How to bet on darts - everything you need to know
Darts betting has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially thanks to the rise of household names like Luke Littler. The fast-paced sport appeals to both novice and seasoned bettors.
Here at FIRST, we've put together a useful darts betting guide. We'll walk you through everything you need to know, whether it's understanding darts odds, what markets are available or specific strategies to help you become a more successful punter.
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How darts scoring works
Darts’ most common format sees players start on a tally of 501 and their throws subtract from their score until they reach zero.
Darts matches are made up of legs and sets. For example, the first player to reach three legs will win a set. Then it’s a case of the first player to reach five sets wins the match.
To finish a leg in darts, a player must end with a double or the bull to reach zero. The bull is worth 50 points and the doubles are the outer ring on a dart board.
If a player needs 12 to win the leg but they hit 20, they will be ‘bust’ and their score reverts back to what it was previously.
There’s a lot of terminology in darts but it’s quite simple to understand.
A 180 is the maximum score a player can get with three darts (three treble 20s).
Player averages are what each player is putting up per three darts. Top players can average over 100 points.
A break of throw happens when a player wins a leg despite the opponent throwing first.
Darts match and tournament types
Darts can have different formats in matchplay and set play. Matchplay sees players reach a set number of legs. For example, first to 11 legs.
Set play matches have players reaching a specific number of legs and sets. Players could be playing first to three legs and first to five sets. This style is used in the PDC World Darts Championships.
Matchplay is a more straightforward version of darts to bet on. With set play being a longer match, more often than not it means the better player will win as they have more time to find a rhythm.
Short formats can lead to more upsets, which can prove lucrative if you can find a trend of why an underdog may win against a favourite.
Both formats offer live betting opportunities, whether it’s the match winner, most 180s or next leg winner bets.
If you’re choosing to bet on darts, make sure you know whether it’s matchplay or set play as that can affect your betting strategy.
How to place your first darts bet
Step 1: Choose a bookmaker
Choosing a bookmaker isn’t an easy task, but we’ve rated the best darts betting sites in the UK as we want punters to have the best user experience.
You should choose a reputable bookmaker as you must always feel safe when betting.
They should have a decent welcome offer, competitive odds, an abundance of markets and the site should be user friendly.
When you’ve chosen your bookmaker, you can set up your account after an identification process. You will likely have to provide ID, proof of address and agree to their terms and conditions.
Step 2: Make a deposit
Now that your account is verified, you can make a deposit. Most sites offer numerous deposit methods whether it’s debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Paysafecard, Neteller or Skrill. Most methods are very quick and the deposit is usually instant.
Also do your research when it comes to welcome bonuses as they can prove lucrative for new customers. Read the terms and conditions in terms of minimum odds, how much you must bet and an expiry date on the free bets.
Bettors can sign up to a new bookmaker and receive an offer along the lines of £50 in free bets when you bet £10.
Step 3: Choose and place your bet
Now the funds are in your account, it’s time to place your first bet.
Head to the darts section of your chosen bookmaker (you may have to go to the A-Z list of sports available) and choose your tournament, whether it’s the PDC World Darts Championships or Premier League Darts.
You can then pick your chosen market including the likes of match winner, most 180s and player average score. Click on the odds and the selection will appear in your betslip.
Be sure to check out our darts betting tips to get the edge on your selections.
Put in your stake and the betslip will confirm what your potential returns are. If you’re placing a £10 bet at odds of 3/1, you will receive £40 back (including your stake) if the bet is a winner.
Double check your betslip to make sure your stake is correct and click ‘place bet’. Your bet confirmation will flash up and the selection will also appear in your open bets section on the site.
Learn: How does handicap betting work?
Key darts betting markets
Match winner bets
The simplest bet in darts. Sometimes known as 1X2 betting, you’re simply backing who will win the match as you would with a football match. It’s the perfect bet for new darts punters as it’s black and white. Only one player can win so there’s one outcome.
Tournament outright winner
When you place an outright bet on a darts tournament you’re backing a specific player to win the whole competition, such as the Premier League of Darts and the World Cup of Darts.
You can place an outright bet pre-tournament or wait until the action starts to assess how everyone is playing. Pre-tournament bets will have higher odds than betting on a tournament that’s already underway.
Pretty much all bookmakers will offer each-way options in terms of outright darts bets. An each-way bet means you’re placing two bets, one on the player to win the tournament and another on them to ‘place’.
If you've backed Michael van Gerwen to win the PDC World Championship each way, you get 1/2 odds for two places, meaning half of the bet goes on him winning it all and the other half is betting on him to reach the final.
The each-way option offers a safety net as you’re not solely relying on the player to win the tournament. It also offers value if you’re backing a player at a big price.
Learn: How does matched betting work?
Popular player props
Most 180s
You’re backing which player will hit the most 180s in the match. Whether they finish one ahead of five ahead, it’s still a winner.
Highest checkout
Players checkout on legs by hitting doubles. The highest available is 170, which involves a player hitting two treble 20s (120) and the bullseye (50). You're betting on which player will have the highest checkout tally.
Total legs under/over
Legs make up sets and this involves picking over or under on a predetermined amount of legs by the bookmaker. The line may be set at 18.5 so if you’ve backed over and there are 21 legs, you have a winner!
180s under/over
Involves backing how many 180s will be hit in the match. It doesn’t matter which player hits the most, it’s in relation to the whole match.
Understanding darts odds
Understanding how odds work just takes a bit of time and practice. Odds show the probability and likelihood of the event happening. If the odds are shorter, the bet is in theory more likely to come in. If the odds are bigger, it's deemed more of a long shot bet.
Bookmaker odds are usually in one of two formats: fractions and decimals.
Fractional odds are commonly used in the UK. If you've backed Luke Humphries to win the PDC World Championship at 3/1, a £10 bet will return £40 in total (£30 profit and £10 stake). The left number is the profit and the right is your stake.
Decimal odds are also commonly used in the UK but they're more popular in Europe.
Decimal odds show the total payout as a multiple of your stake. A £10 bet on odds of 4.5 would return £45, including the stake.
When reading darts odds and placing bets, it's worthwhile learning how to identify value bets as this can prove a lucrative strategy in betting.
The first simple way of identifying value is working out what odds you would have the selection then checking bookmaker odds to see if it matches up.
If you believe a player should be evens (1/1) to win a match but they’re actually 2/1, that’s a value bet provided you’ve done your research.
Another way of finding value is comparing odds of different bookmakers. Certain betting sites can be slightly stingier with odds whereas others will offer higher odds to draw you in. If the same bet is higher odds with a certain bookmaker, there’s more value in backing it with them.
Darts betting strategy
Start with match winners
When betting on any sport, it's crucial to develop a betting strategy.
Darts betting for beginners can be quite daunting but your first priority is simple: do your research.
Rome wasn’t built in a day so you can’t create your betting account and start placing big stakes on high-odd bets in a tournament that you have no idea about.
You should focus on match winner markets first to build up your knowledge on darts and betting as a whole. As we said, it’s the most simple bet in darts as there’s only one outcome, a player wins or loses.
Make sure you’re betting on the major tournaments initially like the PDC World Championship and Premier League Darts. Those competitions have the big-name players and there is more coverage of those tournaments compared to lesser events.
It’s much easier to research player form and head-to-head results on the bigger tournaments. You’ll be able to find out player averages, historical trends of the tournament and more in-depth statistics.
Make sure you check out recent form, tournament rules, rankings and routes to the final.
It’s also worth noting that a tournament favourite may be a very short price to win in the early stages as they’ll likely be playing outsiders. Just be aware that you’ll have to stake more to win more on heavily odds-on selections.
Bankroll management for darts betting
If you’re hoping to be successful when betting on darts, it’s crucial that you manage your bankroll.
You must set personal betting limits and understand stake principles and the basics of bankroll record keeping.
The money you’re using to bet on darts should be cash that’s going towards recreational activities. It should never be money that’s needed for bills for example.
Before you start to bet, set a betting limit, whether it’s a daily, weekly or monthly tally. You should also set a stake limit which shouldn’t change if you’ve won or lost a couple of bets recently.
If you decide that one unit is £5, stick to it. Don’t suddenly change your unit to £10 to chase losses.
It’s also worth tracking every bet so you can keep in-depth statistics and see what you’re doing well and where you’re going wrong.
Track the odds, markets, stake and results. You may discover you’re having a lot of success on a certain market and your form on another market isn’t as good.
You should also set loss caps as you must never chase losses when betting on darts. If your weekly betting limit is £25 and you’ve already lost £25 two days into the week, you should step away rather than depositing more money and going against your own guidelines.
Learn: What is a Heinz bet?
Common mistakes to avoid
The three main things to avoid are emotional betting, chasing losses and betting without doing research.
When betting on darts, your selections should always be based on data rather than emotions. That way, you can bet sensibly and your selections aren’t guesses, they’re educated picks based on form or specific knowledge of the tournament.
A certain player may have a brilliant record in a specific competition or one player may have a strong head-to-head record against another. It’s always worth researching these things as it can help you find value bets that others might not have spotted.
If you’re betting on player averages or highest checkouts, you should research how they’ve been getting on recently and if they’ve been hitting checkouts in big tournaments.
It’s also paramount that you don’t chase losses. Never increase your stakes to recoup losses as it will only lead to more losses. Stick to sensible stakes on players and tournaments you have an in-depth knowledge of. That’s the route to making money by betting on darts.
Live betting on darts
Live/in-play betting on darts can prove lucrative if you’re doing it right.
It’s worth noting that live betting requires snap decisions to quickly decide what’s a value bet before deciding your stake.
Live odds fluctuate quickly and a missed checkout or consecutive 180s will affect odds and markets.
One tip for in-play betting on darts is to actually watch the match so you can make up your own mind on who has momentum. Most major bookmakers offer live streaming on numerous darts tournaments throughout the year.
If you can visibly see a player is struggling and another is finding form, there could be an opportunity with live betting. If a player makes a couple of 180s, you could get in there quickly and back them to win the next leg before the odds shorten.
In-play betting also offers the opportunity to back a favourite if they’ve gone a couple of legs or sets behind.
If a heavy favourite, who was 1/4 before the match, goes two sets down, they may now be around evens to win which could present value in long-form competitions if it’s first to seven sets for example.
Live betting is also helpful when it comes to cashing out. If your selection is looking likely to win but you’re still not 100 per cent, you could cash out for 80 per cent of the winnings rather than holding out and losing at the last minute.
The same works for if you’re happy to cut your losses. If you staked £10 and you’re confident your selection won’t be a winner, a cashout of £5 may be enough to tempt you rather than losing the full £10 stake.
Be aware when betting in-play that you should still stick to your stake and betting limits. Think of the long-term game and don’t up your stakes on live betting as it’s a quick way to lose money if things don’t go to plan.
Responsible gambling with FIRST
You must be 18+ to gamble. Gambling is a form of entertainment, not a way to make money. Our tips and advice help you enjoy gambling, but there is always a chance a bet or casino game can lose.
Never bet more than you can afford to lose. Stop betting if you are angry, emotional or under the influence of alcohol.
Warning signs of problem gambling: chasing losses, betting money needed for bills, or feeling unable to stop.
Need help? Visit our responsible sports betting page or our responsible casino gambling page, or contact the support organisations listed below if you're struggling to control your gambling:
National Gambling Support Network
FAQs
What should a beginner be betting on when it comes to darts?
The match winner market is the easiest bet in darts. It’s a simple bet as a player can only win or lose, they can’t draw. Simply pick the player you think will win and place your bet.
Is darts a good sport to bet on?
Yes, darts is a very popular sport to bet on, whether it’s with novice bettors or experienced punters. There are frequent tournaments and there will be a huge amount of markets for the big events such as Premier League Darts and the PDC World Darts Championships.
Can I bet on live darts matches?
Yes, you can place in-play bets on darts matches. Most bookmakers will have live markets ranging from match winner and most 180s to next leg winner and total legs or sets. J
What is a value bet in darts?
A value bet in darts means the odds on show are higher than the probability of the event happening in your eyes. If you think a player to win a tournament should be around 5/1 but they’re 12/1 to win it all, you’re getting value.
What is the best strategy to be successful when betting on darts?
There are a few simple steps to keep in mind if you're hoping to implement a successful betting strategy. Firstly, do your research and bet on events and players that you know. Study from, historical trends of the tournament and potential routes to the final.
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