Darts Tennis
Serve into a play area, rally on the number you hit, then fight through deuce on the bullseye. Full tennis scoring, played entirely on the dartboard.
How to Play Darts Tennis
Two players, one dartboard, and the real scoring rules of tennis: Love, 15, 30, 40, deuce, and all.
1. Serving first
Throw for the bull: whoever lands closer serves the first game, and also serves first if the set ever needs a Set Breaker.
2. The serve
Each service game splits the board into a play area that flips every point: it starts on the left side of the board and swaps to the right side for the next point, alternating all game. The server gets two darts to land anywhere in the live area.
Double on the very first dart and it's an Ace: the point is won outright, no rally needed. Land anywhere else in the area (single or treble) and that number becomes the target: the rally begins. Miss the area with both darts and the point goes straight to the receiver.
3. The rally
Once a target number is set, the server keeps throwing at it for three darts total, scoring a treble as 3, a double as 2, and the rest of that segment as 1. The total becomes the target score. The receiver then throws three darts at the same number trying to beat it.
Beat it and the receiver wins the point. Fall short and the server wins it. Tie, and the server throws three fresh darts to set a new target score: this repeats until someone wins outright.
4. Scoring the game
Points follow real tennis scoring: Love (0), 15, 30, 40, Game. Reach 40-40 and it's deuce: rather than playing on indefinitely, the game is decided by a Bullseye Breaker.
5. The Bullseye Breaker (deuce)
Forget numbers: this one's fought entirely on the bull. The server throws first, and a bullseye with the very first dart is an instant Ace. Otherwise the same rally rules apply: outer bull scores 1, inner bull scores 2, three darts each, ties mean the server throws again. First to 3 points wins the game.
6. Winning the set
Short set: first to 4 games wins outright: unless the score reaches 3-3, which triggers a Set Breaker instead.
Long set: first to 6 games, but you need to win by two: 6-4 or 7-5, for example. Reach 6-6 and the Set Breaker decides it.
The Set Breaker plays exactly like the Bullseye Breaker, except serve alternates: the very first point is served by whoever served the match's first-ever game, then serve switches every two points from there. Short sets are decided by the first to 3 points; long sets need 7, and you have to win by two.
Choosing your format
Short is built for a quick ~25-minute set. Long plays out closer to a full ~55-minute tennis set, with the tougher win-by-two finish. Either way, the Ace rule can be widened to count doubles on 20 and 3 too: normally those two numbers sit right on the boundary between the left and right play areas and don't count for anything.
How to Play
Darts Tennis maps real tennis scoring onto the dartboard. You serve into a play area, then rally on whatever number you land on: win the exchange and you take the point, same as a real rally. Push it to deuce and the game shifts to the bullseye to settle it, right through games, sets, and the match itself, all played out one dart at a time.
Why It Helps Your Game
Because the target keeps shifting with every rally, Darts Tennis trains you to hit whatever number's in front of you rather than settling into one comfortable groove: a genuinely varied accuracy workout dressed up as a familiar sport. The deuce-on-the-bull mechanic also adds real pressure at exactly the moments a real match tightens up, so it's a fun way to practise composure when a game's on the line.