Darts 101

Learning the basics

Compared to other games of skill, darts can be learned relatively quickly - and you get to have lots of fun while learning.

The appeal of darts lies in the fact that you can play in an organized league, with a group of friends in a casual setting, or alone with the help of an online or electronic dart game.

Darts: The history

It has been said that darting was developed by English soldiers during the Middle Ages. The soldiers used arrows and cross-sections of tree trunks for targets (the tree's rings served as a built-in scoring system).

As the game caught on and grew in popularity, a move indoors was in store. The arrows were scaled down to become darts and dartboards were designed using those first tree trunk targets as templates.

Pub favorite

Long a favorite pub game, darts eventually became popular outside the bar scene and in 1954 the National Darts Association was founded. In the years since, darting has exploded in popularity. Darts is played everywhere from professional competitions to basement rec rooms by people from all walks of life.

Darts gear

A game of darts is a great way to spend hours of enjoyment with your family and friends. The basic dart gear needed to set up a darting area in your home include:

cabinet or a dart backboard

the dart board

a set of darts

Dart tips can be made of either steel (or, more accurately, silver, nickel, brass, or tungsten) or plastic.

Price and setting

Full sets that include everything you need to play range from pricy tournament quality to more affordable sets geared toward players who are just starting out.

You can set up your home darting area anywhere. A garage, basement, porch, or recreation room are just some of the ideal settings - just remember that the area you choose should not be a high-traffic area where children often play or people walk through frequently.

The games

There are many different versions of dart games and many different ways to play them. 01, Cricket, and Shanghai are famous pub games, while High Score is great for novice players.

To play High Score, players alternate turns, throwing three darts at each turn. Points are determined by the spot on the board where the dart hits are tallied and darts removed after each player's turn. Hitting predetermined highlighted spots can bring double or even triple points. A bullseye is worth 50 points for hitting the inner area and 25 for the outer edge.

Darts leagues

Like leagues for volleyball and bowling, organized amateur darting leagues exist in many cities across the U.S. For a small fee, you can join a team of four to eight players and compete in scheduled games throughout the season, usually with some sort of tournament at the end to determine the league's winning team.

More information on dart boards