136 Checkout in Darts — T20 → T20 → D8
Finishing 136 in darts is a test of the whole visit — not just the close. The route through T20 → T20 → D8 demands that the opening dart at T20 is executed with the same commitment applied to the final dart, because from 136 the finish only becomes available after the first throw has created the right position. The route closes on D8, a high-percentage double that rewards clean approach play and is one of the most reliable closes in the game.
From 136, a miss on T20 has a clear preferred direction: toward 5, which leaves 131. A drift into 1 leaves 135 instead — the worse of the two outcomes by a meaningful margin. This is not something to aim for passively. The pre-throw routine should include a deliberate bias toward the 5 side, expressed in the follow-through direction rather than in any adjustment to the aim line. Consistent application of this principle across a match produces better leaves on misses, which reduces the number of visits needed to close a leg.
What separates consistent finishers on 136 from inconsistent ones is rarely the route they choose. It is the quality of the decision-making that precedes each throw. Taking an extra moment before stepping to the oche to confirm T20 → T20 → D8 as the right route, confirm T20 as the right first target, and confirm full commitment to the execution removes the reactive thinking that pressure introduces. The throw itself is already there — what gets disrupted under match conditions is the clarity of intent before the throw begins.
Pressure does not change what the dart needs to do. It only changes how the player feels about throwing it — and the throw should be identical to every other dart in the leg. The grip is where pressure enters the throw first. Noticing grip tension before stepping to the oche is the earliest point at which the miss can be prevented. Breathe before the throw. Under pressure, shallow breathing is the norm — and it changes every aspect of the physical execution in ways that are difficult to compensate for. Players who finish 136 consistently in competition are not naturally calmer than those who miss it. They have simply rehearsed the response to pressure enough that it no longer interferes with the mechanics. High-range finishes like 136 expose impatience faster than any other finish structure. The players who drop these scores are almost always players who stopped trusting the route mid-visit.
Against pressure, T20 and D8 are exactly what is needed — aggressive scoring and a reliable close. The route structure does not need adjustment for match context.
Route Comparison & Target Selection
Primary: T20 → T20 → D8
treble 20 (60), treble 20 (60), closing on double 8 — high-percentage close
Alternate: T20 → T16 → D14
treble 20 (60), treble 16 (48), closing on double 14 — demanding close
The close is where these routes diverge. The primary (T20 → T20 → D8) arrives at D8, a higher-percentage double. The alternate (T20 → T16 → D14) arrives at D14, which is less forgiving on the final dart. The miss geometry on T20 is asymmetric — the 5 side leaves 131 and the 1 side leaves 135, so the preferred drift direction is toward 5. For most match situations, the primary's stronger close makes it the better default. Consider the alternate only when the primary's specific approach is not landing well — the trade is a more familiar line for a weaker finishing double.
Avoid 1 on this visit. It leaves 135 — the weaker of the two available miss directions. Better miss is 5 for 131.
Miss Geometry, Route Structure & When to Use the Alternate
Treble 20 has the weakest miss geometry of any primary scoring target. Its neighbours — 5 and 1 — are the two lowest-value singles on the board, and from 136 a drift into either one costs significant route quality. A miss into 5 leaves 131; into 1 it leaves 135. The preferred miss direction on this score is toward 5, which produces 131 — a more workable position than the 1 side's 135. Even with that knowledge, the underlying geometry remains weak. Treble 19, flanked by 3 and 7, offers a structurally safer target when grouping is drifting: the miss cost on both sides is lower, the leaves are more often finishable, and the overall route from 136 remains more intact after an imperfect first dart. In terms of the dart count and sequence, three darts are needed from 136, with T20 thrown twice before D8 closes the leg. The structure is straightforward but the execution demand is specific: two identical throws at the same bed in sequence. Any drift between the first and second T20 dart — whether from adjustment, tension, or recalculation — breaks the consistency the route relies on. The technical approach that produces the most reliable grouping on back-to-back darts at the same target is to treat them as one throw repeated, not two throws aimed independently. On the alternate route decision, the primary route closes on D8, a stronger finishing double than the alternate's D14. That closing quality is a meaningful advantage in match conditions — the primary arrives at a more forgiving final dart while maintaining the same overall route structure. The alternate (T20 → T16 → D14) is available when the approach through T20 better suits the throw on a given visit, but the primary's stronger close makes it the preferred default from 136.
When and Why to Use This Route
This is the correct route regardless of the score in the match. T20 puts pressure on the opponent while D8 gives the best possible finish. A player who uses this route consistently from this score will close more legs than one who looks for alternatives based on match state.
This approach is effective because the two components reinforce each other rather than trading off against one another. T20 creates scoring momentum and leaves the finish within reach. D8 converts it without demanding perfect execution at the close. The player who uses this route aggressively and commits to both darts will close more legs from this score than any alternative route provides.
Why Players Miss This Finish
Players miss the 136 checkout by losing control of the visit on the second dart, not the first. T20 lands well and the position looks good — then, instead of committing fully to T20, the player is already thinking about D8. The second dart becomes distracted: aimed partly at T20 and partly at the result it will produce. That distraction costs accuracy. The dart lands somewhere other than intended, and the close on D8 is either harder than it should be or no longer available. Players who drop 136 regularly from a clean T20 are almost always losing the leg on dart two, not dart three.
Players who close 136 most reliably have solved the same problem: they have made the response to an imperfect dart automatic. When T20 lands slightly off, the right response is to read the new score immediately and throw the best available continuation without hesitation. That response is not instinctive — it is trained. Practising the recovery from the two most likely miss positions on T20 is the most direct way to reduce the number of legs dropped from a recoverable position on 136.
Practice
Practise the 136 checkout as a complete sequence — T20 → T20 → D8 — rather than drilling each dart in isolation. The rhythm between darts is as important as the accuracy of each individual throw. Players who practise T20 separately, then T20 separately, then D8 separately, and then combine them in a match often find the transition between darts is the problem, not the darts themselves. Run the full route in sets: three successful completions before stopping, or a conversion rate target like two clean legs in five attempts.
Recovery practice is not supplementary to 136 training — it is essential to it. The two most likely recovery positions from a miss on T20 are 131 (via 5) and 135 (via 1). Practising both of these scores alongside the full 136 route produces a player who can continue the visit without recalculation after an imperfect first dart. That continuation speed — the automatic response to a slight drift — is one of the most valuable and least-practised skills in club-level 501.
