Darts is played using a dartboard with a diameter of 45 cm and a set of darts, which we will return to later. There are also electronic dartboards, but we will not be looking at those today.
Dartboard and darts
The dartboard
The dartboard is divided into 20 sections around the board with the Bull's Eye in the center, and in addition, the dartboard is divided with a section in the middle where points count triple and a section at the edge where points count double. The different sections are separated by a metal wire, which should preferably be as thin as possible so there is less chance of the darts hitting the metal and bouncing back.
The material the dartboard is made of is crucial for how well it withstands holes from the darts, and a good quality dartboard can be bought for around 400-500 DKK.
The dartboard should be placed at a height of 173 cm, and the player must stand at a distance of 237 cm. The distance is marked with a line on the floor and must not be crossed. However, you are allowed to reach over the line.
Darts
The darts may weigh a maximum of 50 g and have a maximum length of 30 cm and consist of 4 parts: tip, barrel, shaft, and flights. The tip can be either 32 mm or 41 mm. Barrels are usually made of either brass or tungsten and are the part of the dart that is most decisive for price and quality.
Brass is very cheap and very light, which is a problem with darts, as the barrel then needs to have a certain thickness and length to provide the necessary weight.
Tungsten, on the other hand, is heavy and expensive, but allows for a much slimmer or shorter barrel compared to brass. The shaft is usually made of plastic or nylon, and the length here has a great influence on the flight characteristics.
Selected games
501
The most common dart game is 501, where you start with 501 points and work your way down to hit 0 by taking turns throwing 3 darts. You must finish by hitting either a double or bull's eye and you must hit exactly 0. So, for example, if you have reached 12, you can finish with double 6. If you hit higher than 12, you remain at 12.
It takes a minimum of 9 darts to reach 0, which is called a perfect round. A perfect round can be achieved in several ways, such as 2 rounds with 3 times Triple 20 and a final round of Triple 20, Triple 19, and double 12.
301
301 is the same as 501 except that you start from 301 instead of 501.
Clubs
In Denmark, there are over 100 dart clubs under the Danish Darts Union. In tournaments, there are 3 divisions called first to third division as well as a national league. Only the 1st division is not divided geographically.
