Short answer: there is no single hardest number to hit in darts for every player and every situation. The inner bull is one of the smallest targets, double 1 is one of the most punishing doubles, treble 20 is the most repeated pressure target, and setup singles can become hard because a miss damages the next finish. The hardest target is the one where size, pressure and miss cost all work against you.
Last reviewed: 23 August 2026. This guide is written for standard steel-tip darts and common 501-style play. Local leagues, soft-tip formats and practice games can change which targets matter most.
The best answer is a difficulty model
If difficulty meant only “smallest physical target”, the answer would be simple: the inner bull is tiny and requires excellent line control. But darts is not just geometry. It is a scoring game played under pressure, with recovery decisions after every miss. A target can be difficult because it is physically narrow, because the leg depends on it, or because the wrong miss leaves a terrible next dart.
That is why players disagree. A beginner might say treble 20 because they aim there constantly and miss it constantly. A finishing player may say double 1 because it feels like a trap. A strong checkout player may say bull because it appears as the final dart on 170, 121 or 132-style routes. All of those answers can be right in the right context.
Physical size: why bull and thin rings matter
A standard dartboard gives you singles, doubles, trebles and two bull areas. The double and treble rings are narrow scoring bands. The inner bull is smaller again. Published board-dimension guides list the double and treble ring width at about 8mm, the inner bull diameter at 12.7mm and the outer bull diameter at 31.8mm. Those measurements explain why trebles, doubles and bull feel so different from large single segments.
Size is only the first layer. A large single can still be a hard target if a miss leaves the wrong finish. A thin double can feel easy in warm-up and impossible for the match. A treble can be physically narrow but strategically safe if a miss into the big single still leaves a sensible score.
The inner bull: smallest, but not always hardest
The inner bull scores 50. It is central, small and decisive on some finishes. It also carries a different visual challenge from trebles and doubles because there is no numbered segment to frame it. You are throwing at the centre of the board and trying not to pull into 25 or drift into surrounding singles.
Bull becomes especially hard when it is the final dart of a checkout. The 170 finish, known as the Big Fish, requires treble 20, treble 20, bull. The first two darts have already raised the pressure. By the time the bull dart arrives, the player is not just aiming at a small circle. They are trying to complete one of the most famous finishes in the game.
Double 1: the cruelest target
Double 1 is not physically smaller than double 16 or double 20. It is hard because of consequence. If you are left on 2 in double-out darts, double 1 is the normal finish. Miss outside and you remain on 2. Miss inside into single 1 and you leave 1, which cannot be finished with a double. That is why the target has the “madhouse” reputation.
The stress often starts before the dart. Players arrive at double 1 after missing better doubles. That history matters. The hand tightens, the throw slows down, and the player starts steering the dart. In practice, double 1 is just another thin outer ring. In a leg, it can feel like the whole previous minute of missed chances has been loaded into one dart.
Treble 20: the most repeated hard target
Treble 20 is the highest single-dart scoring target on a standard board. Three treble 20s make 180, the maximum three-dart score. That makes T20 the target many players throw at more than any other treble. It is hard not only because it is narrow, but because repetition exposes small technical faults.
A player can hit treble 20 once and still not be a strong scorer. The real skill is grouping around the 20 bed visit after visit. Treble 20 also punishes some miss patterns. A straight miss into single 20 is still fine. A sideways miss into 5 or 1 can turn a strong visit into a weak one. That is why players learn cover shots rather than forcing every dart into the same blocked bed.
Treble 19: the target that shows maturity
Treble 19 is a serious scoring target. It is worth 57, only three points less than treble 20, and it becomes vital when T20 is blocked, the first dart lies awkwardly, or the player wants a different leave. Good players do not treat 19s as a consolation prize. They use them to keep the visit productive.
For many developing players, treble 19 is hard because it requires board movement. They can throw at 20s with a familiar line, but moving down to 19 changes the sight picture. Practising 19s builds scoring resilience. It also reduces the panic that comes when the first dart blocks T20.
Setup singles: easy-looking, high consequence
Some of the hardest darts are aimed at large single segments. That sounds wrong until you consider the situation. If you need single 16 to leave tops, single 20 to leave 40, or single 6 to leave double 16, the target is physically large but strategically important. A sloppy miss can leave a bogey number, an awkward double or no finish at all.
This is where counting and target choice become part of accuracy. The dart does not only need to land somewhere safe. It needs to land in the number that leaves your preferred next dart. A beginner often measures difficulty by target size. A stronger player measures it by the quality of the next visit.
Difficulty by target type
| Target | Why it is hard | Best practice response |
|---|---|---|
| Inner bull | Small target, high-pressure final dart | Separate 25 and bull scoring in practice |
| Double 1 | Miss inside leaves an unfinishable 1 | Practise doubles routes that avoid arriving there |
| Treble 20 | Narrow bed, constant expectation, 5/1 misses | Track grouping and learn cover switches |
| Treble 19 | Requires confident board movement | Alternate T20 and T19 visits |
| Setup singles | Large target, but wrong miss damages the finish | Practise leaves such as 40, 32, 36 and 24 |
How pressure changes the target
Pressure does not make the board smaller, but it changes the player. The grip tightens, the shoulder lifts, the follow-through shortens and the player may watch the score instead of the target. A target that felt easy in warm-up can become difficult because the throw is no longer the same throw.
This is why “hardest number” is personal. One player fears double 16 because they have missed match darts there. Another hates bull because the final dart feels exposed. Another misses treble 19 because it is outside their visual comfort zone. Difficulty has a memory, and practice has to address that memory rather than pretending all targets feel neutral.
How to find your hardest target
Track one week of practice and match play. Write down the target, where the dart landed, and what the miss cost you. Do not only record scores. Record whether the miss was high, low, left, right, inside a double, outside a double, or into the wrong single. After a few sessions, the pattern is usually clearer than your memory.
If your problem is physical size, practise precision. If your problem is miss cost, practise routes and recovery. If your problem is pressure, practise with consequences: three darts to finish, restart if you miss, or play short legs from 101. The right drill depends on why the target is hard.
Practice drills for the five hard target types
- Bull separation: throw 30 darts and score inner bull, outer bull and misses separately.
- Madhouse escape: start from 32, 16, 8, 4 and 2 so you learn the route before double 1 appears.
- T20 grouping: throw 10 visits at T20 and record 20, 5, 1 and treble hits separately.
- Cover switch: throw one dart at T20, then move immediately to T19 for the next two darts.
- Setup singles: start from awkward scores and practise leaving 40, 32, 36 or 24.
Setup and equipment checks
Before blaming a target, check the setup. The board should be mounted at the correct height and the oche should be measured accurately. PDC Europe's rules page gives the standard bull height and oche distance, while the board itself should be rotated regularly so the high-use beds do not become over-worn. If the treble 20 or bull area is tired, bounce-outs and deflections can distort practice.
A clear, stable setup makes hard-target practice more trustworthy. Browse dartboards if your scoring beds are worn, dart sets if your darts do not suit your grip, and darts accessories for flights, stems, points, mats and surrounds that keep the setup consistent.
Visual guide: how to apply this at the board
Related reading
If this question is really about where to aim, read the best numbers to aim for in darts and where beginners should aim. For scoring context, see how darts scoring works. If the difficulty is finishing, read the hardest checkout in darts and what the Big Fish means.
Sources used
- Western Australia sport dimensions guide for dartboard measurements.
- PDC Europe rules guide for board height and oche distance.
- PDC Europe glossary for dart, bullseye, double and checkout terminology.
- Darts501 terms and slang glossary for madhouse, ton and throw-line terms.
- Sky Sports darts jargon glossary.
Bottom line
The hardest number to hit in darts depends on what you mean by hard. Inner bull is one of the smallest. Double 1 is one of the cruelest. Treble 20 is the most repeated elite scoring target. Setup singles are harder than they look when the next finish depends on them. Practise the reason you miss, not only the target you fear.
FAQ
Is bullseye the hardest target in darts?
It is one of the smallest targets, but it is not always the hardest in match context. Doubles and setup shots can feel harder because of consequence.
Why is double 1 so difficult?
It is difficult because a miss inside leaves 1, which cannot be finished with a double. The target also tends to appear after missed doubles, which adds pressure.
Is treble 20 harder than bull?
Physically, inner bull is smaller. In practice, treble 20 can feel harder because players aim at it constantly and the expectation is high.
How should beginners practise hard targets?
Use short, specific drills: bull separation, doubles ladders, T20 grouping, T19 cover shots and setup-single practice.
