If you are a cricket player and are looking for a new darts game Mickey Mouse may be for you.  While they are similar, Mickey Mouse darts adds some interesting rules that will affect bad aim later on into the game.

While the origin of the name is uncertain, it is well documented that Mickey Mouse is a popular dart game in Korea.

Let’s take a look at how to play Mickey Mouse darts.

Mickey Mouse Darts Rules

In Mickey Mouse dart rules, you must close out the numbers from twelve to twenty, as well as, any three doubles, triples, and the bullseye.

To close out a number means to hit it three times. The hits do not need to be in the same round. 

Each player will take turns throwing their three darts in an attempt to close out all the numbers. Any dart that lands in a double or triple of an open number may be used to close out that number or used towards closing doubles and triples.

If a double or triple is used to help close out a number, it is worth two or three points respectively.

Play continues until one of the players closes out all of their numbers

Scoring Mickey Mouse Darts

To set up the scoreboard, you will first mark the number 20 to 12 down the middle of the board followed by a B for the bull, D for doubles and T for triples.

You can then make a column for each player and mark their name at the top of their column.

When a target is hit, you will put a mark beside that number under that player’s name. For the first point, you will mark a \. For the second point, a play gets for any particular number you will mark a / through the \ making an X. When the player scores a third point in that number you will circle the X and that number is closed.

Mickey Mouse Tips & Strategies

You can start by trying to close out the bull first. If you miss chances are almost 50/50 you will land in a single scoring section.

Even if you have the bull closed, new players may want to aim closer to the middle in beginning rounds as a miss in the desired segment is more likely to hit another valid number. 

For new players, you should take the doubles and triples if you hit them. It will be much easier to get your numbers rather than trying to hit the small targets again.

Mickey Mouse Darts Variations

You can play in order down the board to make the game a little more difficult. If player skill levels are equal, this is actually more fun because it turns the game into more of a race.

You can also play with points so that once a number is closed off, you can continue to earn points in that number if you land additional darts there. To win this version, closing your numbers is not enough. You must close all of your numbers and have a high score to win the game.

Opposite to the above variation, you can penalize players for accidentally hitting segments that they have already closed off. In this variation, if a player lands in a section that they have already closed off, a point goes to their opponent. It is not recommended for beginners, but an interesting handicap if the skill gap between players is wide.