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Half It Rules - How to Play

In Half It, every round has its own target. Hits add points. Miss the target with all 3 darts and your score is cut in half.

Also known as: Halve-It, Halve It, Halves, Bermuda Triangle, Split Score, or Burma Road.

How to play

  1. Agree on a starting score. This guide uses 40 points, and some groups start at 0.
  2. Take turns throwing 3 darts at the round’s target.
  3. Each dart on the target adds the points it scores, so adds 36.
  4. Hit the target at least once and your score is safe. Miss with all 3 darts and your score is halved, so 120 becomes 60. Agree beforehand whether an odd score rounds up or down.
  5. Play all 9 rounds.

Round sequence

Groups often choose their own targets. This guide uses these 9 rounds:

RoundTargetWhat scores
115Any hit on 15: , , or
216Any hit on 16: , , or
3DoublesAny double from to , or
417Any hit on 17: , , or
518Any hit on 18: , , or
6TriplesAny triple from to
719Any hit on 19: , , or
820Any hit on 20: , , or
9BullOuter bull or bullseye: or

How to win

After 9 rounds, the highest score wins.

Custom rule options

There are many ways to play Half It. If you use DartsOn, you can play with the following options:

SettingChoicesApp Default (Standard)
Variant
  • Standard: the 9 rounds above
  • Random: 6 different numbers plus a Doubles, Triples, and Bull round, shuffled
Standard
  • 1, 3, 5
  • 3, 5, 7

Custom counts from 1 to 99.

 3
  • 1, 3, 5
  • 3, 5, 7

Custom counts from 1 to 99.

 1

Both variants start everyone on 40 and play 9 rounds. When DartsOn halves an odd score it rounds down, so 45 becomes 22. If scores are level, the player with more target hits per round wins.

Stats tracked in DartsOn

At the end of each leg, DartsOn shows these stats for each player:

Stat What it shows
Total Score Your final score after any halving, including the 40 starting points.
Darts Darts thrown in the leg.
Rounds Rounds played.
Halved Rounds where you missed the target and your score was halved.
Hit Rate Rounds with at least one hit, as a share of rounds played.
Best Round Your highest-scoring round.
MPR Target hits per player turn. Every hit counts as 1, whichever ring it lands in.
Heat map Where each player's darts landed. Tap it for a full-screen view of every landing.

Shown when darts are scored with the camera.

In a game of several legs, the end-of-game summary adds up every leg and shows how many legs each player won.

Half It FAQ

What happens if you miss all 3 darts in Half It?

Your whole running score is cut in half if none of your 3 darts meets that round's target. In a numbered round, a single on the right number is enough to avoid the penalty. In a doubles or triples round, a single does not count.

Do you round up or down when halving in Half It?

It depends on the house rule. Some groups round an odd score up, so 45 becomes 23, and others round down. DartsOn rounds down, so 45 becomes 22.

What score do you start with in Half It?

Some groups start at 0 and others at 40. With 40, everyone has something to lose from round 1. With 0, an early miss costs nothing. DartsOn starts everyone on 40.

What counts in the doubles and triples rounds?

Any double or any triple on the board, not one particular number. In the doubles round, the bullseye counts as a double too.

Is Half It the same as Shanghai?

No. In Half It, missing the round's target with all 3 darts halves your score. In Shanghai, misses score zero without reducing your existing total, and a single, double, and triple of the current number in one turn wins immediately. Pub names vary, so check how the game is scored.

Why do Half It games have different targets?

Half It is played with different agreed sequences. Some include colours, a particular total, or other challenges alongside numbered targets, doubles, triples, and the bull. The shared rule is that missing the round's challenge halves your score. Agree on the targets and what counts as a hit before you start.

Why play Half It with DartsOn?

DartsOn shows the target for each round, adds your hits, and halves the right scores for you. Switch to the random sequence for a different game each time, and play against friends or bots, or use camera auto-scoring.

Test your accuracy with Half It

Start Half It in DartsOn and see who can survive the trickier rounds. The app shows each target and handles the score halving when all 3 darts miss.

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