Darts Betting Guide: Match Betting, 180’s, Checkouts & more

Darts has never been more popular with new world No.1 and teen sensation Luke Littler spearheading record-breaking interest in the sport.

With more tournaments than ever before and more TV coverage, bet365 now have markets on a wide range of darts events, big and small, offering customers an array of opportunities to have an interest in competitions and matches.

And inevitably, with that growing appeal comes a rise in the number of markets to bet on, so here's a guide to make sure you are well armed with all the info before taking a plunge.

Outright Betting

The first port of call for anyone looking for a bet on a darts event is the outright market.

Bet365 will have prices on each player to win a tournament and your selection has to win for the bet to pay out, though most To Win Outright markets have an each-way alternative.

Select your player each-way and half the stake is placed on the win and the other half on a placed finish, usually second though occasionally down to fourth.

Other outright markets, especially in darts, can include To Reach The Final and To Win Quarters, which offers customers the chance to bet on who makes the semi-finals or final.

Match Betting

The bread and butter for any darts bettor is match betting, selecting which player will win any given match.

For a session of darts, especially on TV where you might have three or four games and often more, many customers like to pick a winner from two or more games and turn them into an accumulator.

Bet Builder

One of the great growth areas of sports betting in recent years has been the Bet Builder, which offers bettors the chance to custom build their own bet on any match.

For example, in a clash between Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen you might think Littler will hit the most 180s, but Van Gerwen will hit the highest checkout, there might be less than a specified number of legs played and the winning double in the first leg will be red.

Suddenly, four fairly unrelated elements can be chucked together into a Bet Builder which has an advertised price, offering even more excitement.

Bet Builders can be as minimal or seemingly outlandish as you prefer with clearly a higher risk of the bet not landing with the more component bets placed.

180 Betting

Darts is all about excitement and nothing gives darts fans a greater buzz than seeing 180s being hit.

And with that buzz comes a betting opportunity, with match 180s a staple go-to attraction.

On any given game in the bigger events, you can bet on which player hits the most 180s and the first 180, with over/under markets on how many 180s will be hit in the match and also by each player.

A Most 180s Handicap gives one player - the superior 180 hitter according to stats and form - a virtual deficit to overcome to level the playing field.

Leg Betting

Markets for this often include an over/under option on the total legs played in a game and sometimes which player is leading after a specified number of legs.

For individual legs of darts, bet365 will price up the winning checkout - say, 40.5 - for a bet on over or under.

Checkout betting

Checkout betting is also popular with a raft of possibilities to play on.

Betting on which player hits the highest checkout and over/under on what that high match checkout will be are two common checkout bets.

With so many roof-raising checkouts these days as the standard continues to improve, betting on the number of ton-plus checkouts and legs finished with a bull's eye also garner attention.

And then, of course, there is the 170 checkout, the 'big fish' as it's known. It's the highest possible checkout, comprising T20, T20, Bull, and the bookmakers will often price up the possibility of a 170 finish in any given match.

9 Darter

If the 170 checkout is the king of the outshots, then the nine-dart leg is the game's holy grail.

The minimum number of darts required to complete a leg of 501 is nine, featuring eight high-value trebles and the finishing double or bull's eye.

It is darts' equivalent of the 147 break in snooker, the ultimate leg of darts where only nine perfect darts will do.

Barely more than 100 have ever been pegged on TV, which shows the rarity of the feat but betting on whether there will be one in a tournament is now commonplace.

 What is a nine-dart finish in darts?

Handicap Betting

Handicap betting - giving the underdog a virtual start in either legs or sets depending on the format - is a popular way of turning a seemingly one-sided contest into something more competitive.

There is also often handicap betting on match 180s to level that particular playing field.