167 Checkout in Darts — T20, T19, Bull
Finishing 167 requires aggressive scoring paired with structured execution — the first dart must do real work while still leaving the visit on track for a clean close. The route T20 → T19 → DBull handles that balance by opening on T20, which scores efficiently and creates the exact leave needed to reach DBull cleanly.
The miss geometry on the opening dart favours the 5 side. A drift from T20 in that direction leaves 162, which preserves a working route. The 1 side produces 166, a harder position to continue from. That asymmetry is useful information: the pre-throw setup can subtly bias the release toward the 5 side without altering the fundamental mechanics of the throw. Knowing which direction is the preferred miss before stepping to the oche removes a decision that would otherwise be made reactively — and reactive decisions under pressure rarely favour the better outcome.
The decision about which route to use from 167 should be made before stepping to the oche — not at it, and not during the visit. Arriving at the line already having chosen T20 → T19 → DBull removes an entire category of thought from the throw. Players who are still weighing options as they step forward introduce a kind of cognitive load that does not appear in practice but is consistently present in match conditions. Deciding the route in advance and committing to it completely is the structural version of pressure management — it reduces the number of decisions that need to be made while throwing.
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 167 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. Finishing 167 from the high range is a three-dart commitment problem. Each dart needs to be thrown without reference to the result — the route handles the result. Good players do not speed up under pressure — they simplify. Fewer thoughts, same tempo, full commitment on the target. 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.
If the opponent is not threatening, consider whether a double-based alternative offers more control before committing to the bull. The bull is strongest when urgency is real.
Route Comparison & Target Selection
Primary: T20 → T19 → DBull
treble 20 (60), treble 19 (57), closing on bull (50) — direct bull finish
Alternate: T19 → T20 → DBull
treble 19 (57), treble 20 (60), closing on bull (50) — direct bull finish
The primary (T20 → T19 → DBull) and alternate (T19 → T20 → DBull) close on comparable doubles — DBull and DBull respectively — and both offer a valid path to the finish from 167. The distinction is in the approach. The primary is the standard route and should be used as the default. The alternate is the contingency for visits when the primary's sequence is not producing clean grouping — same close quality, different path, equally valid when the specific approach is working better.
The anti-target on a bull finish is 25. A dart in the outer ring scores but destroys the checkout.
Miss Geometry, Route Structure & When to Use the Alternate
From 167, 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 167 produces 162 remaining; into 1 it produces 166. The preferred drift direction — toward 5 — leaves the more workable 162, 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. As for the structure of the route, three darts are the minimum from 167 because the score does not break into a clean two-dart finish from any standard opening. The route — T20 → T19 → DBull — assigns each dart a distinct role: T20 opens the scoring phase, T19 bridges into the finish window, and DBull 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 T19, and arrive at DBull 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. When it comes to the alternate, when the primary route is not working on a particular visit, the alternate (T19 → T20 → DBull) provides a different structural approach to the close. The path through T19 to DBull is comparable in quality to the primary's line, making it a genuine alternative rather than a fallback. Use the primary as the default from 167 and switch to the alternate when the opening dart or sequence on the primary visit is not producing the grouping the route requires.
When and Why to Use This Route
This route is correct when the opponent can win on their next visit and a direct finish is needed. The bull's value is its speed — it ends the leg without building toward a standard double. That speed is the reason to use it. When urgency is absent, the standard route to a reliable double is the better structure.
The bull route works because it trades recovery margin for speed. Standard double-based routes preserve the option of a split — a missed double that produces a known leave and a continuation plan. The bull does not. A miss requires a new calculation from a harder position. But the upside — ending the leg immediately when the bull lands — is a structural advantage that makes this route correct when the match situation creates genuine urgency.
Why Players Miss This Finish
The bull as a finish on 167 is harder in matches than in practice for a specific reason: the match environment activates grip tension. When a player is aware the bull will end the leg, the hand closes fractionally tighter around the dart. That extra grip pressure changes the release point — the dart hangs in the fingers slightly longer than it should — and it drifts. The player's aim was correct. The release was not. Releasing grip tension deliberately before stepping to the oche is the single most effective adjustment available on bull finishes under match pressure.
The correction on a bull finish at 167 is grip pressure, not aim adjustment. Before stepping to the oche, consciously release some of the tension in the throwing hand. The grip does not need to be loose — it needs to be the same grip used for every other successful dart. If the grip is tighter than usual, the dart will release later than usual, and later release means lower and wider. Releasing the tension before the throw is the single most actionable adjustment available on bull finishes under match pressure.
Practice
Practise the 167 checkout as a complete sequence — T20 → T19 → DBull — 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 T19 separately, then DBull 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 167 training — it is essential to it. The two most likely recovery positions from a miss on T20 are 162 (via 5) and 166 (via 1). Practising both of these scores alongside the full 167 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.
