When you enter a sports bar, nine times out of ten there is at least one dartboard. While many facilities carry electronic boards with soft tips, some bars feature traditional dartboards equipped with metal dart tips and no electronic scoring methods. If you are not a frequenter of darts, this can be discouraging, and you may either blindly try to hit the bullseye or skip the dartboard altogether. In this post, we will go over various dart games that you can participate in during your next outing!
Orlando's Venue for Pool, Darts, Poker, Sports, & Fun
Exploring Different Dart Games
501… Or 301…
The most popular dart game to participate in around the world is 501. In this game, each player starts at a score of 501, and their goal is to hit numbers to subtract from the total. The first person that reaches zero (without going into the negatives) wins. Each number on the dartboard represents how much the amount that you subtract from your current score. In addition, there is an outer ring and an inner ring, representing three times and two times that number amount (respectively). For those who are looking for a quicker game or are new to the world of darts, there is the availability of 301 instead of 501. This is essentially the same game, but you only count down from 301, cutting out an additional 200 off the requirements.
When in a bar setting, playing 301 as opposed to 501 is courteous to any observers who may be waiting for their turn, and it will also make the math much easier if you are playing on a dartboard that does not have any electronic components. Though it is possible to record all of the scoring mentally while playing, having some sort of scoring system on your phone or a piece of paper will help mitigate the errors that come along with playing darts while drinking.
Cricket
Cricket is one of the most played and rewarding dart games that is out there. In this game, each player is aiming to hit descending numbers three times each. Once a player has gone through 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, and 15, they will hit the bullseye three times to officially win the game. The same rules apply in regards to the double and triple rings, representing the number of hits as opposed to the number it adds up to. Another unique rule in this game is that if you close out a number on your last dart (3rd 16 on 3rd dart for example), then you will get to take another turn starting on the next descending number.
In traditional cricket, you are supposed to go in descending order and cannot move onto the next number until all three have been hit on the current number. In a bar setting, or for beginners, however, playing where any of the numbers count at any point is a great way to keep things going quickly and preventing a stagnant pace.
More Than Just Billiards
BackStage Billiards of Lake Buena Vista is a great pool and sports bar, but that is not all. The bar offers seven dart boards that can provide fun and healthy competition (including internet-fueled matches!) Be sure to contact the team with any questions you may have, and we hope you stop in soon!
