How to Play Bobs 27s

Bobs 27s is a game created by former professional dart player Bob Anderson. These days many people all over the world use it as a way to increase their proficiency on doubles.

Rules of Bobs 27s

• Each player starts on a score of 27.
• You get three darts throwing at each double.
• If you hit the double, you score the amount of which the double is worth.
• If you hit the double more than once you get the value each time for example two hits out double one is worth four points
• However, if you miss the target completely you are deducted that targets total score for example if you miss double one with three darts you lose two points.
• The game ends when you have had a go at all targets including the bullseye.
• Alternatively, this game also ends if you score goes below zero.

Scoring Bobs 27s

The game is scored quite easily by keeping track of what you are currently on. In most cases this can be done in your head, but if this isn’t possible just keep a simple record on paper or a phone.

I would recommend you attempt to write the score down as you go along as you can use this record to look for weaknesses in your game after you have played. You may end up finding that you are regularly missing the same throws. This can really help you know what you need to work on to improve your game.

Tips and Tricks

Score should be odd – All doubles on the game are even so if you end up on a final score that is even you have made a mathematical error.

Do not throw darts away – A common mistake made by players new is that once a target looks blocked, they will throw darts wildly. However, this is an incorrect play. Just try and maintain throwing the darts in the correct direction of the double. This will maximize your chances of hitting the double and scoring something in this round.

Why this game?

This game is an essential part of any practice routine. No other game has such a high focus on the doubles as this one. The included punishment of having to restart if your score goes below zero makes this the perfect game to fulfil the practice with intent criteria.

Practice With Intent

Practice with intent is a criteria within darts games. It essentially means that the game should focus on something specifically to target when you are practicing. The game should have some kind of risk and reward factor in order to punish mistakes while rewarding good play. The idea behind this is that psychologically if you did something in practice and it triggered a negative response in your brain you are not going to want to replicate it in an actual match scenario. This will perfectly train you for a game situation. It also puts the perfect amount of pressure on you, as if you have not hit the double after two darts it can be extremely nerve racking when throwing your third dart. This is the same way it feels when you’re under pressure in a professional game scenario.

If struggling:

It is common to find this game difficult as a beginner. If you are regularly missing doubles and your score is going below zero you can play the game where going below zero is allowed. Just note how far below zero you finish and try and improve from there. Once you are consistently finishing in the positives you can remove this rule and try again. As with all darts games the rules are flexible, and you are able to adjust to suit your needs best.

This game is not only important in darts because of the skill increase it gives. It also was created by Bob Anderson, a pro dart player who created the game because wanted a new way to practice on doubles that focuses more on risk and reward that other games at the time simply were not getting. Knowing that this is a game that pros are playing says a lot.

Why start on 27

This can be changed as long as it remains a multiple of 3 and an odd number. This was to ensure that every player gets at least five goes at the board before they can be out. It would not be fun and would get boring to newer players if they (like in the case of around the board) cannot move on because they are constantly stuck on one number.

Bobs 27s Final Thoughts

This game is meant to be a fun way to practice and improve. That’s exactly why Bob created it years ago. If you are serious about improving your game this is one of the best there is to do it with. However, if you are just playing for fun there may be easier dart games that you might want to try first. Again, you can always use variations of this game to make it easier like removing the below zero rule.