118 Checkout in Darts — T20 → 18 → D20
The 118 checkout uses a three-dart route through T20, 18 into D20. At this score, controlling the first dart is the central challenge — everything else in the route depends on where T20 lands. A clean execution through T20 → 18 → D20 leads directly into D20, one of the strongest finishing doubles on the board and a consistent closer under match pressure.
Controlling the dart toward the 5 side on the opening throw from 118 is the miss management available here. A drift into 5 leaves 113 — a manageable recovery position. The 1 side leaves 117, which creates a significantly harder continuation. The difference between those two outcomes is not small, and it is within the player's control to influence which one is more likely by building a slight directional preference into the throw preparation rather than aiming straight and hoping the miss falls the right way.
The sequence on 118 needs to be treated as three separate committed throws rather than as one connected action. Each dart in T20 → 18 → D20 should receive its own approach and its own full commitment — T20 thrown to T20, 18 thrown to 18, and D20 thrown to D20. Players who think about the double during the setup darts are splitting their attention across the visit in a way that reliably degrades the quality of the throw that needs it most.
Slow the approach down, not the throw. Walking to the oche deliberately creates time to settle. The throw itself should be exactly as fast as it always is. The gap between practice performance and match performance on 118 is always a pressure gap. Closing it requires training the pressure response, not just the throw. At 118, players often chase perfect darts instead of staying within the structure — which is exactly how a reachable finish turns into a dropped leg. The players who handle pressure best on 118 have rehearsed the discomfort often enough that it no longer disrupts the throw. Tension changes the release point. A tighter grip means the dart leaves the hand later and lands lower. That is the miss that pressure creates, and it is preventable.
Triple start into an elite double is the strongest structure under pressure. Commit to T20 and trust D20 — this route holds up when it matters.
Route Comparison & Target Selection
Primary: T20 → 18 → D20
treble 20 (60), single 18, closing on double 20 — high-percentage close
Alternate: T20 → 20 → D19
treble 20 (60), single 20, closing on double 19
The primary (T20 → 18 → D20) and alternate (T20 → 20 → D19) follow similar approaches, but the primary closes on D20 — a stronger finishing double than D19. Under match pressure, that difference compounds: D20 is more forgiving on a slight miss, splits more cleanly, and is more commonly practised at competitive level. The miss geometry on T20 is asymmetric — the 5 side leaves 113 and the 1 side leaves 117, so the preferred drift direction is toward 5. The primary is the correct default. The alternate is available when the primary's approach is not producing clean grouping on a given visit.
The key miss geometry: 5 leaves 113 (workable), 1 leaves 117 (harder). Bias toward 5.
Miss Geometry, Route Structure & When to Use the Alternate
From 118, the first dart targets treble 20 — but the neighbour geometry here matters as much as the target itself. The 5 sits to the left and the 1 to the right, making this the most unforgiving triple on the board for errant darts. A miss into 5 from 118 produces 113 remaining; into 1 it produces 117. The preferred drift direction — toward 5 — leaves the more workable 113, but even that requires a recovery route that starts the close later than hitting the treble would. When grouping drifts below the bed consistently, treble 19 corrects both the mechanical and geometric problem simultaneously: its 3 and 7 neighbours are higher-value, the miss cost is lower, and the route into a close from the resulting leaves is more often clean. For the structure from here, three darts are the minimum from 118 because the score does not break into a clean two-dart finish from any standard opening. The route — T20 → 18 → D20 — assigns each dart a distinct role: T20 opens the scoring phase, 18 bridges into the finish window, and D20 closes the leg. The most common breakdown on three-dart routes is not on the closing double but on the second dart — players who land the first setup dart cleanly sometimes release pressure too early, rush 18, and arrive at D20 from a worse position than the route intended. Treating each dart in the sequence as its own committed decision, rather than as a step toward the eventual close, is the execution standard that three-dart routes require. As for the alternate route, between the two options, the primary closes on the stronger double (D20 versus the alternate's D19). That edge accumulates in match play — arriving at a higher-percentage close through a sound route structure is the combination the primary provides. The alternate (T20 → 20 → D19) is the contingency when the primary's approach breaks down on a given visit, not the default.
When and Why to Use This Route
Apply this route in any match situation. The combination of T20 for scoring and D20 as the close is designed for exactly the conditions that competitive legs create. This is the strongest available route from this score — use it without reservation.
The strength of this route is that it does not ask the player to choose between power and reliability. T20 provides the scoring efficiency needed to keep the visit aggressive. D20 provides the close quality needed to convert. The combination makes this the strongest available route from this score — and the reason it holds up under match pressure better than alternatives that lean too far in either direction.
Why Players Miss This Finish
The most common pattern in a missed 118 checkout: T20 lands cleanly, 18 is rushed or slightly off, D20 is either unavailable or approached under recovered tension. The sequence breaks down in the middle, not at the close. Players who are aware of this pattern and deliberately slow their approach to 18 — giving it the same deliberate attention as the opening dart — close 118 significantly more often. The route is three committed throws, not a strong opener followed by two consequences.
The fix is specific: before stepping to the oche on 118, decide the full route, decide the preferred miss direction on T20, and commit to both before throwing the first dart. Players who make these decisions at the line rather than before it are making them while moving — which means they are made reactively rather than deliberately. A decision made before the approach is a decision that holds under pressure. A decision made mid-approach changes the throw.
Practice
Run T20 → 18 → D20 in sets of five attempts and track how many convert cleanly in two visits or fewer. That number is more informative than raw completion rate because it reflects whether the route is working or whether legs are being closed through recovery. A high raw completion rate with low two-visit conversion means the route is closing eventually but not efficiently — the visits are running long, which means first or second dart quality needs work. A low completion rate with decent two-visit conversion means the close is the problem. The metric reveals where to focus practice.
Include recovery reps in every 118 practice session. When T20 drifts into 5, the leave is 113 — practise that score until it feels routine, because it is the most likely leave after an imperfect first dart. When T20 drifts into 1, the leave is 117 — that one deserves practice too, because a leave that has never been practised becomes a source of hesitation in a match. Building familiarity with both miss outcomes means the visit continues automatically rather than stalling after a drift on the opener.
