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Dartboard Set-Up

The Dartboard Set-up is in PDF format.  You will need acrobat reader to view this file.  If you already have acrobat reader installed please click on the button below to view the dartboard set-up. If you do not have acrobat reader installed on your computer, please click on the link below for acrobat reader

STEP 1: KNOW THE DARTBOARD.


Figure 1: A standard Dartboard

STEP 2: THE BOARD SETUP

Fig 2: The Official WDF Dartboard setup

STEP 3: SELECTING A SET OF DARTS:

You should not rush into buying a set of darts. The weight and shape of darts varies enormously, as do the shapes of the flights. We recommend that you try as many different types of darts and flights as possible before making a purchase. After a while you will soon become aware that each different type of dart behaves differently when YOU throw it. Take your time, find a set that you feel comfortable with BEFORE you buy.

STEP 4: DARTS TERMINOLOGY:

Here is a brief glossary of some of the common and most used terms and phrases used in darts:

"Game on": Advises all players that the match has now started 
"Leg shot": Signifies that a player has completed (Won) the "leg"
"Game shot": Signifies that the match winning double has been hit
"Bust": Means a player has scored more than the score required
"Double in": A double is required before scoring can commence
"Straight start": No double required to start, scoring can start immediately
"Ton": Means a score of 100 points or more
"Ton-forty": Means a score of 140 points or more
"Ton-eighty" or "Maximum": Means a score of 180 points
"Ochie" (pronounced "okkey") : The name of the throwing line

STEP 5: THE BASICS OF A GAME OF DARTS.

A game of darts always starts, and ends, with a handshake.

A game of darts can be played in played in several forms. The most common forms are:- One player against another which is known as "Singles" or teams of two players per team which is known as "Doubles" or "Pairs". A game of darts is played over an agreed number of sections which are known as "legs". The number of "legs" in a game is always an odd number usually 1, 3, 5, or 7 "legs". Matches are played as (for example) "Best of 5 "legs". This means that the first player or team to win 3 "legs" win the match.

Players throw alternately in "Singles" matches. In "Doubles" or "Pairs" matches each "Pair" throws alternately with each player in the respective "Pair" also throwing alternately. A "Throw" consists of "3" darts. If a player completes the "Leg" or the match in less than three darts the remaining dart or darts are not thrown.

Matches usually start from 501 in competition darts but other common starts are 301, 401, 701, and even 1001. Sometimes darts matches are played where a "double" is required to start each "Leg" of the match. However, the most common form of play is "straight start" which means that players/teams can begin to score points immediately with the first dart thrown.  Both teams start on the agreed starting number and the object is to score down to zero as quickly as possible. The value of the different sectors of the dartboard can be seen in Fig 1. above. Each section or "leg" of the match must be finished with a "double", this means the outer scoring ring. For example as one approaches the end of a "leg" a player or team may have 40 points left to score. This means Double 20 is required and to end the "Leg" a dart must be thrown into the "double" section of the "20" sector. Should the thrower miss "double" 20 and hit (for example) a single 1, the the thrower would require 39 to win the "leg" where a single 7 then "double" 16 could be an option.  Another example could be the player or team require 51 points. Then there would be several alternatives to end the "leg". The usual route would be either a single 11 and then "double" 20, or perhaps a single 19 and then "double" 16. The first player or team to hit the required "double" wins the "leg". A new leg is then started and the procedure repeated until one of the players or teams has won the required number of "legs" to win the match.

STEP 6: HOW TO KEEP SCORE.

The scoreboard starts as a blank sheet of paper which is usually hung on the wall about 50 cms or 1.5 feet to the left of the dartboard and at about the same height as the dartboard itself. The sequence below shows how a game is scored and how the scorecard takes form. The score shown in red is the last score thrown.

STEP 7: LEARN THE RULES PROPERLY

This has been a very simplified introduction into the game of Darts. Your next step should be  a look at the the complete rules for Tournament Darts. Here you will find all you need to know about the rules of darts. The rules can be found in the main menu on the opening page of this website.

ADDITIONAL INFO: LEARN HOW TO FINISH

Once you have got the hang of things its time to start learning how to finish your "legs" and matches in the quickest possible way. There are many, many ways to "finish". The tables below show you the target numbers you should be aiming at.

Darts is one of the oldest established English pub games which, since the late 1970s, has become one of the most popular sports in the world.

As far as the origins of the game are concerned, javelins, crossbow bolts and archery have all been considered. Of these the most likely scenario is that the game has its roots in archery.  Indeed, glance back to the earliest type of dartboards and you will see that these were concentric targets – miniature forms of the archery target.  Moreover, darts is most commonly known as ‘arrows.’ Some would say that these two points alone are sufficient to confirm our sports heritage.

Up until the early part of the 20th century, darts existed in disparate forms across parts of England, the only matches taking place being either ‘in-house’ or friendly matches between pubs which were close to each other. (The cost of transport was prohibitive at that time.) However, after World War 1, the first brewery leagues appeared and grew to such an extent that, by 1924, the seeds had been sown for the establishment of a national darts association.  The News of the World competition was established in London in the 1927/28 season and by the end of the 1930s had expanded to cover, by region, most of England.  The total entrants in the competition in 1938/39 was in excess of 280,000.

Such was the take up of darts by the brewers and the dart-playing public that, by the 1930s, it had become a popular national recreation in England and parts of Wales, played by all classes, often ousting existing pubs games such as skittle and rings (indoor quoits). The development of darts found some resistance in places like parts of Manchester (where the smaller Manchester/ Log-End) board still holds sway.

Darts playing boosted morale in the forces during the Second World War being played in the Officer’s Mess and PoW camps alike. Darts was standard issue in  the NAAFI sports pack.  American soldiers visiting our shores took darts home with them and generated substantial interest in this ‘olde Englishe’ game in the US which up until then was little played in that country.

The News of the World Individual Darts Championship was revived in 1947/48, this time on a national basis, and continued to be described as ‘the championship every dart player wants to win’ until its demise in the 1990s.   The end of the war also saw the return of The People National Team Championships (first played for in 1938/39).  However, the original national darts association did not survive the war and although a number of attempts were made to introduce another national, controlling agency, nothing firm was realised until 1954 when The People supported the setting up of the National Darts Association of Great Britain. 

The 1950s and 1960s were periods when darts maintained a fairly low profile even though participant levels were still extremely high.  The NDAGB was undertaking sterling work both in establishing county leagues and organising top competitions such as the NODOR Fours.  The 1960s saw darts on TV for the first time and through the work of the British Darts Organisation (BDO), established in 1973, and the introduction of split screen technology darts really took a hold of Britain and then, it seemed, the rest of the planet. 

The 1970s and 1980s witnessed the first darts ‘stars’ such as Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Alan Evans, Jocky Wilson, Leighton Rees, Cliff Lazarenko becoming household names.

The establishment of the Professional Darts Corporation PDC (initially the World Darts Council (WDC)) following the ‘great split’ of 1992 took darts in a new direction. This has resulted in the introduction of key, high profile competitions including the World Matchplay, Grand Prix and the World Championship. 

The PDC's plans for the game are expanding at the furious rate with a 'world circuit' of darts now underway following the Las Vegas Desert Classic in July 2002 and the innovative UK Open proving that the organization are earnest in their plegde to take the sport to new heights.

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