Darts rules - the most important rules of darts

Darts is becoming increasingly popular in the world. In particular, the simple set of rules makes the sport of darts so popular. Nevertheless, for many the exact rules are unclear. What distance does the player have to be from the disc? And what dart variants are there? So that you are well informed about the rules on your next darts evening, we have summarised the most important rules for darts in the following article.

For the game, you need a dartboard, darts and the appropriate darts rules (game mode), which decides on victory and defeat of individual games and the entire game. These are the most important rules of darts:

• Each player has three arrows and therefore also three throws.
• Players must be 2.37 metres from the dart board when throwing and must not cross the fixed marker
• Each player starts with 501 or 301 points
• The players, try to bring the score to 0 as quickly as possible
• To score, it is sufficient for the dart tip to touch the scoring area
• The first player to bring the points to 0 wins a game called a "Leg" in darts
• Usually a so-called "double out" is played. This means that the player must end up hitting a double (a scoring area on the outer dart ring) to win a leg.

Mostly a "first-to-mode" is played in darts. Whoever wins a certain number of legs first also wins the match. In most professional tournaments, players have to win six legs in the first rounds to decide the match. This variant is also perfect for your own darts evening. Only later in the tournament (semi-final or final) do the pros have to win a higher number of legs to decide the match in their favour.

In darts, all that is needed is a dart board and three darts. In principle, this is already enough to be able to play a game. Ideally, you should have a pen and paper ready at your darts evening to subtract the points thrown by each player. There are a few things to consider with the dart board and the darts, which we will now discuss in detail.

Darts: The rules at the target

Numbers from one to 20 are depicted on the dart board. Single-digit numbers are usually placed next to two-digit numbers. This adds tension to the game because players quickly lose total points scored when they try to hit high numbers if they miss the desired square by a few centimetres. In the middle of the dartboard, two more squares are added: the green Single Bull (counts 25 points) and the red Bulls Eye (counts 50 points). In addition, there are so-called double fields, also called "doubles", on the outer edge of the board. If the player hits this field, the number of points thrown for the field is doubled. The inner ring is the so-called "triple", which triples the value of the field when hit. The highest square on the dartboard is the Triple-20, which earns the player 60 points if hit.

Dartpfeile: Mit diesen Pfeilen darf gespielt werden

With steel darts, the rules regarding the darts are basically very simple: The dart may be a maximum of 30.5 centimetres long and 50 grams in weight. The individual darts may theoretically be of different lengths and weights. The player may change the darts at will during an ongoing game. The attached "flights" are also not subject to strict rule interpretations - theoretically, the player may also throw his darts at the board without flights in order to score points.

A dart player usually owns several individual shirts with which he presents himself at tournaments. Originally, darts had a relatively strict dress code, characterised by plain black shoes, trousers and shirts. Nowadays, the strict dress codes have been shelved and the once conservative pub sport shines with flashy outfits and bright colours. There are some players like James Wade who still prefer plain looks and enter the darts stage rather inconspicuously from a visual point of view. The counterpart is Peter Wright, who already played his World Championship matches as a dressed up Christmas elf.

To get the game started, you first need to make sure that the dartboard is placed correctly. The bull's eye must be 1.37 metres above the ground. Once the dartboard is placed at the correct height, you must mark the throw line 2.37 metres from the dartboard. When throwing, it does not matter whether you stand exactly in the middle of the dart board or slightly to the left or right. The important thing is that you do not cross the mark. You have one minute per throw. This corresponds to three minutes for one shot. It is therefore not absolutely necessary to throw all three darts in succession. For comparison: Most dart players have thrown all three darts at the target after a few seconds - you are not under any time pressure with this interpretation of the rules.

Rules of darts: scoring and points

Any dart that falls or bounces off the board shall be disqualified. Only darts that are in the board or touch the board with the tip after the last throw count. The score is recognised as soon as the player pulls the three darts out of the board. The aim is to reduce the given score of mostly 501, to zero as quickly as possible. If you hit a triple, you triple the number of points thrown with the corresponding dart. If you hit the triple 20 with a dart, you score 60 points, if you hit the triple 19, you score 57 points, and so on. To win the leg, you must throw on a double (outer ring) or the bulls eye. For example, if you have 40 points left, you can win the leg by hitting the double 20. If you score more than necessary, you have over thrown yourself. The shot will be considered a "no score" and you will not receive a score.

The generally most popular game mode in darts, is the already mentioned 501 with Double Out. It is usually played in a first-to-leg mode, where the aim is to be the first player to win a predetermined number of legs. However, there are many other darts variants that also enjoy great popularity. Some darts variants are also seen at certain professional tournaments - others are only played among hobby players.

World Cup Darts Rules

The World Darts Championship rules are slightly different from the usual tournaments. To win a game of darts in the World Championship, the player must win a predetermined number of sets. In the first two rounds, three sets are needed to win the match. Whoever wins three legs first in a match at the World Darts Championship wins the set. This mode is special because it depends much more on the right timing and less on the average score. In theory, it is possible in the World Darts Championship for a player to win more legs than his opponent and still be eliminated from the tournament as a loser.

Straight Out

With the "Straight Out", any square may be thrown at to win the leg, as long as the player gets to 0 points with the throw. Because it is very difficult to hit the double squares, the straight out is a popular variant, especially with beginners.

Double In und Double Out

In this dart variant, the points are only counted as soon as a double square has been hit. If the player misses a double field with the first three darts, he scores 0 points in this shot. The World Grand Prix is the only professional darts tournament played in double-in mode.

Team-Darts

Darts can also be played in 2 vs. 2 in addition to the classic 1 vs. 1. In this game mode, the teams take turns throwing against each other. The exciting thing here: Often, the throwing player has to give his teammate a finish. The fields to be hit and the check-out attempts often differ from the teammate. This makes for an exciting tournament, especially for professionals. The only team competition on the professional tour is the World Cup of Darts, where pairs of players from the respective nations are formed to compete against each other.