Darts Betting Strategy: An Introduction to Betting on Darts

I don’t think any sport has seen a transformation like darts has over the past two decades. Darts has moved from being a pub sport with a handful of events on TV to being on TV almost every week and it currently shows no signs of slowing down. We have a huge range of darts tournaments, all with great TV coverage so those who want to watch them can tune in and see the starts of the game most weeks of the year.

This huge boost in the sport has drawn in many new fans and plenty of betting sites including their markets on site, who all love to watch the sport either live or on TV thanks to the fantastic coverage we have. These fans are all looking for ways to get involved and a lot of them have turned to betting on darts, which has seen a huge rise over the past few years. Thanks to this we have many new darts markets to bet on and betting on the sport is now big business, with both seasoned fans and newcomers to the sport getting involved.

Whether it is a bet on a player to win a tournament to give you interest, or betting on the handicap line in a single game, everyone will find something out there to bet on. For those who follow the sport thoroughly, you will be able to find an angle if you look hard enough, giving you the chance to make a profit from your extensive darts knowledge. However, if you are a casual fan looking for an interest while you watch on TV then don’t worry because there is also plenty for you to bet on and enjoy.

Outright Betting

The easiest way for small punters to get into betting on the darts is to look at the outright markets for winning a tournament. Many tournaments last for a week or two, and if you intend to watch the tournament throughout then having a bet on someone to win it outright will give you an interest.

Even the favoured players can be backed at good odds to win an event prior to it starting and this is why a lot of people turn to this market. Betting on players to win individual games is not for small punters as the odds on offer are always very short. However, picking a player to win the whole tournament is a way to back your favourite player at decent odds in the hope he goes all the way.

This is certainly the best place to start for newcomers to betting on darts, the market is simple to follow and all you have to do is pick one player who you think will win the tournament.

The Main Win Markets

This is the simplest market to understand when it comes to individual games, although short odds tend to put a lot of people off. For this reason, the majority of people usually back an accumulator, putting together numerous games. This is ideal if you are attending a night of darts, or watching a full night of play on the TV.

Although not really a viable option to back one game, if you put together the five or six games that are all playing on the same night, the odds together to make it worthwhile. Picking games on the same night means you don’t have to wait for a few days to collect your winnings like you would on the outright market so this may appeal to people who want a bet every day of the tournament.

This market is another that is great for newcomers to the sport and another that is easy to understand. I wouldn’t advise backing single games but when you have four or five games taking

place in each session you can easily put together those games in an accumulator to give you a bet worth having.

Handicap Betting

Some people will be familiar with this concept, but not all. This is a way to enhance odds on the odds-on favourites that you fancy, by backing them using a fictional handicap line created by the bookmakers.

The first thing to mention here is that the handicap lines are created by bookmakers so both the odds and handicap lines will vary with different bookmakers. Make sure you shop around as a slight difference in the handicap line and price can make a huge difference to your bet. Look for the bookmaker that favours your selection the most and go with them.

When handicap betting you are betting on someone to win the match either with an advantage or against a player who has an advantage. If you are backing the favourite then he will be at a disadvantage so, for example, he will be -1.5 sets. This means instead of just winning the game your player has to win by two sets or more. If you fancy a player to win a game comfortably then this could be the way forward for you as with a -1.5 deficit they will be a much bigger price to win the game.

This is much tougher to understand and follow for those who are new to darts, and those who are new to betting on the sport so I wouldn’t advise heading to this market straight away. However, if you have a good knowledge of the sport and you know how the players are currently performing then you have a great chance to find an angle here and find some value.

The handicap line is simply the opinion of the bookmaker if you think they are wrong and you have enough knowledge then you can back your opinion against theirs using this market.

Alternative Markets

There are many alternative markets available for darts betting, both on the outright betting and individually on games. These are complicated markets and ones that only experienced gamblers and knowledgeable people on the sport should be using. However, they also offer the best chance of finding value if you believe a bookmaker has priced something up wrong.

This is where the knowledgeable darts people can really put their knowledge to the test and hopefully win some money because of it.

Outright Markets

For outright markets, you can now bet on things like ‘to reach quarter-finals’ or ‘to reach semi-finals’ which may interest some people. This is ideal if you fancy a player to go far in the tournament but you are not sure they will win the whole thing. Backing them to reach the quarter-finals or semi-finals is a good way to back a player to do well without winning it.

The other way to use this market is as a saver on your outright selection. Backing a player to win outright is a bet that requires a player to win numerous ways. One way of covering your bet is to back your selection to reach the semi-finals as well, giving you a return if your player loses in either the semi-finals or final. Of course, if your selection wins the tournament then you will have two winning bets.

Game Markets

For individual games, you will find many markets available for you to bet on. One of the most popular and fun markets is the market covering how many 180’s will be scored in the game. You can do this for each player or as a total in the game. Usually, the betting on this is done as an over/under line so for example, the bookmaker line will be 5.5, you will bet either over or under that line. Over would be 6 or more 180’s, under would be 5 or less 180’s. For those looking to watch exciting darts and have an interest, regardless of who wins the game, this type of market may be for you.

In Conclusion

With so many different ways to bet on darts, it is very easy for newcomers to the sport to get involved. Some markets can be quite complicated so I would always recommend that new players stick to simple markets to start off with until they are comfortable moving onto something else.

Simple markets like the outright win market and the individual game-winning market are great ways to get involved and you don’t need a huge amount of betting or darts knowledge to play on these markets. The outright market is a great way to back your favourite player in the hope that he can land the upcoming title, without having to back him individually every single time he plays.

For those who are looking for an interest when they watch the darts each night, an accumulator on players to win their individual games is certainly the way to go. This gives you the chance to win big because you are placing an accumulator, but also an interest in each of the games taking place that night, which means you can watch and cheer on a player in every single game.