Holland, Michigan · Steel tip since 2008

League info.

Everything you need for the 2026–27 season — when we play, how sign-ups work, and how to play the two games we throw every Wednesday: 501 and American Cricket.

2026–27 Season

At a glance

Oct 7
First night
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
7 PM
League night
Wednesdays, 7:00 – 9:30 PM
Doubles
Format
Two-player teams, steel tip
4 × 8
Divisions
Four divisions of eight teams
32
Team cap
Then new sign-ups are waitlisted
$60
Dues
Per player, per season
Getting in

How sign-ups work

Sign up

Fill out the form on the join page — with a partner or on your own. No partner? Tick I need a partner and we'll try to pair you up.

Confirm your team

Captains confirm their team for the season on the confirmation page, using the phone number registered with the league.

First 32 play

The league runs 32 teams. Your spot is locked in once your team is confirmed.

32

Once all 32 teams are confirmed, new sign-ups go on the waitlist. If a team drops from the league, we'll contact waitlisted teams to fill the spot — so it's always worth signing up.

Format

League night

Tulip City Darts Club is a steel-tip doubles league. Here's how a Wednesday works.

Before you throw

Reading the board

Both games use the same board. Each number owns a wedge, and where your dart lands inside that wedge decides what it's worth.

Where it landsWhat it's worthIn Cricket
SingleThe wide part of the wedge — face value1 mark
TrebleThe thin inner ring — 3× the number3 marks
DoubleThe thin outer ring — 2× the number2 marks
Outer bullGreen ring around the center — 251 mark
BullseyeDead center — 50, counts as a double2 marks
60Most from one dart
(treble 20)
180Most in one turn
(three treble 20s)
3Darts per turn
in both games
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Outer ring = doubles · inner ring = trebles
Green = outer bull (25) · center = bullseye (50)
Game one

501

Count down from 501 to exactly zero — and your last dart has to land in a double.

  1. Both teams start at 501. In doubles, you and your partner alternate turns and count down one shared score.
  2. A turn is three darts. Add up all three and subtract the total from what you have left.
  3. Straight in. Every dart counts from the first throw — you don't need a double to get started.
  4. Double out. To win, your final dart must hit a double (the thin outer ring) or the bullseye, and bring you to exactly zero.
  5. Watch for the bust. Go below zero, land on exactly 1, or reach zero without a double, and the whole turn doesn't count — your score goes back to where it was before that turn.
Example checkout
You're on 60Single 20Double 20

The single 20 leaves 40, and double 20 takes you to exactly zero — game over. Hit a treble 20 instead and you'd reach zero without a double: bust, and you're back on 60.

Worth knowing
  • You can't finish on an odd number. Every double is even, so on an odd score you'll hit a single first to leave yourself a double.
  • 32 is the classic leave. Miss double 16 into the single and you're on 16 — still a double. Keep halving: 8, 4, 2.
  • 170 is the biggest possible checkout: treble 20, treble 20, bullseye.
2011841361015217319716811149125
To finish, your last dart needs the
outer double ring or the bullseye
Game two

American Cricket

Close out 15 through 20 and the bull before the other team — without falling behind on points.

  1. Only seven targets count: 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and the bull. Anything else is a miss.
  2. Hit a number three times to close it. A single is one mark, a double two, a treble three. On the bull, the outer bull is one mark and the bullseye two. Close them in any order.
  3. Closed numbers score. Once you've closed a number and the other team hasn't, every extra mark you hit on it scores its face value — 25 per mark on the bull.
  4. Both closed = dead. When both teams have closed a number, it's shut for good. Nobody scores on it again.
  5. To win, close everything with the points lead or tied. If you've closed all seven but you're behind, keep scoring on numbers your opponents still have open until you catch up.
On the scoreboard
1 mark
2 marks
Closed
Example turn
Treble 20Single 20Double 19

The treble closes 20 in one dart. If the other team hasn't closed 20, the extra single scores you 20 points. The double 19 puts two marks on 19 — one more to close it.

Worth knowing
  • Points are protection, not the goal. Score enough to stay safely ahead, then get back to closing numbers.
  • Close what they're scoring on. If your opponents are piling up points on a number, closing it shuts that down immediately.
  • The stat to watch is MPR — marks per round, the average number of marks you hit per three-dart turn.
2011841361015217319716811149125
Only 15–20 and the bull count in Cricket
Everything greyed out is a miss
Speak the language

Darts terms

Leg
One complete game of 501 or Cricket.
Checkout
The dart or darts that finish a 501 leg — also called going out.
Bust
In 501, going below zero, landing on 1, or reaching zero without a double. The turn doesn't count.
Tops
Double 20 — the double at the very top of the board.
Ton · Ton-80
A ton is 100 or more in one turn. A ton-80 is 180, the maximum.
Hat trick
Three bulls in a single turn.
Mark
One hit toward closing a Cricket number. Singles are one, doubles two, trebles three.
MPR · 3-dart average
The standard stats: marks per round in Cricket, average score per turn in 501.
Cork
One dart each at the bull to decide who throws first — closest to the center wins.
Oche
The throw line, pronounced “ock-ee.” For steel tip it's 7′ 9¼″ from the face of the board, with the bullseye 5′ 8″ off the floor.
Where we play
Tulip City Bar & Grill
430 W 17th St, Ste 110
Holland, MI 49423 · 35 boards
See the venue Directions

Ready to throw?

Sign-ups are open for 2026–27. Questions about the league? Email tulipcitydarts@gmail.com.

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