Darts: a sport that's become fashionable

Although for many of us, darts is often synonymous with a good evening with friends in a bar, for others, it represents a real sport where competition is fierce.

About the game of darts

Before trying to explain the incredible phenomenon of the growing success of darts, especially due to its broadcast on television, it is important to understand how it is played.

Here is a sport designed with several standards:

1. The target, in the form of a circle, is divided into marked segments. It must be placed at a height of 1.73 m from the ground.
   
2. The darts consist of a metal tungsten or brass barrel and a steel tip, both of which provide balance to the object. Each dart should weigh at most 50g.
3. The distance between the board and the player must be 2.94 m which is designated with an oche.

Darts games

Darts is played with different games. There are several types of games, of which 501 is the most popular. Here, the goal is to reach your set target of points starting from 501. The first player to reach zero wins the game. There is a variant with 301. Otherwise, the around the board game is more of a training exercise. Here you try to hit the doubles in order from double one. Other games are possible, such as Bastard, which takes place over 10 volleys of 3 darts, Shanghai (training exercise), Cricket (a more friendly game), Capital, Football (a game for two players only) or Happy Mile to name a few variations.

A television success

In Ireland there are multiple channels that broadcast darts tournaments, particularly the World Championships , which is very popular in the United Kingdom and Germany. Rarely broadcast in countries such as France, this championship nevertheless gathers more than 200,000 viewers for its first night. From now on, every evening at 8pm during a tournament on different sports channels you can watch the darts competitions on the same level as a football match. The images are carefully shot and the close-ups, slow motion and the computer graphics system contribute to its growing popularity. It should be noted that the broadcast lasts about 4 hours during in which we witness the singing and cheering of more than 10,000 people in the audience.

Betting as a part of Irish culture

As a televised sport, darts is also a great sport for people that love to place sports bets. The best way is to take your chances via a specialised website. Take a look at this one and visit here to sign up and take advantage of their welcoming bonus. You can find darts games but also other popular team sports like football or basketball. The odds are constantly updated so that you're sure to have the best ones. As betting is a part of Irish culture since the first iteration of horse riding, this industry has increasingly grown to add a higher variety of sports and add more interest in every game!

What about the iteration of darts?

The twentieth century received the game of darts with controversy. Historical records show that in the year 1908 a pub owner in Leeds was taken to court for allowing his customers to play darts in his establishment. The argument was that darts was a game of chance, which was illegal at the time. The story goes that the pub owner brought in William ‘Bigfoot’ Annakin with a dartboard in hand. Mr. Annakin was known as the best darts player in town and before several Leeds magistrates proceeded to throw and stick three darts in the single 20 segment. When the court clerk was asked to emulate the feat, only one dart stuck to the board.

Needless to say that the case was dismissed and the rest is history. From England it was already spreading over the British Isles including to Ireland. It became immensely popular as a pub sport as it goes great with a beer. The modern day Irish scene counts numerous world class players like William O'Connor and Steve Lennon. They have all participated in events such as the World Championship.