How to Play Around the Board Darts
In this post we’ll be covering how to play around the board darts. Around the Board is the official name for the game however it is known by several different names
- Around the World
- Around the Clock
- Clock
- It is also sometimes shortened to ATB/ATW/ATC
The game is popular with people on all levels of the game. This is because it can be alternated to fit people playing at any level. I will detail the changes made at various levels below.
Rules of how to Play Around the Board
- All players will start on a score of either one or bullseye (Due to the game either being played forward or in reverse)
- Each player will have to hit each segment in order of numerical progression.
- The winner is the first player to hit the final segment.
Around the Board Scoring:
The game itself requires no scoring just a record on what stage of progression each player is on. When they approach the board the next time, they need to know what segment they are aiming at.
Type of Around the Board:
There are three variants of around the board that are notable to mention. In addition to this I have added a scenario that can be played in all versions of the game.
Standard
In this version of the game each player will begin on the one segment and will need to hit all the numbers in ascending progression 1-2-3 etc. The winner of this version is the first player to hit the bullseye after hitting every other number on the board.
Note: Some versions of this game particularly steel tip require you to hit the 25 segments as well as the bullseye. However, in soft tip where the whole middle section is classed as the bullseye you only need to hit one of the two.
Reversed
Reversed is like standard except as the name suggests it is played backwards starting on the bullseye. The winner is the first person to hit the one segment at the end of the game.
Combined
Combined is sometimes called around the board and back again. This starts the same as the standard version of the game except you do not win by hitting the bullseye. Instead, once you hit the bullseye you must again go around the board this time hitting the numbers in descending order. To increase fairness of the game you usually will be asked to hit the Bullseye again at the end of the decent making the order to finish 2-1-Bullseye. This is so that if a player gets stuck on the bullseye ascending then the other person still must hit another to finish.
Option Addition – Skip Moves
Skip moves are an addition sometimes played in the beginner’s level game. This means if you hit a double or treble you move additional segments double (2 Numbers) treble (3 numbers). For example, if you are on 1 and you hit the double one you will move to three (1-3) skipping two. Additionally, if on the three you hit the treble three you will move to six (3-6) skipping four and five.
Optional Addition – Extra Goes
Some people play the game in a way where if you hit three consecutive numbers you are allowed another three darts at the board. This continues until you miss a target, this is helpful as it encourages further accuracy when playing the game.
Different Levels of Play
This game is used at all levels in the darting world as both a competitive game for friends, and as a practice game. At all levels as it tests a player’s accuracy, and it can be adjusted to all levels.
Beginner
At this level, the goal is just to move your way around the board and finish on the bullseye. In doing so you are free to hit any part of the segment and just try and get the accuracy level up to a point where you can hit the segment you are going for. This will help you in games.
Intermediate
At this level, your goal should be to start focusing on what is going to help you most in games. So, in this case you should begin looking at making the practice game harder. This is done by either going to hit doubles or trebles and going around the board hitting the double or treble segment of each target.
Expert
At this point you make the game as hard as possible in doing this you must go around the board on three separate occasions. Some people to make it even harder play four times. In this you first go around hitting the single segment. In more advanced games this is split into the smaller single and the larger single hence the four times round. After you finish on the bullseye you then progress to doubles and finish on the bullseye and then trebles and finish on the bullseye. This is the hardest form of the game and is favored by professionals when training accuracy.
Around the Board Strategy:
Around the Board has very little strategy associated to it as you are not competing with an opponent at any point it is you against the dartboard. The best thing to do is practice regularly and you will surely improve.
We hope you enjoyed this article on how to play Around the Board darts. If you’d like to learn how to play other easy dart games check out our post!
