Darts Betting Guide

Darts is possibly the most popular pub sport in the UK and it's one of those sports most people try before being able to bet on it. When most people think of darts they imagine overweight alcoholics down the pub playing for a free beer.

However, with the help of Barry Hearn (PDC Chairman) and some incredibly talented and dedicated players like Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow, and Michael Van Gerwen to name a few. Darts continues to grow to record levels with a total prize fund of £11.2 million (PDC only) up for grabs in 2017.

You have two different corporations, The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and the British Darts Organisation (BDO). We much prefer the PDC as their standard is at a much higher level. Plus, you can bet on far more PDC events than you can on the BDO.

Betting Sites with Live Darts Streaming

During more "normal" times, several betting sites offer free live darts streams if you have a funded account or a bet on the match. But, it has got even easier to watch live darts streams completely free, as the global pandemic has forced the sport to improvise, and play from home.

In normal times, bet365 is one of the best betting sites for "bet to watch" darts live streaming, offering live streams on many major PDC events throughout the year if you have a funded account or a bet on the match. As PDC events have been delayed or canceled for the foreseeable future, bet365 is now offering live steams for the PDC Darts Home Tour matches instead.

Below are the five best-betting sites for free live sports streaming.

Why Bet on Darts?

Darts was a pub sport for many years, however, it has since grown into a multi-million-pound industry with thousands of fans filling venues around the world. But why is it so popular?

Well simply, it's an exhilarating sport to watch and bet on. At the major PDC tournaments, the crowds often cheer every dart thrown or at the very least, every 180.

But why would you want to bet on darts? Well for one, the odds can have great value. On their day, any PDC professional can beat each other. This makes for upsets being rather common. However, with the strong favourites (Michael Van Gerwen) the odds often have very little value for the match-winner.

Except, in the first round of this year's World Matchplay, a 14/1 outsider won against MVG.

If you are live betting, the markets are diverse and again have great odds. If you know anything about darts, just one bad throw can change the whole dynamic of a game. Betting in-play can be exciting and potentially profitable making this exhilarating sport even better to watch.

Useful Darts Betting Terms

501- The starting score in which players need to score down from 501 to win the game. To win you must check out on a double or the bullseye.

Double- The outermost segment on the dartboard in which you score double the number you hit. To check out you must hit a double.

Check out- The score you must hit to finish the game. Example: 60. To check out you can hit single 20 then double 20 to win the game.

Treble/Triple- The inner ring on the dartboard in which you score triple the number you hit. The maximum score with one dart is treble 20 = 60 score.

Barrel- The metal part of the dart in which your fingers grip.

Bullseye/bull- The innermost red circle in which if hit scores you 50. To the outside of the bull is the bigger green circle, scoring 25 if hit.

Chalker- The official that scores and chalks the game and every score thrown.

Oche- The stand in which players know where to throw from.

Ton- A score of 100.

Ton 80- A score of 180 which is the maximum score in the game.

Tops- The term for double 20.

Nine darter- To check out from 501 with just nine darts. A perfect leg in darts.

The Basics of Darts

Darts is a fairly simple game to play. Players take turns to throw 3 darts each at the board. Each part of the board has a score value to it, ranging from 1 up to 60. The outer segment is double and the inner segment is a treble. You get double or treble the score of the number in which the dart lands. The bullseye (centre circle) will give you 50 and the outer green ring around it 25.

In darts, they often require players to hit exactly 501 in as few throws as possible, going from 501 down to 0. To check out and win the game you need to hit a double or the bullseye. A perfect leg in darts uses just nine darts to check out.

It is usually played over several sets or games depending on the tournament. The games are known as legs and one set is usually the best of 5 legs so first to 3 legs wins a set. As the tournament progresses the number of legs or sets usually increases.

Darts Tournaments

There are 50+ tournaments each year but sadly you cannot bet on all of them. Below is a list of all the major 2018 PDC tournaments you can bet on with different bookies.

World Darts Championship- Date: Dec 14-Jan 1. Venue: Alexandra Palace

The Masters- Date: January 26-28. Venue: ArenaMK, Milton Keynes

Premier League Darts- Date: Feb 1-May 17. Venue: The O2 Arena, London

UK Open Finals- Date: March 2-4. Venue: Butlin's Minehead Resort

World Cup of Darts- Date: May 31-June 3. Venue: Eissporthalle, Frankfurt

World Matchplay- Date: July 21-29 Venue: Winter Gardens, Blackpool

World Grand Prix- Date: September 30-October 1 Venue: Citywest Hotel, Dublin

European Championship- Date: October 25-28. Venue: Westfalenhallen, Dortmund

World Series of Darts Finals- Date: Nov 2-4. Venue: Multiversum Schwechat, Vienna

Grand Slam Of Darts- Date: November 10-18 2018. Venue: Aldersley Leisure Village

Players Championship Finals- Date: November 23-25. Venue: Butlin's Minehead Resort

Darts Betting Markets

Outright winner- Simply, betting on the winner of a tournament say the World Matchplay or World Championship.

Match-winner- Darts is a two way market with just one winner. Apart from the Premier League of Darts tournament where they can draw in the earlier stages.

Correct score- Whether it’s the best of 5 legs or sets you can bet on the correct score at the end of the match. Odds are pretty high because it is very hard to predict the correct score in darts.

Over/under- You can bet on the total number of legs or sets in a game. Or even bet on the total number of 180s in a match, or who will score the most 180s.

With this, you can also place standard handicap bets. Say the match is best of five sets, you can bet on -2.5 meaning you need the player to win 3-0. This can give value to the favourites in a matchup instead of taking their short odds for just the match-winner.

Most 180's- Simply who will score the most 180's in a game. But, you can now even bet on most 180s in a leg or set during the game. Do your research on this market as you can find some great odds.

Smaller Markets- Some betting sites offer smaller markets for select events in a match. Bets like “first dart score” which is a bet on where the first dart thrown in the match will land. Or, highest checkout in a match. Or, a 180 in the first leg, etc.

Each betting site will have its unique markets, but we recommend checking out Unibet for the best selection out there.

Darts Match Treble - The darts match treble or King of the Oche bet is where you bet on the player to win the match, hit the most 180s and hit the highest checkout in a match.