Darts – Games for fun or training

Of course everyone knows 501, some double start and double finish, some just straight start but definitely a double to finish. Varieties can be 301 or even for the quick game 101. But when showing my nephew a few days ago some of the old games we used to play, I took it for granted that everyone knows the games that can be played in darts, either just for fun or for the purpose of darts training for the more serious darter.

Here are a couple of my favourites:

Cricket - One person is the “bowler” and one the “batsmen”. It can be played in teams, so long as they’re even. To start, mark 11 dashes on the board. This deems the “wickets”. The bowling team goes first and aims for the bullseye. An outer bull is one wicket, the inner bull, 2. Mark off the wickets as you hit them. Then the batter goes. Try and score (anywhere) the highest score you can. Every score above 40 scores runs. i.e. the “batter” throws an 85 with their three darts. They score 45 runs. Continue to play alternatively between bowler and batter until all wickets are gone. Add the batters total. Then change around batter to bowler to find a winner with the highest runs. The rules can be adjusted for a longer or shorter game with the amount of wickets you need to get, or harder if the batter needs to score 60 plus per throw to score runs. Its good fun, competitive and certainly improves your darting accuracy.

Around the Board - Best played with two people. First person throws for a single 1, then 2, then 3. If any player hits with all three darts they go again until they miss. Then next player has their turn. If a player hits the triple, they skip three numbers. i.e. if the player was on “9” and hits the triple 9, their next shot is for 12. The game goes from 1 through to 20, the double 20, triple 20, outer bull, then finishes on inner bull. Again the rules can be amended to suit ability, but make sure you agree prior to starting the game. Just in case you have mates that like to change the rules mid-stream, if you know what I mean!

Good luck and have fun darting while improving your game.