Darts betting is betting on professional matches of 501, where each leg is a race from 501 down to exactly zero, finishing on a double or the bull, at fixed prices you take before the match starts. The main darts markets are the match winner, handicaps and totals in legs or sets, correct score, 180s, checkouts, tournament outrights and specials such as a nine-dart finish, built on the shapes sports betting explained covers for other sports.
Match length drives most of them. The throw alternates by leg, so in a first-to-6 match where every leg goes to the player throwing first, the score finishes 6-5, and a handicap of -1.5 legs needs at least one break of throw.
How a darts match is won: legs, sets and the throw
The Darts Regulation Authority, which its rule book names the governing body for professional darts, sets the basics in the DRA Rules 2024, in force from 4 January 2024:
- Every leg starts at 501 and finishes at exactly zero on a double (rule 6.3.1); the bull scores 50, and counts as double 25 when 50 is the finish (6.3.2).
- Going past zero, reaching zero without a double or leaving 1 is a bust, and the visit scores nothing (6.3.3).
- The winner of the throw at the bull chooses to throw first in the first leg or set and every odd-numbered one after it (6.13.2).
A legs match is first to a set number of legs; a sets match is first to a number of sets, each a block of legs, such as first to three. With illustrative formats:
| Format | Possible scores | Legs played |
|---|---|---|
| First to 6 legs (best of 11) | 6-0 to 6-5 | 6 to 11 |
| First to 4 sets of first to 3 legs | 4-0 to 4-3 in sets | 12 to 35 |
The 35 is 7 sets x 5 legs. A promoter can add a tie-break in its tournament rules (DRA rule 6.16), such as a deciding set won by two clear legs, which pushes the count higher, so read the format before betting a total.
Throwing first gives the first chance to finish a leg. Whoever threw first in leg 1 does so again in legs 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, so if every leg goes with the throw, a first-to-6 match ends 6-5 their way.
Match betting
A match market is a head to head: two prices, and no draw in a match played to a winning number of legs or sets. With illustrative prices of $1.60 and $2.35, the book is 1 / 1.60 + 1 / 2.35 = 0.6250 + 0.4255 = 1.0505, an overround of 5.05%. A book balanced at those prices keeps about 1 - 1 / 1.0505 = 4.8% of the money staked. A format with a fixed number of legs, such as best of 12, can end 6-6, so its market prices the draw or says how a draw settles.
Handicaps and totals in legs
A leg handicap gives one player a start or a deficit in legs, and a total asks how many legs are played. In a first-to-6 match, every final score settles four common bets like this:
| Final score | A -1.5 legs | B +1.5 legs | Over 9.5 legs | Under 9.5 legs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A wins 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 or 6-3 | Wins | Loses | Loses | Wins |
| A wins 6-4 | Wins | Loses | Wins | Loses |
| A wins 6-5 | Loses | Wins | Wins | Loses |
| B wins 6-5 or 6-4 | Loses | Wins | Wins | Loses |
| B wins 6-3 or better | Loses | Wins | Loses | Wins |
With illustrative prices, $20 on A -1.5 legs at $2.10 returns $42 on a 6-4 win and nothing on 6-5, the score an all-holds match gives A if A threw first. $20 on over 9.5 legs at $1.85 returns $37 whenever the match reaches 10 legs. In sets matches the logic runs on sets: -1.5 sets in a first-to-4 match wins on 4-0, 4-1 or 4-2, and over under betting explains why lines end in .5.
A correct score bet names the exact result, such as A to win 6-4, so it wins on that one score only and is priced well above the match winner. Correct score betting covers how scoreline prices are built.
180s and checkout markets
A 180 is the most one visit can score: three darts in the treble 20, 3 x 60 = 180. Markets include total 180s in a match, a player's 180s and most 180s. A checkout is the visit that wins a leg, and markets include the highest checkout against a line, a 100-plus checkout, and a 170, the biggest possible: treble 20, treble 20, bull (60 + 60 + 50). Two facts change how these lines read:
- A 180s total is partly a bet on match length. At a combined 0.55 180s a leg (illustrative), 7 legs suggests about 7 x 0.55 = 3.85 and 11 legs about 11 x 0.55 = 6.05. A line of 4.5 is a view on length as much as scoring.
- Some checkouts are impossible with three darts. Above 158, only 160, 161, 164, 167 and 170 can be done, so over 160.5 on the highest checkout wins only on 161, 164, 167 or 170.
Ties need a rule. NSW's rule book for the bookmakers it authorises to take sports bets (checked October 2026) has two. With a tie price offered, every other bet loses on a tie (5.1.7); with none, the face value is divided by the number tied, times the places shared (5.1.8). On the second, an illustrative $30 on Player A for most 180s at $1.80 returns $54 / 2 x 1 = $27 if both hit the same number, so check your bookmaker's tie rule.
Three-dart averages as form, and why one match proves little
The three-dart average is points per three darts thrown: average = points / darts x 3. A leg won in 15 darts averages 501 / 15 x 3 = 100.2, and one won in 12 darts 501 / 12 x 3 = 125.25. Averages over many matches are the usual measure of scoring power, beside checkout percentage, the share of attempts at a finishing double that hit.
One match is a small sample. Suppose a player's visits vary with a standard deviation of 40 points (illustrative). The standard error of an average is that spread divided by the square root of the number of visits:
| Visits | Roughly | Standard error | Two standard errors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | One match | 40 / 6.32 = 6.3 points | about 12.6 points either way |
| 400 | About ten matches | 40 / 20 = 2.0 points | about 4.0 points either way |
So a 96 average in one match fits a true level anywhere from about 83 to 109, and only over ten or so matches does the range narrow to about 92 to 100. Opponents and stages move averages too, which is why sample size in betting warns against short runs.
Nine-dart finishes and tournament specials
A nine-dart finish is a leg of 501 won in the minimum nine darts, such as 180, 180, then 141 checked out with treble 20, treble 19 and double 12 (60 + 57 + 24 = 141). Eight darts cannot do it: seven treble 20s and a bull make 7 x 60 + 50 = 470.
Rarity in one match is why "a nine-darter in this match" is a long price, while "a nine-darter in the tournament" can be short: the chance builds across every match. Take an illustrative 1% chance per match. A 64-player knockout has 63 matches, so the chance of at least one is 1 - 0.99 to the power 63 = 1 - 0.531 = 46.9%, a fair price of 1 / 0.469 = $2.13. The same 1% in one match is a fair $100.00.
Add up both sides of a yes or no special: at an illustrative $2.10 and $1.62 the book is 1 / 2.10 + 1 / 1.62 = 1.0935, an overround of 9.35%, nearly twice the match market's 5.05%. Specials settle on rules that differ between bookmakers, so check:
- Which matches count: every match, or only main-stage matches, with or without qualifiers.
- Withdrawals: outright and special bets may be all-in, so a player who pulls out loses; the NSW rule book's default is all-in (5.1.1).
- Ties, such as two players level on most 180s in the tournament, settled under the market's tie or dead heat rule.
Futures betting covers outright markets and all-in rules in more depth.
PDC World Championship timing for Australians
The PDC's world championship is played in London from mid-December into early January, usually with a break over Christmas, so most of it falls overnight here. London is on GMT then, while NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and South Australia are on daylight saving (Queensland, the NT and WA are not). With illustrative session times:
| Session start in London | Sydney and Melbourne (AEDT) | Adelaide (ACDT) | Brisbane (AEST) | Perth (AWST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30 pm | 11:30 pm | 11:00 pm | 10:30 pm | 8:30 pm |
| 7:00 pm | 6:00 am next day | 5:30 am next day | 5:00 am next day | 3:00 am next day |
A match that starts at 6:00 am AEDT has to be bet before 6:00 am. Under s 10B of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, an online bet taken once a sporting event has begun is an in-play bet, and s 8A(3) keeps Australian providers from offering one online. The PDC publishes the dates, draw and session times each year.
Where darts bets go wrong
| Mistake | Cost (illustrative) | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Backing -1.5 legs without thinking about the throw | A 6-5 win from throwing first loses the bet | Ask whether your player needs a break |
| Betting a 180s total without the match length | One scoring rate gives 3.85 over 7 legs and 6.05 over 11 | Price the length first |
| Judging form on one match average | A 96 can sit anywhere from about 83 to 109 | Use many matches against similar opponents |
| Assuming a tie in most 180s is refunded | Under the NSW dead heat rule, $30 at $1.80 returns $27 | Read the tie rule |
Shopping around matters in a two-way market: with illustrative prices, $25 at $1.90 returns $47.50 and at $2.00 returns $50.
On B337's Terminal, which shows prices from 40+ bookmakers across racing and sports, each bookmaker sits in its own column with the best available price picked out. Its sports board carries AFL, NRL, NBA, soccer, tennis and more whenever bookmakers have markets up, and a darts match may not appear on it at all. Because prices are read on a cycle rather than tick by tick, the bookmaker's own price can differ from the screen, so confirm it in your account first. A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A better price only pays when the bet wins, one leg can swing a handicap, and there is no guarantee of profit. See responsible gambling for limits and support.
Skip a market whose tie and withdrawal rules you cannot find, and stop if you are betting to win back a loss. For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.