Darts is a competitive game of skill where players throw small missiles (darts) at a circular board (dartboard) attached to a wall. The sport of darts has many types of games, but the title darts has come to be a general term for any variant played with three darts part round. Players take turns throwing darts at the dartboard while standing with their feet beyond the throwing edge, known as the oche.
While the rules for scoring varies per game type, points are typically defined by the twenty numbered sections on the dartboard and the bullseye at the center. The game of darts can be played competitively at the professional level, but it has also become popular as a casual sport enjoyed at bars, pubs, and in game rooms at home.
Darts is played with a variety of different rules and game types with the most popular games being cricket and ‘01’ games. All dart games are played by taking turns throwing all three of your darts at the board from behind the oche line. Cricket games are race-style games where players must hit the numbers 15-20 and the bullseye three times each. ‘01’ style games (301, 501, 701 etc) are fixed score games where players take turns adding their scores attempting to reach the specified 01 number exactly.
To throw darts, comfortably hold the dart with at least three fingers with the end of the dart aligned to your target on the dart board. Throw the dart using your hand, wrist, and elbow. Only your arm should move when you throw the dart. Follow through with your throw after releasing the dart with your fingers pointing towards the target.
To play cricket darts, players take turns racing toward the goal of successfully hitting numbers 15-20 and the bullseye three times each. A hit on the target wedge counts as one mark, while hits on the outer double ring and the inner triple ring count for two and three marks respectively. Cricket games can also be played with points, in which players that have successfully finished (own) a number can continue hitting it for points if the other player has yet to finish the same number. The player must also have the highest number of points to win the game.
