According to a popular song years back, diamonds are a girl's best friend. And many folks will tell you that a dog is man's best friend. (This is true. Couple or three years ago I had my girlfriend and our dog living with me. Both eventually moved on. Guess which one I still miss.) But when it comes to doubling out in a dart game, double 16 is your best friend. Allow me to elucidate my assertion. (For you Alabama folks, that means I'm gonna tell ya why.)
Doubling out occurs in most 01 games, ie, 501, 301, etc. The object in these games is to reduce your score to exactly zero. The catch is that your last dart, the one that brings your score down to zero, MUST be a double. It can be any of the twenty doubles making up the outer ring of the board or even the double bull. So what makes the double 16 special? I'm glad ya asked that question!
Obviously you can only double out if you have an even number remaining. (2, 4, 6, 8, etc.) So it follows that if you have an odd number remaining, 11 for example, you can't double out. First you have to hit something to set yourself up with an even number. That's an extra dart you're forced to use before you can get back to trying to throw the winning dart. Clearly it's advantageous to always have an even number remaining near the end of the game even if you miss your intended target. That's where double 16 comes in.
Assume for just a moment that you throw at a double but miss it and hit the single instead. If you'd been throwing at double 7, for example, life suddenly seems so unfair because now you have seven points remaining and before you can go for the win you gotta spend a dart setting yourself up on an even number again. Boo, hiss, right? This is why I rarely throw at a "double odd" number.
What if you'd been throwing at double 20 instead? Ok, you miss and hit the single 20. No prob, you can still go for the win by pegging the double 10. Acck! You miss and hit the ten and now you're on an odd number. Curses! Is there no way to avoid this mathematical tragedy? (By now some of you are smugly thinking, "Hey, Dave, it'd be simpler to just hit what you were aiming for!" These folks forget one thing. You shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition.)
For those of you not so grammatically challenged, let's fit double 16 into our example. Well bust my buttons and call me Pete! Suddenly life seems full of opportunity! Miss and hit the single 16? No worries, mate! You've got 16 remaining, so go for double 8. Hit the single 8 by mistake? It's cool, go for the win on double 4. Drat! A single 4. Again, it's casual. Just pop a double 2. Missing it by hitting a single two STILL leaves you with a chance to win on double 1.
No other number on the board gives you this many chances to hit the single by mistake and still have a winning shot available. So be sure to set aside time during your practice sessions to hit on your new best friend, double 16.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Who Throws First in a Dart Game?
One of the first things a new dart player is likely to learn is the procedure for deciding which player throws first in a game. It's quite simple. Each player (or one player from each team, if teams are playing,) throws one dart. Whichever is closest to the bullseye goes first. And what is the name for this simple yet decisive procedure?
I suppose the closest thing to an official name would be based on the word "cork" which refers to the bullseye. Players throw for the cork or "cork it" to see who goes first. But being a colorful lot, darters have come up with a virtual cornucopia of slang terms for this simple act. Here are just a few variations.
Diddle for the middle
"Cork 'em up!"
"Show me one"
"I'll show you one"
Shoot for the cork
Bull-off
Middle for middle
Out for bull
Bull up
I suppose the closest thing to an official name would be based on the word "cork" which refers to the bullseye. Players throw for the cork or "cork it" to see who goes first. But being a colorful lot, darters have come up with a virtual cornucopia of slang terms for this simple act. Here are just a few variations.
Diddle for the middle
"Cork 'em up!"
"Show me one"
"I'll show you one"
Shoot for the cork
Bull-off
Middle for middle
Out for bull
Bull up
Monday, July 18, 2011
How to Play 501
Few dart games are as simple to play as the game of 501. The entire thrust of the game can be summed up by these two rules:
- The objective is to reduce a starting score of 501 points down to exactly zero points.
- The dart which brings the score to exactly zero MUST be a double.
That's it. Go play!
Ok, just kidding, there's a bit more to it than that. But not much, which makes it a great game for beginners since they can focus on learning to throw without the burden of also concentrating on some complex strategy.
As mentioned, you begin the game with a score of 501 points. Your objective is to count down to exactly zero points. Each turn you throw three darts and subtract the points you hit from your score to obtain your new score. The first player to reduce his score to exactly zero wins. The game of 501 is really that simple. Except for one little catch and it comes at the end of the game.
You must "double out" to reach exactly zero points. This means the dart that reduces your score to exactly zero MUST be a double. So if you have 40 points left, hitting a double 20 wins the game. Your score is down to 16? Double 8 does the trick. Should you find yourself with an odd numbered score remaining, you'll need to whittle it to an even number in order to double out. So let's say your score is down to 17. Your options include hitting a 1 followed by a double 8, a 3 followed by a double 7, a 5 followed by a double 6, etc.
So in a nutshell, score as many points each turn as you can, then when your score is low enough, set yourself up on an even number so that you can double out. That's really all a beginning dart player needs to remember while playing 501.
- The objective is to reduce a starting score of 501 points down to exactly zero points.
- The dart which brings the score to exactly zero MUST be a double.
That's it. Go play!
Ok, just kidding, there's a bit more to it than that. But not much, which makes it a great game for beginners since they can focus on learning to throw without the burden of also concentrating on some complex strategy.
As mentioned, you begin the game with a score of 501 points. Your objective is to count down to exactly zero points. Each turn you throw three darts and subtract the points you hit from your score to obtain your new score. The first player to reduce his score to exactly zero wins. The game of 501 is really that simple. Except for one little catch and it comes at the end of the game.
You must "double out" to reach exactly zero points. This means the dart that reduces your score to exactly zero MUST be a double. So if you have 40 points left, hitting a double 20 wins the game. Your score is down to 16? Double 8 does the trick. Should you find yourself with an odd numbered score remaining, you'll need to whittle it to an even number in order to double out. So let's say your score is down to 17. Your options include hitting a 1 followed by a double 8, a 3 followed by a double 7, a 5 followed by a double 6, etc.
So in a nutshell, score as many points each turn as you can, then when your score is low enough, set yourself up on an even number so that you can double out. That's really all a beginning dart player needs to remember while playing 501.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Temporary Fix for a Worn Out Bullseye
This little trick was taught to me twenty years or so ago by the owner of the Metro Atlanta Dart Association. It was my first night playing in a league and I'm forever grateful to Lewis for this tip.
If you've thrown on a board with a worn out bull, you know it can be frustrating watching dart after dart fall out because the material making up the bullseye has lost much of it's "grip" from overuse. Here's what ya do. Every two or three throws, stab the point of your darts into a slice of lime. You won't believe the difference this makes in the darts sticking. I have no idea why it works, but I'm pretty sure little green elves are involved.
Careful using this trick with hammerheads, especially if ya put much oomph into your throw to start with. You may find ya need a claw hammer just to pull your darts!
If you've thrown on a board with a worn out bull, you know it can be frustrating watching dart after dart fall out because the material making up the bullseye has lost much of it's "grip" from overuse. Here's what ya do. Every two or three throws, stab the point of your darts into a slice of lime. You won't believe the difference this makes in the darts sticking. I have no idea why it works, but I'm pretty sure little green elves are involved.
Careful using this trick with hammerheads, especially if ya put much oomph into your throw to start with. You may find ya need a claw hammer just to pull your darts!
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