164 Checkout in Darts — T20, T18, Bull
On 164, the challenge is not reaching the double — it is the controlled execution required to get there. The route — T20 → T18 → DBull — is the most efficient path from this score to DBull. What makes high-score finishes in 501 demanding is that the first dart carries the weight of the entire visit — a clean T20 sets up a controlled close, while a miss forces a decision about recovery before the route has even begun.
The preferred miss direction on T20 from 164 is toward 5. Landing there leaves 159 — a position that still carries a realistic path to the close. The 1 side leaves 163 and a harder problem. Players who pay attention to miss geometry on their primary scoring targets consistently produce better outcomes from imperfect darts, which is where most of the marginal gains in competitive 501 are actually found — not in perfect throws, which are the same for everyone, but in where the imperfect ones land.
Players who are reliable at finishing 164 in competition have usually identified and eliminated one specific failure pattern from their game: the tendency to respond to what just happened rather than commit to what comes next. If the first dart misses, the instinct is to adjust — to be more careful, to aim more precisely, to compensate. That instinct is the source of most dropped legs on 164. The route provides the continuation from any reasonable first-dart outcome. Trusting the route rather than overriding it mid-visit is the discipline that converts practice form into match results.
Handling pressure is one of the core skills in competitive darts finishing, and deliberate practice creates a measurable and lasting advantage here. Control on the first dart at 164 is more valuable than any other single factor. The rest of the visit stays structured when the opening dart lands clean. Pressure reveals the quality of the routine. Players with a consistent pre-throw process handle 164 in competition almost exactly as they do in practice. Most pressure misses on 164 are not aim problems. The breakdown is in the grip and release tempo — both of which are fully within the player's control. A consistent pre-shot routine is a pressure management tool as much as a technical habit. Build one in practice so it is available automatically in competition.
The decision on the bull from 164 should be made before the opponent's visit ends, not at the oche. If the opponent is threatening, decide for the bull in advance and commit to it completely.
Route Comparison & Target Selection
Primary: T20 → T18 → DBull
treble 20 (60), treble 18 (54), closing on bull (50) — direct bull finish
Alternate: T19 → T19 → DBull
treble 19 (57), treble 19 (57), closing on bull (50) — direct bull finish
Both routes close the leg through comparable doubles — DBull on the primary, DBull on the alternate — making this a choice of approach rather than a choice of close quality. The primary (T20 → T18 → DBull) is the default. The alternate (T19 → T19 → DBull) is the adjustment for visits when the primary's opening sequence is not landing well. Neither route is a fallback — both are deliberate choices for defined circumstances.
The 25 is the risk zone on this finish. The bull must be committed to fully or not at all.
Miss Geometry, Route Structure & When to Use the Alternate
The geometry around treble 20 is the most punishing on the board for missed triples. The 5 and the 1 sit either side of it — neither useful as a recovery segment from 164. A miss left into 5 leaves 159; a miss right into 1 leaves 163. The route opens on treble 20 because the scoring efficiency justifies it when the darts are landing in the bed. When they are not — when grouping drifts low consistently — switching to treble 19 corrects the geometry. The 3 and 7 that flank the 19 score more than the 5 and 1, and more often leave a position from which the leg can still be closed cleanly. That structural upgrade is the reason the switch is taught as a deliberate skill, not a fallback. Making the decision before stepping to the oche, and executing it with full commitment, is the competitive standard. Beyond the opening dart geometry, from 164 the route needs three darts: T20 → T18 → DBull. T20 is the scoring dart, T18 is the positioning dart, and DBull is the close. That structure exists because the score does not allow a shorter path. The positioning dart (T18) is particularly critical: arriving at DBull in control of the close requires that T18 lands exactly where the route requires, not approximately there. Understanding why each dart appears in the sequence — rather than treating the route as a single action — is part of executing three-dart finishes reliably in competitive play. For the alternate option, the alternate (T19 → T19 → DBull) and the primary (T20 → T18 → DBull) are both genuine routes from 164 — they reach the close through different approaches and comparable finishing doubles. The alternate is not a lesser option; it is a different structural line that may suit the throw better on specific visits. Default to the primary and use the alternate when the primary's sequence — particularly the opening dart at T20 — is not landing as the route requires.
When and Why to Use This Route
Use this route when urgency outweighs the need for a recovery option. The bull provides the most direct finish available, but it is also the least forgiving — a miss leaves a harder position than a split double would. In a tight match where the opponent is close to winning, the bull's directness is the correct trade-off. In a comfortable match, the double-based route is more conservative and equally valid.
This is a direct, fast route that rewards conviction above all else. The bull ends the leg on the next dart when it lands, which is an advantage no double-based route can match. The risk is the absence of a recovery path equivalent to a split double — which is why this route is most effective when urgency is real and commitment is complete. A half-committed bull is almost always a miss. A fully committed one is the fastest finish in darts.
Why Players Miss This Finish
Missing the bull on 164 comes from one specific mechanical failure: the arm decelerates in the final phase of the throw. Players who miss the bull wide are almost always releasing the dart too late, with too little forward momentum, causing it to drift right or left of the centre. Players who miss it low are slowing the arm too much through the release, causing the dart to drop below the 50 ring. Both errors come from the same source — an attempt to be more precise that changes the very mechanics that were producing accurate throws in practice.
The fix for bull misses on 164 in competition is not a mechanical change — it is a mental one. Stop treating the bull as a special shot. It is a target at the same distance as every other target. The same throw that works on treble 20 in practice works on the bull. Carrying that belief to the oche — rather than adopting a more deliberate, more careful approach for a finish that is perceived as harder — is what makes bull finishes consistent in competitive play.
Practice
Build the 164 checkout through the middle dart. T20 and DBull receive most of the practice attention in most players' routines — T20 because it opens the visit and DBull because it closes it. But on 164, T18 is usually where the leg is won or lost. A clean T20 that is followed by a slightly rushed T18 leaves DBull from a weaker position than the route intended. Give T18 deliberate practice in isolation — it is the least-practised dart in most three-dart routes and the one that determines whether the close is routine or difficult.
Add consequence to the end of every 164 practice block. After completing the route a set number of times cleanly, throw T20 deliberately off-line and practise continuing from 159 and 163 without resetting. This forces the continuation habit — the automatic response to a miss on the opener that keeps the visit running rather than stalling. Players who have practised their recovery positions finish more legs from imperfect visits than those who only ever practise the clean route.
