How the Pros Do It

by Ken Berman

There are two aspects in becoming a good dart player, they are accuracy and strategy. Accuracy is your ability to hit a particular target. Strategy is the decision making process that one goes through to decide on what target to shoot at. In any dart game accuracy is about 90% of winning, and 10% strategy. Who ever hits the most triples is usually going to win, however if the other guy is hitting just as many triples as you are, that's where strategy will make all the difference. I have noticed in most dart games a player will experience a brief lull in his accuracy It may be at the beginning, middle or end of the game, but a superior strategy will help carry you through those lulls. Also having good strategy can improve your accuracy in two ways. First is confidence, I always get a real confidence boost when I'm up against a player that I can see doesn't know his outs or plays catch-up in cricket. I know that if this game comes down to strategy, I got him. Second, is rhythm. I have found that when players are shooting their best, it is when they have established a rhythm in their darts. The most common thing that will disrupt a players rhythm is a lack of strategy, it is very hard to maintain a rhythm when you have to stop and add your score in the middle of your throw. One of the most common excuses in darts is, "I got down to an out, but I couldn't take it out.". Many times the reason for this is because in the beginning of an '01 game a player is not concerned with the score, he is just trying to bring it down, but when he gets close to an out he has to stop after each dart to figure out what to shoot at next. Here is a 501 example of this: a player is on 92and is stepping up to the line with three darts in his hand. He knows the out T20, D16. He throws his first dart and hits only a single 20 then he has to stop and subtract 20 from 92 and then figure out where he should go next. The player knew where to go if he hit the triple but not if he hit a single Here's the trick, do the math before you go to the line. Doing the math first a player knows if he hits a triple 20 he goes right to the double 16 and if he hits a single 20 then he is going right to the triple 16 (or what ever triple that he likes for a 72 two dart out, there are several options) and finish with a double 12. An advanced player will also figure out what he is going to do if he hits a single 16 with that second dart. He would have 56 left and may choose to go back for another single or triple 16. To recap the player says to himself, "I'm going at the triple 20 with the first dart, if I hit I'm going double 16, if I miss I'm going triple 16, If I hit the second dart I'm going double 12, if I miss I'm going back at the triple 16." This may seem complicated but it gets easier with practice and you will be surprised how much better you shoot. Notice this strategy doesn’t require you to memorize every out on the board, only to do the math before you go to the line.

This paper will deal mainly with strategy but here are some helpful hints on accuracy. The best way to improve your accuracy is to practice, practice, practice. When you practice have a few routines where you can measure your progress. This will force you to improve and help your concentration. For instance, when I practice I like to start by throwing 100 darts at the 20's and count how many I get, 3 for the triples 2 for the doubles and 1 for the singles. Every time I do this I am always trying to do 1 better than the time before. A good "A" player should be able to get 100 20’s out of 100 darts. The key is to be able to measure your progress. You may also want to count how many actually hit the triple 20, this will tell you what percentage of your darts are hitting triples, and more importantly what percentage don’t. This percentage will be important later in deciding strategy.

Another form of practice that is largely overlooked is warming up. Having a specific warm-up routine will help your confidence. A key to good accuracy. For instance when I warm up the day of an event I throw 100 20's, 30 darts at each cricket triple, including bulls , and throw at every double on the board until I hit it. That way I know later in the day I won’t find myself on a number that I have not already shot at. When Calvin Peters warms up He throws at every double and does not move onto the next until he hits 2 out of 3 darts in each double!

501 is a race, the player who finishes in the fewest darts wins. The fastest a player can finish is in 9 darts, although I've never seen this. If you can finish in 20-25 darts you will win a lot more games than you lose. There are many opportunities on the board to help you get to an out in fewer darts. First, you must learn to use the whole board, shed the beginner’s habit of trying to get to a favorite out. The pros know that all of the doubles are the same size and one is just as easy to hit as another (except for the double bull). If there are certain areas of the board you don't like you’re giving yourself a handicap right off the bat. Many beginners like double 16 because it breaks down 4 times all the way to double one. But when playing advanced players you are likely to only get one or two sets of darts at an out before its over.. Here is another example to illustrate this point. A player is on 61 with two darts in his hand and his opponent is on 32. Chances are if he does not take it out with these two darts he will lose. Many beginners will try for triple 15 double 8. But any pro will tell you there is only one way to take out a 61 with two darts, triple 11 double 14. The reason for this is whether or not he hits a triple or single 11with the second dart he is guaranteed a third dart at an out, double 14 or double bull. A single 15 will leave you on 46, you have just given your opponent three more darts!

In either 501 or cricket, a good rule of thumb for picking which triple to shoot at, is to assume the dart is going to hit a single. Which ever single will do you the most good, that's the triple. Remember even good "A" players only hit triples 15%-20% of the time, which means that on any one dart there is a 80%- 85% chance that at best you will hit a single!

Now for a detailed look at 501. There are basically three sections of numbers for all the outs. These are determined by how many triples it takes to hit the out . The first group is 170-131 all these outs require two triples to get to a double. The second group is 130- 91, all these outs require you to hit at least one of your first two darts in a triple. And from 90 down you can get to an out without having to hit a triple. {Exception: You can get to an out from 132 and 135 with only one triple if the first dart is a single or double bull, and you can get to an out from 91-95 without a triple if the first dart is a single or double bull. } The highest number in each of these groups are target numbers (170,130, and 90). Once you get into the 200’s you should know, before you go to the line how many points are needed to get to 170. If you'r on 229 you should be aware that 60 points will not put you on an out, and if your first two darts only hit single 20's then throw the third dart at the triple 19. Both the triple 20 and triple 19 will bring you to a respectable three dart out, but only the single 19 will also leave you on a three dart out. Notice how the single points the way to the correct triple. It is also important to commit to memory the numbers under 170 that can’t be taken out even with three darts (159, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168, and 169).Make sure that when you’re coming down from the 200’s you do not leave yourself on any of these numbers. If it's easier for you to remember the numbers you can take out they are (170, 167, 164, 161, 160, and 158-down) Notice the pattern of them being separated by three.

You should always try to get as many points as you can until your at an out, but as your coming down, try to make sure you at least get to the next target area. It will save you darts! The next target area starts with 130 and goes to 91.There are a few numbers to avoid in this group 129,128,and 125. I will explain this further later, but these are very ugly outs. This is a good time to discuss the two dart outs, commit these to memory 100, 101, 104, 107 and 110. If you are any where in the 120’s, throw your first dart at the triple where the single will leave you on one of these two dart outs. And never leave yourself on 99. Here is an example: (126) Many beginners will shoot triple 20 on the first dart because its even, when they miss and hit a single 20 their on 106 with no way to go out on this turn, three more darts for the other guys. The proper first dart is triple 19, if you hit it your on 69, or if you miss your on 107, both can be taken out with two darts. It is not important to remember all 162 outs, just these target numbers and let the single point the way. And do the math before you get to the line.

90 is probably the most important target of all, from here you can get to an out without a triple. I consider myself safe at this point, because I know on my next throw I should be able to have at least one dart to win. An important number in this group is 70, make sure if you are at 90 or less that your first dart brings you to 70 or less, this is crucial in getting to an out without forcing yourself to hit a triple. Example: (88) Many players like triple 16 double 20, but a single 16 will leave you on 72 forcing you to hit a triple with your second dart , or give the other guy three more darts. The best way is triple 20, double 14. If you miss the triple and catch a single 20, this will bring you to 68, where you can finish by throwing triple 18, double 7. That’s right T18,D7 this is because if you miss the second dart and catch a single 18 you still have a third dart to win at the double bull. This is the way the pro’s use the whole board to squeeze out every possible opportunity. Before I start on individual outs, it is important to look at the area from 61-70 with only two darts in your hand. If you find yourself in this situation this is what you do:

On all of these out even if you miss the triple and catch a single, you will guarantee your self a third dart at the double bull to win. Notice the pattern, the triple is always the same as the last number of the out. There is also a pattern for the doubles, as you go down the list the triples decrease by 1 and the doubles increase by 1. Look closely at the relationship between the triple and double for 63 and 62. This relationship will help you to remember these triples and doubles.

For the rest of the odd outs just throw at the single that puts you on D4, and then from 7 down set yourself up to take out a D2.

Revised: December 27, 2000 .