sets and best-of formats, who throws first and what applies in a deciding Leg or Set.
Leg
A Leg is a single game, usually 501 Double Out. It ends when a player reaches exactly zero. Legs are the smallest unit of every format.
Best of Legs
Most club and amateur tournaments play matches as “best of”: in Best of 3 Legs the first to two Legs wins, in Best of 5 it's three, in Best of 7 four. “First to 3” means the same as Best of 5. Leagues often play Best of 5 in singles and Best of 3 in doubles; the formats are shown in the schedule.
Sets
Big tournaments and the World Championship are played in Sets. A Set goes to whoever wins three Legs first (Best of 5 Legs per Set); the match goes to whoever reaches the required number of Sets, at the World Championship three to seven depending on the round. Sets even out weak phases: a lost Set only counts as one, no matter how clear it was.
Starting throw
- First Leg: a throw at the Bullseye decides who starts
- After that the starting throw alternates each Leg; in sets format also per Set according to fixed rules
- Deciding leg: at many tournaments there is a fresh bull-up before the final leg
- Tiebreak at the World Championship: in the final set a player has to win by two legs; at 5:5 in legs the next leg after a bull-up decides
Formats in practice
- Amateur tournament group stage: best of 3 legs
- Knockout rounds: best of 5, final best of 7 or 9
- League singles: best of 5, doubles: best of 3 (depends on the association)
- PDC: Pro Tour best of 11 legs, Matchplay best of 19 to 35 legs, World Championship in sets
Reading results
A result like 3:1 in a best-of-5 match means three legs won to one. With sets, usually only the set score is given (4:2), while the legs per set appear in the detail view. On DartCloud's pro tournament pages you see both, plus average, checkouts and highest throws per player. At amateur tournaments the tournament software reports the leg result to the ranking and to your profile.
Why formats decide favourites
The shorter the format, the bigger the role of luck: in a best of 3, a good start and one lucky leg are enough. Over best of 11 or in sets mode the more consistent player usually comes through, because single outliers get diluted. That's why organisers pick short formats for the early rounds, when many matches run in parallel, and long ones for the semi-finals and the final.
Frequently asked questions
What does best of 5 legs mean?
Whoever wins three legs first has won the match. “First to 3” is the same format.
What is a set in darts?
Several legs, usually three legs won. The World Championship and other big tournaments are played in sets.
Who throws first in the deciding leg?
Depending on the rules, the player whose turn it is, or there's a new throw for the Bullseye; the tournament regulations set this out.
What is the tiebreak at the darts World Championship?
In the final set a player needs a two-leg lead; at 5-5 one leg decides after a throw for the Bullseye.
Formats in a tournament
Tournaments near you with the format for each round, in the app.
Next tournaments with registration
Tournaments with DartCloud registration coming up next.
- Reichertshausen Dart Masters – Reichertshausen · 11.11.2026
- Titel steht hier – 05.11.2026
- Freitagstraining – Melle-Buer · 05.11.2026
- Schlängger-Turnier – 12.12.2026
- Schlängger-Turnier – 12.12.2026
- 10. Firmen Dart Turnier des TSV Westerhausen – Melle · 07.01.2027
- 10. Party Dart Turnier Nachmittagssession beim TSV Westerhausen – Melle · 08.01.2027
- 10. Party Dart Turnier des TSV Westerhausen – Melle · 08.01.2027
Darts clubs near you
The most viewed clubs – with your location the page shows clubs near you.
- TSV Westerhausen-Föckinghausen e.V. – Melle · Training: Do
- SuS Buer 1927 e.V. – Melle · Training: Fr
- SV Lok Nossen Dart – Nossen · Training: Mo, Mi, Fr
- DJK Ewaldi Aplerbeck 1930 e.V. – Dortmund · Training: Di, Mi, Fr
- DC Bermatingen-Ahausen – Bermatingen · Training: Di
- Wooden Dart Club – Bochum · Training: Mo
- TVS Die Überspitzen – Fuldatal · Training: Mi
- DC Ruhrpott Freunde – Essen · Training: Mi