You’re asking because something has just happened. You’ve just seen something on Sky Sports that mentions “sets” but hasn’t explained anything beyond that, or you’re getting ready to play a game and want to know the format, or perhaps someone at the end of your pub league draw has said this week’s is in sets, not legs, and you nodded, then Googled.
The format of a set in darts is typically a best of five legs, where the first player to three wins the set. This is the explanation for the PDC World Championship, as well as any other set-based tournament you care to name. In a pub league environment, or in less prominent tournaments, however, a set can be defined as being a best of three legs, in which case the player to two wins the set. There isn’t any universal regulation that dictates how many legs make up a set.
Here’s all you need to know.
The Quick Answer: Legs Per Set by Format
| FORMAT | LEGS PER SET | FIRST TO WIN | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDC World Championship | Best of 5 | 3 legs | Standard for all rounds at Ally Pally. Most recognisable format on TV. |
| PDC World Masters (from 2025) | Best of 3 | 2 legs | Adopted the old BDO World Masters format when rebranded in 2025. |
| BDO World Championship (historical) | Best of 3 | 2 legs | The BDO used this format throughout its history. Folded in 2020. |
| Most PDC Tour events | No sets | N/A | Legs only. No sets at all. Premier League, UK Open, Grand Slam. |
| Pub leagues (typical) | Best of 3 | 2 legs | Most British pub leagues run best-of-3 legs per set. Varies by league. |
| Casual play (home, practice) | Any agreed number | Any | No fixed rule. Play what works. Best of 3 is most common. |
It is important to note that sets do not apply across the board in darts. Many professional tournaments do not even employ the concept of sets; they simply employ legs, whereby the winner of a match is decided based on who attains a certain number of legs._sets is an additional layer applied to legs in certain competitions.
What Is a Leg in Darts: The Base Unit Explained
A leg is simply one full game of darts where both players start at 501 and take turns throwing three darts at a time, deducting their total score until one of them gets to zero by hitting a double. That’s all. One leg, one perfect double, game over.
Three triple 20s makes a perfect score of 180 points per throw. And the shortest possible route to victory when starting from 501 points is 9 darts – the ultimate rarity of darts. Generally speaking, professional darts take an average of 12 to 20 throws to get a single leg, sometimes even more because not every player manages to hit his doubles.
There is no type of darts where there isn’t a leg. It doesn’t matter whether you play in the local pub darts league or watch an epic final of the World Championships. Legs constitute the very essence of the entire game.
What Is a Set in Darts: How the Format Works
A set consists of legs. Unlike winning the maximum number of legs to win a match, in a set play, you have to win enough legs to win a set, and then win sufficient sets to win the match. Essentially, there is another layer of calculation besides the simple leg play.
You can picture it like tennis. The point does not win the game. The game does not win the set. The set does not win the match. Likewise, in dart games using sets, the leg does not win the set. Neither does the set win the match.
The reason sets are played is mostly drama-related and structural in nature. A legs match where only the legs need to be won in order to emerge victorious can end within 15 minutes when one player dominates the game. A sets match which involves the same amount of total legs will produce additional drama moments, create opportunities for shifts in momentum, and provide a number of additional dramatic beats to be covered on TV. Set play in the World Championship was implemented by the PDC specifically to add more excitement and make the match more entertaining to watch.
PDC World Championship: Best of Five Legs Per Set, Explained
At Alexandra Palace, each leg within the match consists of a best-of-five game format. This simply means that the player who wins three legs out of five wins the leg. The result can either be 3-0, 3-1, or 3-2 only.
The number of legs one needs to win in order to claim victory varies depending on how far one goes into the tournament. Early rounds have fewer legs while the final has the most in the whole world of darts.
| ROUND | FORMAT | SETS TO WIN | TOTAL POSSIBLE SETS |
|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Best of 5 sets | 3 | 5 |
| Second round | Best of 5 sets | 3 | 5 |
| Third round | Best of 7 sets | 4 | 7 |
| Fourth round (Round of 16) | Best of 7 sets | 4 | 7 |
| Quarter-finals | Best of 9 sets | 5 | 9 |
| Semi-finals | Best of 11 sets | 6 | 11 |
| Final | Best of 13 sets | 7 | 13 |
The final match goes for the best of 13 sets, needing 7 sets in order to win. Since each set has five legs, it can therefore be said that the maximum number of legs a single final could ever have is 13 sets multiplied by 5 legs, which comes up to 65 legs. However, a game of darts never really goes for its maximum potential, but it may still take more than three hours, as long as it nearly hits its maximum potential. The last time there was an extended final went back to Phil Taylor’s vs. Gary Anderson in 2016.
Another rule in darts that is worth mentioning here concerns the final set after the second round matches. Whenever there are matches that are going on between the two rounds and it goes for a final set of 5-5 legs, then there will be no 6th leg played in order to break a tie. This is because the PDC wants to avoid ending one set on a score of 6-4 in the first place because the format should have been a best of 5 legs anyway.
Best of Five at the PDC World Championship: Why It Works
The PDC has adopted best of five legs per set ever since the World Championship moved to Alexandra Palace in 2008. Prior to this move, the structure was different from year to year. The rationale for playing best of five rather than best of three is quite simple. It is tougher to win a set relying on luck. Best of three-nil means best three clean scores. Thus, if one player gets beaten 3-0 but manages to score 3-2 in the next two sets, he is undoubtedly a contender despite losing initially.
Best of three legs per set that is employed at the World Masters organized by the BDO allows completing the sets faster than best of five. The sets could be finished by beating an opponent 2-0. Such an approach saves time but it is much less exciting than best of five. The broadcast at the PDC World Championship depends on making the match interesting and entertaining; therefore, playing the best of five is appropriate for this purpose. It is also much tougher to endure such a marathon. This is especially true for the final where 60-plus legs have to be completed within 13 sets.
Legs-Only Formats: The Other Half of Professional Darts
This is the part that baffles new viewers of professional darts. Virtually no PDC tournaments employ any sets whatsoever. Most PDC tournaments play legs only, and the winner is the player that achieves a certain amount of legs required to win a match.
The Premier League of Darts, which is a tournament held between February and May each year in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators in venues all across the United Kingdom, is played legs only. In Premier League games, there is a best of 11 legs format where the first player to get six legs wins. No sets whatsoever. The displayed score is the leg tally.
The UK Open, which can be regarded as FA Cup equivalent for darts, employs the leg format throughout, with increasing lengths of matches in later stages. In the final of the UK Open, the match is played as a best of 21 legs. In the Grand Slam of Darts tournament, which is considered second only to the World Championships, the match is played best of 31 legs.
| TOURNAMENT | FORMAT | FINAL FORMAT | LEGS OR SETS? |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDC World Championship | Sets | Best of 13 sets (first to 7), 5 legs per set | Sets |
| PDC World Masters (from 2025) | Sets | Varies | Sets (best of 3 legs per set) |
| Premier League Darts | Legs only | Best of 11 legs (first to 6) | Legs only |
| UK Open | Legs only | Best of 21 legs (first to 11) | Legs only |
| Grand Slam of Darts | Legs only | Best of 31 legs (first to 16) | Legs only |
| World Grand Prix | Sets | Best of 13 sets (first to 7) | Sets (double-in format) |
| Players Championship events | Legs only | Best of 11 legs (varies by round) | Legs only |
The World Grand Prix takes place at Citywest in Dublin every October and is also a sets match along with having the double-in rule, whereby players have to hit a double before scoring starts. It thus becomes one of the most unique forms of darts in terms of the competition style, with legs being one of the longest in the game due to the players having to score a number of darts before starting their scores.
Pub League Darts: How Many Legs Per Set?
If you have asked this question since you are about to play a match in a pub league, the best answer is that the most common format in England is best of three legs per set. Matches in British Darts Organisation affiliated leagues and virtually all social clubs in England, Scotland, and Wales play their sets as best of three legs, where the winner of two legs wins the set.
As for the match itself, it will depend on how many sets it needs to win first. In case of a pub league singles match, the most common formats are first to two or first to three sets. In this case, you may expect nine legs in total.
In terms of doubles, the number of legs in pub leagues also consists of legs per set. These legs are also won and lost in the same manner as the 501 double-out method. However, the only difference in the case of doubles is that both players from either side throw in a sequential order, where each player throws his turn of three darts.
In some leagues, especially those involved in any kind of knockout competitions organized by large breweries or county leagues, different formats may be used in the case of knockout matches. It is always advisable to check out your league sheet to avoid any misconception about the regular best-of-three-legs method.
The Difference Between Sets and Legs: A Direct Comparison
There is some confusion between sets and legs since both involve counting the number of wins achieved by one side in darts. This is the most straightforward explanation of the two.
Legs constitute the basic units. One 501 game from start to finish, winner finishes on a double, is a leg. Any darts game consists of several legs regardless of whether there are any sets involved.
Sets are containers for legs. Several legs are grouped into a set, which will reward the set winner according to how many leg wins out of all legs played belong to him or her. Leg wins earned within a set apply only to the set win, and they cannot be counted anywhere else. Thus, if a set ends with a 3-2 scoreline in one’s favor but the next set is won 0-3, the total result would be 1-1 in sets rather than 3-5 in legs.
This is where the crucial difference lies. In legs matches, every single leg directly contributes to the match score. You will have to throw six legs in order to win a match, meaning that throwing five legs gets you within one throw of the victory. On the other hand, you have to win legs in order to win sets and win sets in order to win the match, and you can throw more legs and yet end up losing the match because you have lost sets.
The described scenario has occurred in professional darts. One player could lose one set 2-3 and win another 3-0 despite throwing fewer darts to achieve victory in the latter set.
How a Set Works: Step by Step
In order to be absolutely clear on this, here’s an example of how a set will unfold in a PDC World Championship game.
Player A and Player B both begin leg one. Player A wins leg one first. The score is now 1-0 for Player A. Both players commence leg two. Player B wins leg two first. The score is now 1-1. Both players commence leg three. Player A wins leg three first. The score is now 2-1 for Player A. Both players commence leg four. Player A wins leg four first. The score is now 3-1 for Player A.
Set over. Player A now has 1 set on the scoreboard. The legs scored within the set, 3-1, get stripped off the scoreboard. The score is now 1-0 in favor of the first player in the match scoreboard. The next set begins afresh with both players getting a score of 501 for the first leg.
This is a significant part of why sets enable comebacks. Being beaten in a set 0-3 is not good for you. However, you begin with 0-0 in the second set. You don’t start with any deficit to make up. It only means winning three legs in the set. This is psychologically different from a legs-only game where a score of 0-3 means you are already 0-3 in the decisive count of the match.
Sudden Death in the Final Set: The PDC Rule
FFrom the second round of the PDC World Championship, there is one specific rule applicable to all matches where a final deciding set is reached. When it comes to 5-5 in legs in such a set, then a sudden-death leg is played. It means that it takes just one leg and whoever finishes first, wins the match.
This rule applies since the set format here includes 5 legs to be played during a match and a winner needs to win either 3 legs. Since it takes maximum 5 legs to win a set, no one can win a set with a score of 6-4. Instead, after 5-5 is reached, a sudden-death leg is played.
The most memorable match, which saw the sudden-death rule applied, was the match between Raymond van Barneveld and Phil Taylor, which took place at the 2007 PDC World Championship final. It took 13 sets to reach the decision in that match, and one of those sets involved a sudden-death leg. The sudden-death leg gave the victory to van Barneveld.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many legs are there in a set of darts?
A darts set is traditionally played as a ‘best of five legs’, and the player who wins three legs wins the entire set. This type of format is followed in PDC World Darts Championships and World Grand Prix. However, in other formats like pub leagues and PDC World Masters, sets are played in a ‘best of three legs’ format. So here the player winning two legs wins the set. So the number of legs per set depends on the format followed in each game.
How many legs are there in one set in the PDC World Championship?
In the PDC World Championship held at Alexandra Palace, all sets are played in the best of five legs format. Here, whoever wins three legs wins the set. The set could be won in 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2 scores. In case of a tie in the deciding set with leg scores tied at 5-5, the match will be decided through sudden-death leg.
How many legs make up a set of pub darts?
In all the pub leagues affiliated with BDO in Britain, a set usually consists of best of three legs, where the first player to win two legs wins that set. This is the case in most of the leagues in the three nations – England, Scotland, and Wales. However, there can be variations in the number of legs for different events, depending on the format adopted in specific competitions.
What is the difference between a leg and a set in darts?
A leg in darts refers to one whole game of 501. Both the players begin at 501, and after taking turns to throw three darts each, the first person who reaches zero using a double wins the leg. A set of darts is a collection of legs, and the winner is the first player to win the designated number of legs within the set. Most professional games require three legs to win a set. The score of a set determines the final outcome of the match, without considering the leg scores.
Are all darts competitions played with sets?
No. In many professional darts competitions, legs are used without any sets at all. PDC Premier League uses the format of best of 11 legs per game. The UK Open final match is played as best of 21 legs, while in the Grand Slam of Darts final match it is the best of 31 legs. PDC World Championship and PDC World Grand Prix are the two major competitions where sets are used in professional darts tournament. In most cases of PDC Players Championships and Premier League, legs are used.
What takes place if a PDC World Championship match becomes 5-5 in a deciding set?
If a match in the PDC World Championship (in the second round and beyond) reaches the deciding set and becomes 5-5 legs, the match will continue until sudden death in legs is won. It means that one leg of the 501 will be played to win the whole match. That happens because best of five legs cannot have the score of 6-4.
How many sets does one require to win in the PDC World Championship?
The number of sets that are required for winning a match in the PDC World Championship depends upon the round played in the championship. In the first and second rounds, three sets win the game (five sets). In the third and fourth rounds, four sets (seven sets). In the quarters, five sets (nine sets). In the semis, six sets (eleven sets). In the finals, seven sets (thirteen sets).
The Short Version, the Long Version and Everything Between
How many legs do you need to make a set of darts? Three in order to win, mostly. Five-leg sets at the PDC World Championship. Three-leg sets everywhere else. No sets at all for the vast majority of PDC Tour events. It is not an absolute formula but rather depends on who is organizing the tournament and what the aim is behind that particular event. In the local pub dart leagues, a best-of-three is what will be played. A best-of-five is played during Christmas televised events. The person telling you the number of sets needed? Check this page now!
Also read about: Darts World Cup Winners: A Complete History of PDV World Cup Winners