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Shanghai darts: the rules and the instant win

Seven rounds, seven numbers — and one throw that wins on the spot.

In short

Shanghai is played over seven rounds: in round 1 only the 1 counts, in round 2 only the 2, and so on. You score for every hit on the round's number. Hit the single, double and treble of that number in one turn and you win instantly — that is the Shanghai the game is named after.

How it is played

1

Seven rounds are played: round 1 on the 1, round 2 on the 2, through to round 7 on the 7.

2

Everyone has three darts per round. Only hits on the current number count, everything else scores nothing.

3

You score the segment value: single = the number, double = twice, treble = three times. So in round 5 a treble is worth 15.

4

Hitting single, double and treble of the round's number in one turn (in any order) wins immediately, whatever the score.

5

If nobody hits a Shanghai, the player with the most points after round 7 wins.

Common house rules

The long version runs through all 20 numbers instead of stopping at 7 — that takes a good hour and suits long evenings. Some groups drop the instant win and award bonus points for a Shanghai instead. With four or more players it helps to have the round number called out each time.

Where it usually goes wrong

The classic error is aiming at treble 20 in round 3 because it scores more — it simply does not count. And if you are going for the Shanghai, throw treble, double, single in that order: the treble is the hardest target and deserves your first, calmest dart.

Playable in SmartDart?

No — Shanghai is not a mode in SmartDart. For a quick competition with no setup, use a quick match instead; for drilling individual targets, the checkout training.

Frequently asked questions

In darts, a Shanghai is the combination of single, double and treble of the same number in one turn. The game is named after that throw, because hitting it wins on the spot.

The theoretical maximum is 252 — three trebles in each of the seven rounds (9 × 1 + 9 × 2 + … + 9 × 7). Realistically casual players land between 40 and 70, and anything above 90 is a strong round.

Yes, there is no player limit — everyone throws their three darts once per round. From four players upwards a sheet or an app helps, otherwise the round scores get lost.

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