The dartboard looks like this. The 20 sectors that emanate from the centre represent divisions from 1-20. On top of that note the two outermost and middle red and green rings on the target. Where the outer ring and the zones overlap count double the value of the score zones. The inner ring counts triple. The red heart (also known as the big red heart) counts for 50 points, and the green ring around the red heart (called the small red or green heart) counts for 25 points.
The only rule is that the dart at the end of the game must hit a double. (Big hearts count as doubles.) For example, a player has 60 points left, his first two darts hit a 20-point single double for a total of 40 points, so he has 20 points left, and he has to go for a 10-point double to win the game instead of hitting another 20-point single. This is called collecting darts. For example, if I have 90 points left and I hit a triple 18 + double 18 (54+36=90), let’s say I collect 90 points in two darts. If I miss the triple 18 on the first dart and hit the single 18, then it could be (18+60+12=90), and say three darts collected 90.
But if I hit more than the score left, it’s called a blowout, and the next round I have to go back to the previous score left to recollect the darts. If I hit all three darts in my hand or have 1 point left in the score before I hit all of them, it’s also considered a popped dart, because 1 is not an even number and can’t be ended with a double. To add to the scorekeeping.
The highest scoring area on the dartboard is not the big red heart 50 points, but a triple of 20 points which is 60 points. So the maximum score that can be scored with three darts per round is 180. The fastest way to win a 501 game is with nine darts, or three rounds. There are many, many different combinations of nine darts, the most common being 180+180+141 (141=60+57+24).
Mathematically it looks simple but it is very, very difficult to complete, and in darts it is almost the equivalent of 147 in snooker, although 147 is of course a little more difficult. Then as I said earlier, the big red heart is also considered a double that can be used to end the match, so the highest score that can end the match in three darts is probably 170 (60+60+50). With that in mind, it’s not like you’re going to win the game with 40 points left and 200 points left for your opponent. It is very likely that the situation is that you can not collect your 40 even if you play left and right, the opponent out of a set of 140 and then two darts to collect 60 you lose. Therefore, to win the game, it is equally important to eliminate points quickly and collect darts accurately. And for beginners, you need to have a concept of the score in your mind. When you are approaching the end of the round, at least before you stand on the line, you have to roughly calculate how you are going to play this round.
If you didn’t hit the score you wanted, how can you choose to make the next round easier. This is what makes the sport so appealing, firstly the brain has to turn (of course over time the concept of scores becomes habitual) and then you have to deal with the pressure from your opponents and yourself whilst maintaining the accuracy of your shots. Basically, it’s an event where you’re at war with yourself. There is no standard position for throwing darts. Even the top ten professionals in the world have different positions, and there are even players who make you think, “How can you throw like that and still be so accurate? There are even players who make people think, “That’s how you hit the ball…
