Darts league formats, averages and handicaps
A darts league is a season of matches between teams from pubs and clubs, usually played on one fixed night a week. Each league writes its own rules, but most are built from the same parts.
A typical match night
A match is made up of several games, and each game is worth a point to the team that wins it.
| Game | Who plays | Usual format |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | One player from each team | 501, best of three legs |
| Pairs | Two from each team, throwing alternately | 501 or 601 |
| Team game | The whole team in turn | 701, 801 or 1001, one leg |
The number of singles and pairs, and whether there is a team game, varies by league. The home team normally supplies the board, the chalker and the food.
Chalking
The chalker, or marker, keeps the score on the board beside the dartboard. In local leagues the two teams usually take it in turns.
A good chalker follows a few rules.
- Stand still and face the board while a player throws.
- Call the score after the third dart, not before.
- Tell a player what they scored or what they have left if asked.
- Do not tell a player what to throw at.
The three-dart average
The average is the standard measure of how well someone is scoring. It is the points scored per dart, multiplied by three.
To work it out for one leg, divide the points scored by the number of darts thrown and multiply by three. A player who wins a leg of 501 in 21 darts has averaged 71.57.
| Darts to win a leg of 501 | Three-dart average |
|---|---|
| 12 | 125.25 |
| 15 | 100.20 |
| 18 | 83.50 |
| 21 | 71.57 |
| 24 | 62.63 |
| 30 | 50.10 |
Checkout percentage
This is the share of darts thrown at a double that hit it. A player who needs three darts at a double to win a leg has a checkout rate of 33 per cent for that leg. Over a season it shows who finishes legs and who merely scores well.
Handicaps
Some leagues and many knockout competitions use handicaps so that weaker players have a real chance.
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Reduced start | The weaker player starts from a lower score, such as 401 against 501 |
| Start in legs | The weaker player begins a match one or more legs ahead |
| Team handicap | A team is given a points start based on its division |
Handicaps are normally set from a player’s or team’s results and adjusted during the season.
Etiquette on league night
- Shake hands before and after a game.
- Stay behind the thrower and out of their eye line.
- Do not pull your darts until the score has been called.
- In the next leg, the player who lost usually throws first. This is known as “mugs away”.