Live Darts

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Let’s Play Darts! When you hear that, you know you’re in for a good night. As the evenings shorten, there will be more and more darts broadcasted. With the PDC World Championship as the highlight around the holidays. January and February boring? The Masters and Premier League have something to say about that assumption.

The Basics of Darts

Are you planning to follow darts, perhaps because you want to bet on the parties? Then it is good to have mastered the basics of the rules of the game.

For starters, darts is a mathematical game. You must be able to calculate well and quickly. It may surprise you, but here too there is a difference in level between professionals. Of course they all have the most finishes in mind due to a lot of repetition, but it is not uncommon for a pro to miss a finish.

At the 2017 US Darts Masters, Hopp hit a 120 in his match with Richardson by aiming the first two darts in the triple twenty. So practice math.

The dartboard is made up of 82 compartments divided over 20 numbers plus the bull and the bullseye. Also known as the rose in the Netherlands. With darts you count down, so a leg (a game) starts at 501.

When you throw an arrow in a box that belongs to a number, that score is subtracted from the 501. Each number has large boxes, smaller boxes (double points) and even smaller boxes (3x or triple points).

The highest you can throw is the triple 20, this is also what darts normally aim for. If you roll a triple 20 three times in a row, you roll 180 points. The highest achievable score. Finally, if you’ve come close to zero from the 501, you’ll have to roll out on a double.

History of darts

When darts had just been invented, it was a game of chance in England and betting was banned in pubs. In the Netherlands, darts was still called ‘bird pick’ at the time. The story goes that in 1908 a bar owner named Jim Garside was sued by the local magistrates because his bar was illegally betting on matches. Jim picked up three arrows and asked the magistrates to name three random numbers on the board, all of which were then hit by the pub owner. From that moment on, darts was considered a sport in England.

Fast forward to the twenty-first century: rooms full of exuberant people, a constant average of 100+. Darts has gone from pub sport to adult sport. The atmosphere is somewhat like the UFC. Impressive music on arrival; right through the crowd and a beautiful woman by your side. Darters such as Peter Wright and The Dreammaker Dimitri van den Bergh make a real show of their attendance. Darters are their own brand. Have you just started playing darts and do you also want to distinguish yourself from the rest? You can already stand out with special flights and shafts.

Darts tournament calendar

• BDO World Championship (January)
• The Masters (Jan/Feb)
• Premier League (February to May)
• Players Championship Series (February to November)
• UK Open Finals (March)
• German Darts Masters (May)
• World Cup of Darts (May/June)
• North American Championship (July)
• US Darts Masters (July)
• Shanghai Darts Masters (July)
• World Matchplay (July)
• Australian & New Zealand Series (August)
• Champions League of Darts (September)
• World Grand Prix (September/October)
• European Championship (October)
• World Series of Darts Finals (November)
• Grand Slam of Darts (November)
• PDC World Championship (December/January)

Darts Betting Tips

Start by scholaring yourself with basic information before you place a bet. Who’s playing? Who are contenders for the title? Which outsiders should you keep an eye on? If PDC boss Barry Hearn announces names, the big speculation can begin about who has a chance to win the next World Matchplay Trophy. Betting on the outcome of a tournament is however not where you want to start (unless you are just in it for the fun). A great way to translate knowledge into profit is by ‘scouting’ talented young players and predicting their advancement in the tournament. Not for them to make it all the way to the trophy; the first few rounds is where the value is. Why? Simply because the odds are more favourable than a Taylor vs van Gerwen finale where everybody plays safe. To understand what talent looks like though, you will have to catch up with the latest news about Van Gerwen, Anderson, Wright, Taylor and Rob Cross.

In play darts betting tips

There are some crucial parameters that you need to keep your eye on while doing some in play darts betting. First off, which player has the first throw? They have an obvious statistical advantage. Secondly, what is the double percentage accuracy in a game? Betting against a player that throws first with a low double percentage accuracy can give some nice odds. Last but not least: how many legs are played? Some players need time to focus and get into their game, but if the format doesn’t allow them to, it is wise to bet against them. Darts is a bit similar to poker in that statistics do not tell the whole story, but on average it is a good idea to follow them.

Darts Betting Strategy

Like tennis, there is no draw in darts. This makes the sport surprisingly tempting to bet on compared to let’s say football, where you have to rely on draw-no bet bonuses to negate the issue. In darts we thus have a little leverage in taking calculated risks. Enter handicap betting. Chances of van Gerwen winning against a random opponent in the first round of a major tournament is quite big (no disrespect to all random opponents out there), so the odds for an outright winner will be disappointing. Adding a handicap of van Gerwen winning with over +1,5 legs is where things start to get interesting. Another way of increasing the odds and thus potential winnings is by using the Markets Accumulator Strategy. Van Gerwen winning the first round alone doesn’t net you a whole lot, as does Wright. Betting on them both to advance already gives a substantial increase in odds.

Betting with Bonus

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