Darts: a game where participants compete with one another by throwing small arrow like devices at a target that is round and has numbers and sections and an inner bull with an outer bull and so on. Darts now refer to the standard game with a specific bristle board design and a set of rules. Rules that are general to the game and rules that govern games like, “501,” “301,” and “Cricket.”


Darts is a traditional pub game that was and is commonly played in the United Kingdom as well as other places in Europe and across the pond here in the America’s.


Wikipedia tells hits history in a terse form, i.e., “The dartboard may have its origins in the cross-section of a tree. An old name for a dartboard is "butt"; the word comes from the French word but, meaning "target". In particular, the Yorkshire and Manchester Log End boards differ from the standard board in that they have no treble, only double and bullseye, the Manchester board being of a smaller diameter, with a playing area of only 25 cm across with double and bull areas measuring just 4 mm. The London Fives board is another variation. This has only 12 equal segments numbered 20, 5, 15, 10, 20, 5, 15, 10, 20, 5, 15, 10 with the doubles and triples being a quarter of an inch wide.”


There have been a variety of darts created over the years but the most common today is the tungsten dart. There are electronic darts but for this blog and for my efforts in tossing darts I remain a steel dart fan and enthusiast. I am recommending a book for novice darters but only because it appealed to me and my studies and rest assured most of the dart books out there are outstanding. In short, find one if this one does not fit your needs and get it. I can tell you when I started to play over twenty years ago, before I laid down my darts in 96, I tossed darts for several years without knowing some very important and critical mechanics, etc., of the dart game. As I take up once again my steel darts I have found a fountain of information to help make the game both enjoyable and competitive. Enjoy, diddle for the middle and let the darts fly!

Monday, August 29, 2016

Dart Outs - Part IV: No Possible 3 Dart Outs

Dart Arts Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

In the dart arts even when you reach the 170 mark there are some scores that will not allow you to throw a three dart out and they are, “169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. The question is, “What do you do if you find yourself sitting on one of these numbers?” Your there and the best you can do is hit a score with the first dart that will allow you a two dart out. Can you do this with these seven no out scores?

I asked myself what is the highest score possible with one dart and the answer, of course, is 60 points by hitting the T20 with that first dart. As I have stated in the last article almost all the three dart scores above 129 recommends the T20 for that first of three darts therefore if you hit one of the ‘dead-seven’ you should still go for the T20. 

I guess you have figured out already that even if you are sitting on the 159 score that hitting T20 only puts you at a score of 99 - guess what, it ain’t a two dart out. Ok, then you have to set up a three dart out from the dead-seven scores and since I recommend the highest score possible you may want to hit a T20, T20 and then either a T20 or T19 depending on the even or odd scored dead-seven. If you are at 168, 166, 162 go for the awesomeness of T2, T20, T20 and if you are at 169, 165, 163 or 159 make that last dart a T19. Is this optimal to your darts and winning?

169 - T20, T20, T19 = 177, ops, not a good idea. Lets figure this out, 169 - 60 = 109 so what do you do, you figure out the outs for 109 and they are T19, 20, D16. Since that is a good out for the next throw add in another T20 or 60 and what does that give you left, remember higher scores bring you closer to a two dart out. 109 - 60 = 39, ok, the last dart then should be one that leaves you a most excellent out of only one dart on the next throws so for me I would go for a single 7 leaving a 32. The 32 score if you miss will leave a D8, D4 in case you miss those so all three darts will give you the opportunity of going out, the win - you hope. 

This is the process I would recommend and follows the scheme of my 170 Out Game in practice as well as in the actual competitive game and also leads to figuring out and remembering outs for the ultimate goal of “on the fly out calculations” when throwing darts, the dart arts. 

  • 168 - first dart T20; 168 - 60 = 108; second dart 108 - 60 = 48; third dart single 16 for a D16 next three darts.
  • 166 - first dart T20; 166 - 60 - 106; second dart 106 - 60 = 46; third dart single 14 for a D16 next three darts.
  • 165 - first dart T20; 165 - 60 = 105; second dart T19; 105 - 57 = 48; third dart single 16 for a D16 next three darts.
  • 163 - first dart T20; 163 - 60 = 103; second dart T19; 103 - 57 = 46; third dart single 14 for a D16 next three darts.
  • 162 - first dart T20; 162 - 60 = 102; second dart T20; 102 - 60 = 42; third dart single 10 for a D16 next three darts. 
  • 159 - first dart T20; 159 - 60 = 99; second dart T19; 99 - 57 = 42; third dart single 10 for a D16 next three darts.

Ain’t dart arts life grand? 



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