Discover:  How to play darts, darts history, darts rules, dartboard height and distance, about different types of dart boards and much more.

DARTS
INFORMATION

     Darts is a variety of related games, in which darts are thrown at a circular target (dartboard) hung on a wall.  Though various different boards and games have been used in the past, the term 'darts' usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules.

     As well as being a professional competitive activity, darts is a traditional pub game, commonly played in the United Kingdom (the first country to officially recognize darts as a sport), across the Commonwealth, the Netherlands, Ireland, the Scandinavian countries, the United States and elsewhere.

     Dartboards are usually made of sisal fibers or boar bristles, low quality boards are sometimes made of coiled paper.  A regulation board is 18 inches (45.72cm) in diameter, and is divided into 20 sections.  Each section is lined with thin metal wire.  The numbers indicating the various scoring sections of the board are normally made of wire, especially on tournament-quality boards, but may be printed directly on the board instead.

     Soft-tip darts are thrown at a board consisting of a perforated plastic face.  These boards can be electronic or non-electronic.  Each hole in the board is sized to fit the dart point and has beveled edges to facilitate entry of the soft plastic point of the dart.

HEIGHT AND DISTANCE

     In the standard game, the dartboard is hung so that the bullseye is 5 ft 8 in (1.73m) from the floor, eye-level for a six foot person.  The oche, the line behind which the throwing player must stand, is 7 ft 9 1/4 in (2.37m) from the face of the board, though a few British pubs set it at 8 ft (2.44m) or 8 ft 6 in (2.59m).  For casual play, it is not uncommon to find the oche somewhat further or closer than the tournament standard, either due to rounding of the specified distance (to 7 1/2 or 8 feet), or just due to measurement error (such as measuring from the wall, rather than using a plumb line to measure from the board face).

HISTORY

     Various designs of dartboards have been used and regional variations remain in parts of Staffordshire, Manchester (log-end board) and Yorkshire.  In particular, the Yorkshire and Perrigo Manchester board differs from the standard board in that it has no treble ring and has a single, inner bull. The dartboard itself may have it's origins in the cross section of a tree, although some historical records suggest that the first standard dartboards were the bottoms of wine casks, hence the game's original name of "butts".

     There is speculation that the game originated among soldiers throwing short arrows at the bottom of the cask or at the bottom of trunks of trees.  As the wood dried, cracks would develop, creating"sections".  Soon, regional standards emerged and many woodworkers supplemented bar tabs by fabricating dart boards for the local pub.

     The numbering plan known by many today has a 20 on top; however, a great many other configurations have been used throughout the years and in different geographical locations.  By most accounts, the numbering layout was devised by Brian Gamlin in 1896 to penalize inaccuracy.  Although this applies to most of the board, the left-hand side (near the 14 section) is preferred by beginners, for its concentration of larger numbers.  Mathematically, removing the rotational symmetry by placing the "20" at the top, there are 19!, or 121,645,100,408,832,000 possible dartboards.  There are many different layouts that would penalize a player more than the current setup; however, the current setup actually does the job rather efficiently.

 DARTS  RULES

     Basically, dart games are played between two players or two teams. The teams can be made up of two or more people each. Variations that allow for more than two sides have been devised, but these have not achieved any popularity.

     Nine throws are generally allowed for each person as a warm-up before a game begins. Then, to determine which team or person is to take his turn first one dart is thrown by a person from each team. The team with the dart closest to the bull's eye takes the first turn.

     Each player throws three darts in his turn. Then the darts are retrieved. If a foot crosses over the line or a person happens to trip over the oche and releases his dart, the throw counts for no points and may not be re-thrown.

     Darts must stay on the board for at least five seconds after a player's final throw to count. A throw does not score if it sticks into another dart or if it falls off the board.

     Darts making it on the board score in the following manner:
In the wedge: the amount posted on the outer ring. The double ring (the outer, narrow ring): twice the number hit. The triple ring (the inner, narrow ring): three times the number hit. Bulls eye (outer bull): twenty-five points. Double bulls eye (inner bull): fifty points.

CAUTION: Darts are not toys.  Children should be supervised by an adult during use.

What Darts should I buy? What Dart Boards are best? Are tungsten Darts better than brass Darts?

These are questions that we are constantly being asked so to assist all the new Darts Players, I have compiled this information. It is meant to provide you with some basic knowledge and advice and we hope that it serves this purpose.

What Dart Board Should I buy? This is probably the most frequently asked question and certainly one of the easiest to answer. There are basically three types of Dart Boards. The kids dart board that we have all played on at some stage, the sisal bristle Dart Board and the electronic Dart Board.

The kids dart boards are generally made of compressed paper, banded with wire and serve the purpose of entertaining kids for a short while. They have a very short life span and within weeks, look tattered or fall apart.

The Sisal Bristle Dart Boards are more expensive but essential for anybody that intends to play often. The board is manufactured from the leaves of the Sisal Cactus, they are tightly bound and will retain their shape, appearance and functionality for a very long term. The major manufacturer is Nodor and we highly recommend their Nodor Supawire and Nodor Supabull II. Advanced players may consider a Nodor Champions Choice, designed with half size doubles, trebles and a mini bull.

The electronic Dart Boards are very popular in America and England but not as popular in Australia. Many of the boards are virtually kids toys, however there are some good, high quality electronic Boards available. These boards require the use of Soft Tip Darts.

Are Tungsten Darts better than Brass Darts?

There are a number of materials that Darts are manufactured from., the main 3 being Brass, Tungsten and Nickel Silver.

Brass Darts are probably the most common and are relatively inexpensive. Prices vary from a few dollars to around $35 and are the best option when you buy your first set of Darts, or are learning to play Darts. They are an inexpensive way of trying different weights and styles, without investing too much money.

Nickel Silver Darts are basically the same as brass Darts, they around the same price range and are generally marginally higher in quality. Like brass Darts, they are suited for use at home or by the occasional Dart Player.

Tungsten Darts are used by the serious Darts Players. These darts are generally high quality and come in a large variety of weights and styles. The tungsten component is generally describes as being 80%, 85% etc. with the higher tungsten value, being the most expensive. Prices start from as little as $15 and go to upwards of $200, depending upon your needs.

What weight Dart is best?

The weight of your Darts is a personal preference. As a general rule, most people would generally throw a weight of 19-24gms. There are of course people that particularly like a heavy weight, such as the Titan Heaviesand others prefer a light weight such as Featherlites.

New Darters should try a few different weights, focusing on 19-24gms for their first set.

 How to play darts   by Phil Croucher

The most popular darts game played is known as 01 ('Oh One'). This classic game is played world wide and gets its name from the points that it is played from which always end in 01 such as 301, 501, 801, 1001 etc.

The winner is the first player to reduce their score to 0. Both players will start with the same score such as 501 and take turns throwing 3 darts into the board. The player will subtract the score of the three darts from his score and remove his darts from the board before the other player takes his turn.

If a dart bounces off or misses the board then that dart does not score and cannot be thrown again in that turn.

To win a game a player must bring his score to 0 by hitting a double, for example if your score is 2 you must hit a double 1 this is known as going out. Doubles are scored in the outside scoring ring or by hitting the bullseye which scores 50 points (double 25).

Games starting with 501, 801, 1001 points etc are all played in the same way. When starting with 301 which can result in very short games you can add difficulty by starting with a double so that a player must hit any double before starting to reduce his score.

About the Author

Phil Croucher is the web master of darts shop RokSport Darts which stock darts, dart boards and more