Estimated reading time: 16 minutes
Let’s Play Darts! When you hear that, you know you’re in for a good night. As the evenings shorten, there will be more and more darts broadcasted. With the PDC World Championship as the highlight around the holidays. January and February boring? The Masters and Premier League have something to say about that assumption.
The Basics of Darts
Are you planning to follow darts, perhaps because you want to bet on the parties? Then it is good to have mastered the basics of the rules of the game.
For starters, darts is a mathematical game. You must be able to calculate well and quickly. It may surprise you, but here too there is a difference in level between professionals. Of course they all have the most finishes in mind due to a lot of repetition, but it is not uncommon for a pro to miss a finish.
At the 2017 US Darts Masters, Hopp hit a 120 in his match with Richardson by aiming the first two darts in the triple twenty. So practice math.
The dartboard is made up of 82 compartments divided over 20 numbers plus the bull and the bullseye. Also known as the rose in the Netherlands. With darts you count down, so a leg (a game) starts at 501.
When you throw an arrow in a box that belongs to a number, that score is subtracted from the 501. Each number has large boxes, smaller boxes (double points) and even smaller boxes (3x or triple points).
The highest you can throw is the triple 20, this is also what darts normally aim for. If you roll a triple 20 three times in a row, you roll 180 points. The highest achievable score. Finally, if you’ve come close to zero from the 501, you’ll have to roll out on a double.
History of darts
When darts had just been invented, it was a game of chance in England and betting was banned in pubs. In the Netherlands, darts was still called ‘bird pick’ at the time. The story goes that in 1908 a bar owner named Jim Garside was sued by the local magistrates because his bar was illegally betting on matches. Jim picked up three arrows and asked the magistrates to name three random numbers on the board, all of which were then hit by the pub owner. From that moment on, darts was considered a sport in England.
Fast forward to the twenty-first century: rooms full of exuberant people, a constant average of 100+. Darts has gone from pub sport to adult sport. The atmosphere is somewhat like the UFC. Impressive music on arrival; right through the crowd and a beautiful woman by your side. Darters such as Peter Wright and The Dreammaker Dimitri van den Bergh make a real show of their attendance. Darters are their own brand. Have you just started playing darts and do you also want to distinguish yourself from the rest? You can already stand out with special flights and shafts.
Bet on darts | Competitions
Main Darts Events
The PDC World Darts Championship in the Alexandra Palace is hailed by many as the greatest darts tournament. The best darts players in the world will cross darts to decide who is the very best in early January.
One of the most favoured tournaments in darts is the PDC World Series of Darts.
At various locations around the world, players from the top of the PDC Ranking will compete against local players.
The Dutch Open is played according to the knockout system where the winner of each match advances to the next round. For fans of betting on darts, this is definitely not to be missed.
One of the most enjoyable tournaments on the PDC calendar is the PDC World Grand Prix. A different format, lots of excitement and unpredictability.
The Premier League Darts is an annual competition. The Premier League Darts tournament lasts from February to May and has been organised since 2005.
Ten players from the PDC compete for a share of the £1,000,000 prize pool.
At times facing each other, at times side by side. That’s the PDC World Cup of Darts, a Nations Cup featuring the best two darters from each country.
Which country has the best darts duo, and which team forms the best blend?
The Grand Slam of Darts has been an annual tournament since 2007. Qualification for the Grand Slam of Darts is through the other tournaments.
Only the winners of the other darts television tournaments qualify.
Only the best darters can be seen at The PDC Masters darts tournament.
Each year, the best 24 darters compete in this challenging tournament, right after the PDC World Darts Championship has ended.
The Paddy Power Champions League of Darts was an annual non-ranking darts tournament featuring just the top eight players.
Following the COVID cancellation of the 2020 tournament the tournament was quietly shelved by the PDC.
Since 2008, the European Championship Darts has been on the PDC calendar. The ranking tournament in late October guarantees top darts sportsmanship and performance every year.
The UK Open Darts is also known as the FA Cup of darts.
The comparison comes from the specific format of the UK Open Darts. At other tournaments seeded players meet late, but at the UK Open Darts, things are a bit different.
A series of countrywide tournaments taking place over a few months, in between the other championships, that culminate in a stand off of the best darters.
Darts tournament calendar
- BDO World Championship (January)
- The Masters (Jan/Feb)
- Premier League (February to May)
- Players Championship Series (February to November)
- UK Open Finals (March)
- German Darts Masters (May)
- World Cup of Darts (May/June)
- North American Championship (July)
- US Darts Masters (July)
- Shanghai Darts Masters (July)
- World Matchplay (July)
- Australian & New Zealand Series (August)
- Champions League of Darts (September)
- World Grand Prix (September/October)
- European Championship (October)
- World Series of Darts Finals (November)
- Grand Slam of Darts (November)
- PDC World Championship (December/January)
Darts Betting Tips
Start by scholaring yourself with basic information before you place a bet. Who’s playing? Who are contenders for the title? Which outsiders should you keep an eye on? If PDC boss Barry Hearn announces names, the big speculation can begin about who has a chance to win the next World Matchplay Trophy. Betting on the outcome of a tournament is however not where you want to start (unless you are just in it for the fun). A great way to translate knowledge into profit is by ‘scouting’ talented young players and predicting their advancement in the tournament. Not for them to make it all the way to the trophy; the first few rounds is where the value is. Why? Simply because the odds are more favourable than a Taylor vs van Gerwen finale where everybody plays safe. To understand what talent looks like though, you will have to catch up with the latest news about Van Gerwen, Anderson, Wright, Taylor and Rob Cross.
In play darts betting tips
There are some crucial parameters that you need to keep your eye on while doing some in play darts betting. First off, which player has the first throw? They have an obvious statistical advantage. Secondly, what is the double percentage accuracy in a game? Betting against a player that throws first with a low double percentage accuracy can give some nice odds. Last but not least: how many legs are played? Some players need time to focus and get into their game, but if the format doesn’t allow them to, it is wise to bet against them. Darts is a bit similar to poker in that statistics do not tell the whole story, but on average it is a good idea to follow them.
Darts Betting Strategy
Like tennis, there is no draw in darts. This makes the sport surprisingly tempting to bet on compared to let’s say football, where you have to rely on draw-no bet bonuses to negate the issue. In darts we thus have a little leverage in taking calculated risks. Enter handicap betting. Chances of van Gerwen winning against a random opponent in the first round of a major tournament is quite big (no disrespect to all random opponents out there), so the odds for an outright winner will be disappointing. Adding a handicap of van Gerwen winning with over +1,5 legs is where things start to get interesting. Another way of increasing the odds and thus potential winnings is by using the Markets Accumulator Strategy. Van Gerwen winning the first round alone doesn’t net you a whole lot, as does Wright. Betting on them both to advance already gives a substantial increase in odds.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Betting on Darts
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A 180 Match Bet is a bet on the number of 180s thrown in a match. This is often a bet where you choose more or less than 4.5 180s, but the exact number can vary. You also bet on the 180s per player.
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In darts, a checkout is the last throw of a leg. A darter’s last dart must end in a double (or exactly in the bullseye). The moment a player scores too many points, he must try to throw out again in the next turn.
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Because you have to finish the last arrow on a double, there are a number of numbers where you can never finish with a checkout. The most notorious number, because it is the lowest, is 159. Also, an extra turn always follows at 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169 points.
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The major darts tournaments include the PDC World Darts Championship, the BDO World Professional Darts Championship, the Premier League Darts, and the Grand Slam of Darts.
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To throw out 170, you need three darts: two in the triple 20 and one in the bulls-eye.