How To Play Darts

Darts is a fun game that can be very basic or very complicated.  A dartboard resembles pie that has been cut into twenty equal pie shaped sections.  Each of the twenty sections has a number positioned on its outer edge.  This number indicates the point value for each dart that lands within the confines of that section.  You will also notice two thin rings which are concentric with the dartboard itself.  When a dart lands in the larger outer ring the shooter is awarded double the assigned point value for that section.  If a player throws a dart into the smaller inner ring he is awarded triple the assigned point value for that section.  The middle of the dartboard is called the "bull's-eye".  The "bull's-eye" contains a small round inner section that is worth fifty points and a larger outer section that is worth twenty five points for each dart that lands in this area.

In a regulation game of darts the dart board should be mounted on a wall sixty eight inches above the floor.  The number twenty on the dart board should be in the twelve o'clock position.  Each player uses three darts. There should never be more than three darts on the dart board at a given time.  When throwing darts each player should be at a marked line that is ninety three and one half inches from the dart board.

The game of darts has many different forms.  Each game of darts requires a different goal to be achieved in order to win.  The most common game of darts is called "301".  In this game each player begins with 301 points.  The object of the game is to reduce your score to exactly zero.  Players take turns throwing three darts each, this is a round of darts.  As a player throws his darts onto the board his score is reduced by the value of each section the darts land.  To win the game however the player must land exactly on zero.  If a player throws a dart into a section with a higher value than his current score his turn is forfeited and his score reverts back to its value before his most recent round of darts began.

There are many other forms of darts to enjoy. The variety of games to play is the reason darts has enjoyed enormous popularity for a long period of time.