The Ultimate Darts Betting Guide

Once considered just a pub game, Darts is now recognised as a highly skilled sport that is watched and played on a global scale.

As a spectator sport it has everything you could want – strong personalities, quick and intense playing format, and lots of potential for spectacular scoring. The packed crowds that darts attracts is certainly a testament to just how popular it is, and the atmosphere is electric.

For sports bettors, darts is just as appealing. The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) runs a series of leagues and tournaments all year round, most of which are televised, meaning you can not only watch all of the action, but you can keep an eye on player form and results too.

Darts betting markets, therefore, are almost constantly available, and they are vast too.

Here we’ll take you through all the most popular betting markets for darts and which tournaments to look out for. Firstly, though, let’s give a brief explanation of darts rules and scoring so you can better understand darts betting.

Darts Rules

Darts is played on a circular dartboard which measures 451 mm (17.8 in) in diameter and is divided into 20 equal numbered sections. Numbers range from 1 to 20 and each section is separated by a metal wire.

Each section has both a main area, plus two smaller areas for scoring double and triple points. These are often referred to as ‘beds’. In the centre of the board are two rings, the bullseye (worth 50 points) is in the middle with the outer bullseye (worth 25 points) around the outside of it. 

Players throw small metal pointed objects, known as darts, with wings, known as flights, at the dartboard to score points by landing in the different numbered sections.

All darts players must stand behind a designated line to throw the darts, this line is called the oche and it should be 2.37 m (7 ft 9 in) from the face of the board.

Players take it in turns to throw three darts at a time in each visit to the oche. Although the general aim is to try to score as many points as possible, as the game progresses, players must land on the exact number needed to win the game, so it becomes highly strategic.

Darts Scoring

A game of darts is called a ‘Leg’ and matches can be played in ‘Legs’ or in ‘Sets’, depending on the format.

Matchplay mode is the simplest as it has a ‘Best of’ format for Legs, for example, ‘Best of 11 Legs’ means the first player to win six Legs is the match winner.

Set mode involves both Legs and Sets, so a format could be ‘Best of 5 Sets, Best of 5 Legs’. This means that a player must win three Legs in order to win the Set, and the player who first wins three Sets is the winner of the match.

Unlike most other sports, darts scoring doesn’t start at zero and then increase as you score points. Darts scoring works in reverse.

Legs usually start with a ‘score’ of 501 or 301 for each player and the objective of the game is to get this to zero in as few darts as possible.

On each visit to the oche, whatever the player scores will be deducted from their total, reducing it down until it hits zero. A ‘darts caller’ stands beside the dartboard to shout out the scores after each visit.

However, a Leg can only be finished when the player hits a double score or a bullseye. If they have 40 points left on the board, they need to throw a double 20. If they have 16 left on the board, they need a double 8.

If they don’t hit a double, then they keep playing until they do or until their opponent beats them to it.

There is another format of the game that requires players to hit a double at the start of a Leg. In Grand Prix Darts, players cannot scratch up any scores until they have hit a double.

Darts Scores

The biggest score you can get in darts is 180 which is achieved by throwing three treble 20’s in one oche visit.

Many people will know the familiar elongated ‘one hundred and eighty’ shout that darts callers make when the score is thrown. This is usually accompanied with a rapturous reception from the lively crowd.

Professional Darts games usually include a few 180 scores, so this is a common betting market, as are scores in general.

The highest achievement a player can make in a single leg of 501 darts is the nine dart finish. This is where the player wins the leg in just three visits using only nine darts.

There are actually nearly 4000 ways you can achieve a nine-darter, but the most common way is to score two 180’s with the first six darts, then throw a treble 20, treble 19 and double 12. Nine dart finishes are extremely difficult and rare, but they do happen so bettors can bet on this too.

Darts Checkouts

A darts checkout is the total number of points scored by a player in their final visit to the oche where they win the Leg.

The highest checkout a player can have is 170. This is the biggest score that can mathematically be accomplished in three darts which concludes with a double. This is two 180’s followed by a bullseye and is known as the Big Fish.

Other named checkouts include the Little Fish checkout which is a treble 20, single 20 and bullseye (130 checkout) or a Shanghai Finish which is a checkout using each segment of one specific number for example, a single 20, treble 20 and double 20.

Checkouts are a very popular betting market and bookies usually have several options available for both the match and per player.

The lowest checkout in darts is obviously 2, as this is the lowest number on the board that can be made with a double.

Darts Break Of Throw

When a player is the first to throw in a Leg is it said that he ‘has the darts’. Players take turns to throw first so they both get an equal opportunity. Throwing first gives an advantage because if they play well, then they should reach checkout stage before their opponent.

However, if a player who ‘has the darts’ doesn’t play well, then their opponent can overtake them and get to checkout first. If a player wins a Leg without throwing the first three darts, it is said to be a ‘Break of Throw’.

In this sense, darts is very comparable to tennis, in which the player who is serving is seen to have a significant advantage, and breaking the serve (or the throw in darts) is a major step in winning a match.

Darts Betting Markets

From leagues to tournaments, the Darts season runs all year-round and what makes it unique is that events are mixed for both male and female players.

Although different formats can have slightly different rules, many of the betting markets are the same. We’ll take a look at a few of the most common darts betting markets below.

Outright Winner

This is a bet on who you think will win a tournament or event outright. You can place these bets before the tournament has started and during it as well. The best odds are usually found beforehand, especially on the non-favourites.

In the bigger tournaments, you will also find betting markets for the finalists.

Match Winner

This is a bet on which player you think will win a specific match. The player with the highest odds is the outsider.

Correct Score - Match

This is a bet predicting the exact score in a darts match. For example, in a Best of 11 Legs match between Luke Humphries and Luke Littler, you could bet on either player to win 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 or 6-5.

Correct Score – Sets

If the darts match includes Sets, then you can place a bet on what you think the exact Set score will be. For example, if a match is a Best of 7 Sets, then you could bet on either player to win 4-0, 4-1, 4-2 or 4-3.

180’s

You can place bets on which player will have the most 180’s in any given match. You can also place bets on how many 180’s there will be in a match or even in a tournament.

Handicap Betting

This is where one or both of the players is given a virtual lead or deficit in scoring to make betting odds more equal. For example, if a favourite is up against a lower ranked player, then the odds on the favourite are going to be so low that it isn’t worth betting on.

Therefore, a handicap is given to the favourite, say of -2.5, this would mean that they have to win by 3 clear Legs in order for the bet to win.

Checkouts

You can place bets on which player will score the highest checkout in a match. You can also place checkout bets per player, for example, how many 100+ checkouts Michael Van Gerwin will make in a match.

Nine-Dart Finishes

This is a bet on whether there will be any nine-dart finishes in a match and/or how many there will be.

Three Dart Averages

This is a market that is usually only available in big matches at big tournaments. It basically revolves around the average score a player will get over a match for every three darts they throw.

Most top players will hope to have a three-dart average of over 95, but this can vary according to their performance. It is something you can choose to bet on though and is usually an under/over bet.

In-Play Betting

Darts is suitable for In-Play betting as odds can change drastically depending on how the match is going. Players also take a break after every Set, so this usually allows time for in-play betting to occur.

How To Find The Best Darts Betting Odds

An important factor when betting on any sport is to secure the best possible odds you can.

The better the odds, the more betting value you're getting.

You can use a betting odds comparison site such as Oddschecker to find the best available darts odds at any bookmaker.

Oddschecker shows the odds you can use at a range of online bookmakers so you can quickly see which bookmaker is offering the best darts odds on any given bet.

The best odds are shown in bold allowing you to easily identify the best value bets.

You can search and compare a whole range of darts betting markets too.

Darts Tournaments

The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) organises a series of tournaments and events across the year, with some more high-profile than others.

The most high-profile tournaments receive not only the largest betting markets, but also the best odds too. Here we'll take a look at the top darts tournaments to bet on.

PDC World Darts Championships

The PDC World Darts Championship is the pinnacle of the darts calendar taking place during the Christmas/New Year season and attracting a large TV audience.

The event is held at Alexandra Palace, or the Ally Pally as it is affectionately known, in front of huge raucous crowds. 96 players start in this knockout tournament, and it includes all the top players in the world.

This is where you’ll find the biggest range of betting markets, best odds and bookie promotions as they compete against each other to get bettors’ attention.

Premier League Darts

This involves the world’s top 8 players going head-to-head in a series of matches over 16 nights.

Played once a week on a Thursday at different venues across Europe, each Premier League match is a mini-tournament with all 8 players competing in a knock-out style tournament to find a winner of the night.

Points are awarded for finishing in the top positions, which then determine the league positions of the players. The top four players in the league then compete in Play-offs to find an overall winner.

Taking place between February and May, Premier League Darts has become a highly popular series to bet on. Bettors and bookies can focus their attention on just 8 players and the dynamics change regularly with weekly matches.

You’ll find outright markets for the overall winner as well as in-depth markets for each Premier League night and each match within it.

World Matchplay

Taking place in July at Blackpool Winter Gardens, this involves 32 of the world’s best darts players in a knockout tournament.

This also attracts wide betting markets in both the outright and match categories so is a good option for darts betting.

Darts Tournament Calendar

Those tournaments mentioned above are just three events in the Darts calendar that attract the widest betting markets. Other big events include the Masters and the World Grand Prix.

However, because darts is played all year round, even the smallest tournaments still have betting markets. The calendar below will give you an idea of which darts betting markets to look out for and when.

• The Masters – January/February

• Premier League Darts – February – May

• UK Open Finals – March

• World Cup of Darts – May/June

• World Matchplay – July

• Champions League of Darts – September

• World Grand Prix – September/October

• Grand Slam of Darts – November

• PDC World Championships - December/January

Darts Betting Considerations

If you’re looking to bet on darts, there are some key things to consider that can help guide you on which bets to place.

Current player form

Premier League Darts is a good way to assess how the top 8 players are performing at the start of the season with weekly showdowns against their main rivals.

Outside of that, PDC Player rankings and Order of Merit can also give an indication of player success. However, these tend to be focused on player prize winnings and are taken over a longer period of time so they don’t give accurate information on recent form.

The best way to check current form is to look at results of the most recent tournaments, and not only the winners but you can go really deep into the statistics if you want.

For example, you can find statistics on a player's individual checkout percentage, three dart average, treble 20 hit percentage, how many 180’s they’ve scored, etc. If you really want to examine each player’s form, all the data is readily available online.

Head-to-Head Statistics

In any head-to-head sport, such as darts or tennis, it’s a good idea to study former match-ups between the two specific players.

Darts is a sport that is known for fierce rivalries and sometimes players can have a psychological advantage over their opponent based on their previous head-to-head results.

Individual playing style can also mean that while both players are high-performing individually, the speed or style of one player can be off-putting to the other.

This can be said of current players Michael Smith and Rob Cross. Both players are highly ranked, with Michael Smith currently coming out on top. However, Rob Cross has fared much better in their head-to-head matches winning 19 of their 27 meets.

Some say this is because Rob Cross’s slower, methodical approach to playing darts interferes with Smith’s rapid-fire style and consequently knocks him out of his normal rhythm.

When betting on darts, it’s a good idea to take into account both player form and who their opposition is.

Darts Format

Some darts players play better when playing in Matchplay mode, where they just have to focus on winning more Legs than their opponent.

Meanwhile other players prefer Set mode, which is more strategic and requires players to win the right Legs at the right time to clinch a Set. Therefore the format of the darts game can be important when betting.

Set mode pressures players into making a break of throw in every set. It also means that players face several deciders per match which can pile on even more added pressure.

It is possible to win more Legs and still lose the match in Set mode due to not winning the right Legs when needed. Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor won more Legs in both of the World Championship Finals that he lost in 2003 and 2015 but he didn’t win the most crucial ones.

Is Darts Eligible For Matched Betting?

Darts is a really good sport for Matched Betting. Not only are there frequent matches, but the big tournaments receive huge media coverage and therefore bookmaker attention. Many bookies actually sponsor darts tournaments too e.g. Paddy Power and Bet365.

That means vast betting markets, good odds and most importantly, bookie promotions and offers that Matched Bettors can take advantage of.

If you’d like to find out more about Matched Betting and how to turn bookmaker offers into locked in profits, then read our Matched Betting guide.