How to Play Cricket Darts
In this post I’ll be covering how to play cricket darts. Cricket is fairly simple game to play. You need to have more points than the other team once numbers 15 through 20 and the bullseye have been closed off.
This game has been popular in pubs for many years and is also played on the competitive circuit in soft tip. In Las Vegas, the PDC held the Cricket World Championship won by Phil Taylor it is to date the only competitive cricket tournament organized by the PDC.
Rules of Cricket (Darts):
- Players take turns throwing three darts at the board trying to hit 15 through 20 and the bullseye.
- If you hit any other number, nothing happens.
- Cricket requires each person to “close out” numbers, meaning players must score each number (15 through 20) and the bullseye three times before the game can end.
- If you hit the double segment of a number that counts for two and if you hit the treble segment of a number, it counts for three.
- This is different if you are throwing at the bullseye in which in the inner circle counts for two and the outer circle counts for one.
- If a player closes out a number before the other one does that player can begin earning points on that number until the other player closes it out
Scoring Cricket:
A cricket scoreboard may seem quite daunting at first. It is nothing like other scoreboards you may find in darts. However, the typical set up is with the numbers 15-20 and bullseye down the middle of the board and the two players names at the top either side.
When a player hits a target that they were going for you mark it on the board next to the number as follows:
1 Hit / 1st hit: “/”
2hits / 2nd hit: “x”.
3 hits/ 3rd hit: circle the x.
When a player scores a number three times that number is closed. If the other player has yet to close that number, the first player can begin scoring on that number. The number of points received is equal to the segment you are scoring on. So, for example if you hit a twenty you get twenty points.
The game ends when the team with all the closed-out numbers have more points than their opponent. If one player has closed out all segments and the other has not done so yet, the player with them all closed out is still behind. Therefore, the game continues until either the other player closes out all the segments or the player with all the segments closed out scores enough to overtake the other player. This can make for an exciting finish to cricket darts games.
Strategy in Cricket:
There is no one strategy that works for cricket however I can issue some general advice:
Win The Cork
In other words make sure you throw first. This gives a massive advantage if you can throw first it means you get an unopposed throw where you could score valuable points.
Try to Get an Early Lead
This may sound obvious, but if you want to win the game you have to get more points than your opponent. It is possible in this game to win without scoring any points. You just must close out all the segments before your opponent scores. However, I recommend always trying to keep at least a few points ahead whenever possible.
Know When to Switch to the Bullseye
If you are very far ahead it’s always a good idea to shoot at the bullseye. It gives you a good psychological advantage over your opponent. However, if you are playing poorly it may be an option to start on the bull as it’s the smallest segment and get the hardest to hit out the way quickly. If you are playing brilliantly you can choose when to go for the bull as a tactical advantage.
Do not Bother With Doubles
It may seem counterproductive to go for a score that will give you less marks however it is better to go for the single and hit two singles than go for the double and miss the board completely. I suggest that you don’t gamble too much here. Try to make sure you maximize your chance of scoring something instead of trying to score big.
Do not Forget to Close the Other Segment
If you focus so much on scoring it may come to a late game position where you opponent is left on three darts to close the segments and has a chance to catch up while you desperately try and close the segments that could already have won you the game.
Do not Worry if Your Scoring Segment is Closed
It does not matter if the highest scoring segment on the board is closed. Even if you have the fifteens you can score on use it.
Maximize Your Score and Winning Chance
This is a good strategy to close segments and score well. If you have three darts in hand throw two at an open segment to attempt to close it and throw one at a segment you can score on to ensure you are closing segments and scoring every go. If you have no scoring segments throw all three to close a target.
How to Play Cricket Darts – Final Thoughts
Darts cricket is a very simple game played between friends and as such it is important to treat the game as such. It is a game played for fun there is no point in taking the game overly seriously as the people you are playing with will not enjoy playing with you. Similarly, after a while if you are the only person taking the game seriously you will fall out of love with it too. When it comes to how to play cricket darts just enjoy it!
