Darts is a popular game and no surprise. It is great fun to play with your friends or against others in a tournament.
Winning is always exciting. After a couple of games, you are probably asking yourself what you can do to win.
Luckily, there are some fundamental guidelines you should know and skill you can hone to come out on top.
Take a look at these tips from the experts themselves to become a pro.
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Hints and Tips to Win
1. Stickler for the Rules
You need to know the rules of darts to be able to score and to avoid penalties and disqualification. If you don’t, you won’t stand a chance of winning.
Before you go to play in a tournament, you should know what game types you are going to play. That way you can refresh your knowledge on the rules for that game.
The most common ones that you should learn is the rules for cricket and “01” games. You will find guides for the types on the internet or at your local dart associations. Take a look at this article for rules for “01”.
PRO TIPS
We have provided all you need to know about the most popular darts game here.
2. Master the Scoring System
If you really want to become a top dart player, you should understand the scoring system inside and out. You must be able to score a match yourself.
Luckily, it isn’t too complicated. The dartboard is divided into segments which each have an associated score. They range from one to twenty.
The larger segments on the board are single score areas. So if you land on the ten strip your score will be ten.
If the dart lands on the outer ring of the board your score needs to be doubled. Therefore if you hit a ten there, you will get twenty points.
The middle ring is the triple score so the number should be multiplied by three.
Then I come to the bullseye. The outer bull is worth twenty-five, and the actual bullseye is worth fifty.
Finding the best dart scorer is the quickest way to make things simple. Or you can choose from one of our 3 recommendations below at a glance.
3. Perfect Your Throw
If you want to win you should make sure that you are throwing in the right way. To do this, you must look at your grip, posture, and how you release the dart.
PRO TIPS
Read this article to make sure that you are following the recommended techniques.
Looking at how other players throw darts, take a look at this video on the proper techniques.
Now that you know how you should throw you can try it out yourself. Record a video of you throwing so that you can see if you are doing everything right.
4. Aim Higher
The next step is to try to improve your accuracy and aim. Actually playing, will help you to throw more accurately.
You need to improve your hand-eye coordination. One of the best ways to do this is to play sports or games with balls.
Ask a friend to join you for a few sets of catch. After several times you will notice that your aim is becoming better.
5. Exploit Your Play Style
One important tip for winning at darts is to understand how you play. You need the experience to identify your own strengths and weaknesses.
Ask a friend to watch while you play and try to see what you are doing wrong. Then you can correct these mistakes.
Pro’s know how to use their play style to their advantage. If there is a spot on the board that you hit more easily always aim for this to make up points.
You might throw lower or higher than you aim, or to one side or the other. Once you know what your bias is you can adjust your aims and throw to use this. If you have a preference to the left, aim further to the right before you throw.
6. Practice, Practice, Practice
The critical part of winning at darts is to practice everything that I have just discussed. You should repeat the different steps until your game has improved.
Besides this, you need to play complete games to practice. At first, you can play on your own just to get into the flow of it. Playing without the pressure of others watching will help you to focus on the different aspects of darts.
Once you are comfortable, practice playing games against friends or family members to make sure that you can apply your skills and knowledge in this type of situation.
7. Gear Up
If you want to improve you should practice darts as much as possible. It helps if you have your own dartboard. Set it up somewhere in your home so that you can play whenever you feel like it or have time.
Below are the top rated dart board options you can refer to.
Or try to find one that you can regularly access like one at a pub or at a darts club.
Get a set of at least 6 darts.
This is a good number to start off with if you don’t want to run to the board after every throw. Make sure that the darts are suitable to use with your board.
The three new dart options below will definitely work well, for both beginners and professionals.
If you have your own darts, it is a great idea to get a dart case. This is optional, but it will help you if you are going to travel with them. It will help to protect your gear from and wear and tear.
You will see most pros carrying their own special darts around.
If you ask me about best dart cases deals that work well at an affordable price, please refer to our article here or look at the top 3 below at a glance.
8. Setup in Style
Having a fantastic board isn’t enough. You need to make sure that the board has been set up correctly.
Check that the bull’s eye is five feet and eight inches from the floor.
Also, mark a spot on the floor where you will stand to throw. If you use soft tip darts, you should be eight feet from the board. With steel tips, the right distance is 7 feet 9 and 1/4 inches. The point where you should stand is called the oche or the throw line.
Make it fancy, by putting your board in an impressive cabinet.
9. Accessorise with a Mat
Another critical piece of gear that you should consider buying is a dart mat. It is a brilliant investment to help you with your game.
The mat is that some of them will help you to measure out the distance to the board out for you. It makes it much easier to set up or move your board.
The mat will also help to protect your floor from damage. Throws can go seriously wrong, and the dart might end up on the floor. Or it might not stick in the board and can fall out.
Here are some fantastic mats if you don’t know how to choose one.
10. Shhhh!
Have you ever played darts in a crowded pub?
As much fun as it can be, you probably know how hectic it can be. It can be unbearably distracting.
All the noise and movement will impact your focus. Because of this, you will probably miss more often.
So be smart and put the board in an out of the way area. You don't want people to walk too close to the person who is throwing. Make sure that no one can step in between you and the board.
Remember safety first.
Essential Tips to Win Darts
With the help of this, guide you will soon know how to win darts. Make your friends stare at you in awe!
The key to winning is to practice as much as you can and so increase your skill and experience Through this you will also become more confident and will enjoy playing much more.
Is it enough? Do you want to add motivation to push your ass? Follow the best dart players, and you will definitely learn from them.
Nice roundup, there is an error regarding throwing distance though – for steel tip it is 7 feet 9 and 1/4 inches, not 9 feet 1/4 inch.
Hi there,
Thank you for the information. It was an error during the publishing process, we fixed it. Have fun with our blog!
Kind regards,
Andrew