Dart Game Rules


Rules For Prisoner


Prisoner: This is a great game for large numbers of players, the more players, the better. It can be played with any number, however, even two. It has the strangest twist of any game I've ever played on the dart board.


The Object: The object is to be the first to shoot "around the clock" one dart in each number from 1, clockwise, to 20.


The Scoring: No scoring is needed as long as each player can remember what number they left off at the last time they threw. If there are alot of players (or some players have had a little too much suds) a list of names and current target number can be kept on the scoreboard.

Each player should throw one dart at bulls-eye, closest to the bulls-eye goes first. After the first game, order can be reversed with the winner of the previous game going last.


The Play: The first player tries to shoot one dart into each number, in order, starting with the number 1. Only the thin inner triple ring, thin outer double ring, and the wedge inbetween count as scoring the target number.

After the 1 is hit in any of the playable areas, the next target is 18 and so on, clockwise around the board.

If the player's dart misses the board (outside the doubles ring) or bounces out, the dart is left in the board for one turn. The player throws only two darts the next turn and then may pull the lost dart for use in the next turn after that.

Now for the REALLY weird part: If the player throws a dart into the area from the bullseye to the triples ring (bull and double bull included), the dart is left in the board and is a "PRISONER". A prisoner dart remains in the board until any player (including the player who threw the dart) hits the playable area of the same number (in the case of the bullseye, hitting another bullseye captures the prisoner). Once a player captures a "prisoner", the dart is his/hers to use for the rest of the game (unless it is lost in the same manner).

If there is more than one "prisoner" dart that may be captured, they may only be captured one at a time. For example, if there are two darts in the 18 between the bulls-eye and the triples ring, two darts must be thrown into the playable area of the 18 to capture them both.

After the first "prisoner" is captured, one player now has four darts to use while the player who lost the dart has only two. By the end of the game, you might be playing with 7 darts and none of them might actually be yours!

Play continues until one player has gotten a dart in every number from 1 through 20 in the target area. The first player to do this wins the game.


Strategy: The only strategy in this game envolves the decision to progress towards reaching the 20 as opposed to trying to capture prisoner darts. While "wasting" darts trying to get the prisoner darts, other players may get too far ahead of you and win the game. Remember keeping your original three darts is the best idea, other peoples darts do not throw the same as yours and you will not be as accurate.


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