57 Checkout in Darts — 17 → D20
The 57 checkout is where the leg gets closed or dropped through execution alone. The route is 17 → D20. 17 creates the leave and D20 finishes it. Players who are most reliable at finishing scores like 57 in match conditions are those who have found a way to treat close-range finishes as routine rather than special. The double is the same size in a match as it is in practice. The throw is identical. The difference is internal — and it is manageable through deliberate repetition under pressure conditions.
The preferred miss direction on 17 from 57 is toward 2. Landing there leaves 55, which requires 15 → D20 — a position that still carries a realistic path to the close. The 3 side leaves 54 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 57 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 57. 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.
The players who miss 57 under pressure are rarely missing because of aim. The line is almost always correct. The throw changes and the dart responds. The dart responds to the mechanics of the throw. Keep those mechanics consistent and pressure becomes irrelevant to the outcome. The moment between stepping to the oche and beginning the throw is where pressure is managed. Use that moment deliberately — breathe, grip consistently, commit. Consistent finishing in darts depends on mental control as much as technique — and mental control, like technique, is trainable through structured practice. Mid-range finishes like 57 are where match rhythm is won or lost. Players who arrive at the close already in their routine finish it. Players who are still thinking about it at that point tend to miss.
Whether the opponent can win on their next visit or not, D20 from 57 is the right close. Its forgiveness under pressure is the reason this route is preferred.
Route Comparison & Target Selection
Primary: 17 → D20
single 17, closing on double 20 — high-percentage close
Alternate: 9 → 16 → D16
single 9, single 16, closing on double 16 — high-percentage close — no triple required on opener
The distinction between these routes comes down to when aggression is appropriate. The primary (17 → D20) presses through 17 — the triple maximises scoring and the route closes on D20. That aggression is correct when the leg is competitive. The alternate (9 → 16 → D16) opens on 9 instead, removing the triple requirement and arriving at D16 through a route that is harder to break down on the opening dart. That control is correct when a lead makes protecting the leg more valuable than pressing it. Neither is universally better. Both are correct in their specific context.
The anti-target on 17 is 3. A miss there leaves 54 — the preferred miss is into 2 for 55.
Miss Geometry, Route Structure & When to Use the Alternate
The route from 57 starts on 17, a single that asks less of the first throw than a triple would. The wider target area means slight misses are absorbed more cleanly, and the leave it creates is the correct position for the rest of the route. The broader single area means drift registers a score rather than a miss. The structure from 57 is deliberate — 17 is the right first dart, and the commitment it deserves is identical to any other dart in the visit. On the route structure itself, the finish from 57 is direct: 17 then D20. No intermediate setup dart is needed or available. Two-dart routes are compact, readable, and unforgiving — the first dart either creates the close or it does not, and the second dart either closes the leg or it does not. The efficiency of this structure is why two-dart finishes are the most practised in competitive 501, and why precision on the opening dart is the single most important execution variable on any score that breaks into one. On the question of the alternate, two routes are available from 57. The primary (17 → D20) takes the aggressive line through 17, applying maximum pressure and reaching the close most efficiently when the first dart lands correctly. The alternate (9 → 16 → D16) starts on 9 — a larger target, lower miss cost — and closes on D16 through a route that does not demand triple precision on the first throw. A big lead justifies the alternate: the leg is more valuable protected than pressed. A tight leg demands the primary: scoring speed and route efficiency matter more than first-dart comfort.
When and Why to Use This Route
Use this route when a controlled, high-percentage close is the priority. 17 creates the leave cleanly without requiring triple precision, and D20 is one of the most forgiving finishing doubles on the board. This route is especially effective when the opponent is not on an immediate finish and protecting the leg matters more than scoring pace.
This route works because it prioritises the quality of the close above everything else. By opening on 17 — a target that does not require triple precision — the route removes the main risk of a conventional aggressive approach and arrives at D20 through a more controlled path. D20 is one of the highest-percentage finishing doubles on the board. Arriving at it with rhythm rather than under the tension of a forced aggressive opening is the route's structural advantage.
Why Players Miss This Finish
The 57 checkout is dropped when players make the visit conditional on the first dart landing perfectly. If 17 goes where it should, the route continues. If it drifts, the player pauses, adjusts, recalculates — and introduces tension into a visit that was still perfectly recoverable. Most misses on 17 from 57 still leave a clean continuation. The mistake is treating a slight drift as a reason to change the plan rather than a reason to read the new score and commit to the next dart.
The fix is specific: before stepping to the oche on 57, decide the full route, decide the preferred miss direction on 17, 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
The simplest effective practice format for 57 is a completion drill: attempt 17 → D20 repeatedly, require three consecutive successful completions before finishing the exercise, and restart the count every time a dart misses. This format produces more useful practice than fifty relaxed attempts because the final dart in each set carries real consequence. That consequence is what trains the composure that match finishes require — not just the accuracy.
Include recovery reps in every 57 practice session. When 17 drifts into 3, the leave is 54 — practise that score until it feels routine, because it is the most likely leave after an imperfect first dart. When 17 drifts into 2, the leave is 55 — 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.
