Darts, once a game of the
working class man is now a very serious competitive sport with a huge following. It is a game requiring a
keen eye, a
steady hand,
nerves of steel and a quick, mathematical
brain.
These days, World Champion dart players are rich beyond the wildest dreams of my father-in-law, who was himself a World Champion - unfortunately before there was any real money in it.
The game itself is played by throwing rounds of three darts at a circular board, traditionally made of elm, 2 inches thick and 18 inches diameter. The front surface is divided into 20 equal segments, numbered randomly such that consecutive numbers are never next to each other. The board also has circular rings marked on it, the outer ring is the double, the inner is the treble and at the centre of the board is the bull's eye, divided into a ring scoring 25 and the small inner circle is a double worth 50.
The darts themselves are pointed metal 'arrows', varying slightly in weight and length, but generally about 4-5 inches long. Modern darts are made of tungsten so that a lot of weight can be combined with a slim shape, and they have plastic flights instead of the traditional feather variety. Every player has his own individual preference and finds it difficult to play with another player's darts.
The dart board should be mounted on a wall with the centre 5 feet 8 inches above the floor. Players stand with their toe against a line called the hockey which is 9 feet from the wall.
There are many different games of darts, often with regional variations, but the usual competitive game is 301 or 501, sometimes played with a 'double-in' (where you can't start scoring until you have thrown a double), but always the player must finish on a double. The total score achieved in each three-dart round is subtracted from the previous total, the game ends when the winner reaches zero on a double finish.
2 Dart Finishes
Try to finish on an even double on the second dart.
This means that if you miss and score a single, you still have the opportunity to go for a double with your third dart.
D16, D18 and D20 are the most popular finishes.
D = double
T = treble
61 25 D18 82 T14 D20
62 T10 D16 83 T17 D16
63 T9 D18 84 T16 D18
64 T8 D20 85 T15 D20
65 25 D20 86 T18 D16
66 T10 D18 87 T17 D18
67 T17 D18 88 T16 D20
68 T12 D16 89 T19 D16
69 T11 D18 90 T18 D18
70 T10 D20 91 T17 D20
71 T13 D16 92 T20 D16
72 T12 D18 93 T19 D18
73 T11 D20 94 T18 D20
74 T14 D16 95 T15 Bull
75 T13 D18 96 T20 D18
76 T12 D20 97 T19 D20
77 T19 D10 98 T16 Bull
78 T14 D18 100 T20 D20
79 T13 D20 104 T18 Bull
80 T16 D16 107 T19 Bull
81 T15 D18 110 T20 Bull
Ref: a small piece of paper found in a drawer, carefully hand-written by my father-in-law. Thanks pa!