Although it may not be as popular as football, tennis or basketball, darts has its fair share of enthusiasts from all over the world. It offers a great deal of entertainment to its fans, as well as an opportunity for people to bet on this exciting game and guess what the outcome will be like.
This guide briefly explains the rules of the game, how to bet on darts and introduces a few darts championships viewed by many followers throughout the year.
How to Play Darts
Darts involves 2 players who take a turn each to throw a small missile shaped metal object at circular target fixed to a wall. The circular cork board is divided into zones, with their respective points, marked from 1 to 20. The board is also marked with a ring in the middle and another on the outside, as well as another smaller ring in the middle of the whole board referred to as the bullseye. During each turn, darts players can score no points or up to a maximum of 60 points if a triple 20 is hit.
How to Bet on Darts
For some betting on darts may sound monotonous but looking at darts more closely one will realise that this is not the case. There are in fact various ways how to bet on darts, depending on the bettors’ knowledge of darts and betting know-how particularly of certain betting techniques.
Match Betting – this method is quite easily understood and involves bets which are placed on who will be the winner of the match. This also includes bets on the final score or the different legs of the match. An example of a bet on the final score is that there will be a score of 180, which is the maximum number of points with 3 darts during a single match.
Outright Betting – this is the most straightforward bet in which it involves a bet on the winner of the final tournament.
Over/Under Betting – Darts offer several over/under betting options, such as the minimum number of sets. For instance, if you bet on “Over 4.5” total sets, you will win if the match is played to five sets. If on the other hand, the match ends in four or three sets, then you will lose your bet.
Handicap Betting – handicap betting is also possible in darts. A typical example is a bet on Van Gerwen to win with a -2.5 handicap bet in a best of five set match. The bet is won if Van Gerwen wins the match with a score of 3-0.
King of the Oche – an interesting bet is the King of the Oche which refers to bets placed on players to be the winner of the match, hold the top checkout and the most 180s. This bet type comes with big odds and is usually common when there is a strong favourite.
Number of 180s – 180 is the maximum number of points a player can get with three darts. This bet involves how many maximums, i.e. 180s, will be thrown.
Most Popular Darts Tournaments
PDC World Darts Championship – This is one of the biggest international darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), which takes place in December and January every year. Held at the Alexandra Palace in London, this competition brings together the world’s finest darts players in one place and generates great interest amongst darts enthusiasts.
Unibet Premier League of Darts – Another popular darts tournament is the Unibet Premier League of Darts. This competition starts in February with weekly matches and ends with a final match in May. You can find odds of the Unibet Premier League of Darts here.
Other renowned darts competitions include The Masters, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts.
Darts Betting with Unibet
Unibet offers the most competitive odds for various sports events, including majors darts competitions. Apart from placing bets right before the game, Unibet offers also the opportunity to bet live during the match. With in-play betting you can enjoy the game and make the best decisions there and then.