Think you know your 180s from a bullseye? Your Big Fish from a Shanghai? The difference between a bogey and going bust? Ahead of the World Darts Championship, here’s all the darts jargon explained in one handy guide!
Nine-darter
Let’s start with a fun one, shall we? Everyone loves to see a nine-darter hit on stage but what exactly is it? Well, it is when a player checks out 501 in the lowest number of darts possible: nine.
Now, there are actually 3,944 different combinations, yes 3,944 combinations, for the first eight darts of a nine-darter but the most common routes are as follows…
Most players will go for back-to-back 180s (T20, T20, T20) and then check out 141 with one of the following:
- Treble 20, Treble 19, Double 12
- Treble 20, Treble 15, Double 18
- Treble 17, Treble 18, Double 18
There have been a lot of famous nine-darters over the years, but the best ever has to go to Michael Smith from the final of the World Darts Championship, if not just for Sky Sports Darts’ Wayne Mardle’s iconic commentary…
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Watch how Wayne Mardle and Stuart Pyke reacted to the sensational leg between Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith in the World Championship Final that culminated in a nine-darter for Bully Boy
Bullseye
Bullseye is not just a famous gameshow from the 1980s but is the centre of the dartboard.
Yes, that small red inner circle is the bullseye and is worth 50 and takes real skill to hit it.
With that in mind, check out Gary Anderson showing off his talent on it…
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Gary Anderson hits three bullseyes in a row against Luke Littler in the Grand Slam of Darts semi-final
Outer bull
That small inner red circle is surrounded by a green circle referred to as the outer bull. This is worth 25, half the points of the bullseye.
The Big Fish
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Luke Littler hit a 170 checkout during his quarter-final match against Peter Wright on Night 4 of the Premier League in Newcastle
Reel it in! The Big Fish is the highest possible checkout in darts. To claim it hook, line, and sinker, players need to hit two T20s and then the bullseye for a 170 checkout. Sounds easy enough, right?!
Shanghai
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Northern Ireland’s Mickey Mansell hit a Shanghai checkout to advance to the Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finals
Yes, it is a city in China but it’s also a checkout when you hit a single, double and triple on the same number with your three darts. It’s most commonly seen when a 120 checkout is required, with players hitting 20, T20 and D20 to win the leg.
Champagne breakfast
To understand what a champagne breakfast is, we must first understand what a traditional breakfast is. A breakfast is when a player hits a 20, a one, and a five.
According to rumour, this was called a breakfast because this was the price of a bed-and-breakfast (two shillings and a sixpence).
So, how do you make that fancy? You add champagne, of course! So, this is when a player hits the treble of each of these numbers: T20, T5, T1.
Game shot
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PDC ambassador Russ Bray selects three of his favourite players in darts history. You can buy Russ’ book ‘All About Darts’ now
Simply, a game shot is the winning shot of a darts match. You will hear the referee shout this when the victory is confirmed.
Lipstick
We talk about the treble 20 a lot in darts and a lipstick is the nickname for hitting this segment of the dartboard.
Checkout
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Gary Anderson and Luke Littler exchange 124 checkouts in their semi-final of the Grand Slam of Darts
A checkout is when you hit the exact number you have left to win a game. Now, in darts this can be slightly complicated as certain match formats require players to checkout on a double or the bullseye.
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Stephen Bunting excellently reeled in the Big Fish just moments after Gian van Veen produced a classy 133 checkout during Sunday’s afternoon session at the the Grand Slam of Darts
Leg
A leg is a singular match of darts working down from 501 until someone checks out their score.
Set
A set is used in longer format darts. A set will be comprised of a certain number of legs with the player who wins the majority of legs winning the set. So if it is first to three sets with each set comprising of five legs, winning three legs to two would win you the set and you would have to do this three times to win.
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Watch the best moments from Luke Littler and Gary Anderson’s epic clash in the Grand Slam of Darts semi-final
Bed
A bed is the term used to refer to each individual segment for a number on the dartboard.
Break
A break is when a player who throws their darts second wins a leg against their opponent who threw first. It is also referred to as a break of throw.
Wire
If you look closely at a dartboard, you will see that wire separates each segment. So, when a player hits the wire, this means that they have hit the metal wiring that splits up the board.
Switch
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Martin Lukeman milked the applause after he won a leg after losing 15 in a row to Luke Littler in the Grand Slam of Darts final
Switching is a tough talent that comes more naturally to some players than others. This is when a player switches which segment of the dart board they are aiming at. This could be for a variety of reasons such as they are not scoring well on a segment, a previous dart has blocked what they are aiming for, or they need to move due to the score they need. The most common switch you’ll see is players going from T20 to T19.
Grouping
When something is a group, it is close together and so this translates directly to how close a group of darts are on a dartboard. For example, when a player hits a 180 and the darts all land in the T20 bed, this would be referred to as a good grouping. Accuracy is key!
Tops
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Gary Anderson was at his best to win the second set against Michael Smith during their first-round game at the World Grand Prix
This one really does what it says on the tin. Players, when going for tops, are aiming for the highest segment on the board: D20. This tops or tops finish is used a lot throughout matches and so you will be hearing it plenty at Ally Pally.
Ton-plus
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Luke Littler hit a pair of sensational back-to-back checkouts of 140 and 130 to take the lead on his way to claiming his maiden World Series of Darts Finals title in Amsterdam last night
The term ton-plus is used in a few different scenarios. It can refer to when a player scores over 100 on a single visit to the oche. It can also refer to a checkout exceeding 100. For example, if Luke Littler hit three ton-plus checkouts in a match it means he finished off his visit with three big scores over 100.
Robin Hood
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James Wade was on the wrong end of lady luck as he suffered a Robin Hood and a bounce out for a potential 180 during his match with Cameron Menzies
While Robin Hood stole from the rich to feed the poor, in darts his name means something slightly different. A Robin Hood is when you throw a dart and it lands, not into the board, but into the other dart you have already thrown. This ROBS a player of a score.
Madhouse
The checkout then can leave you feeling like you are in the madhouse – this is when a player leaves themselves D1, or one and D1, to win a leg. It can take some players quite some time to finish it off!
Bogey
While most associate the word bogey with either golf or the classic children’s programme ‘Dick and Dom’, it actually has a darts meaning too. A bogey number in darts is when you leave yourself a score that you cannot mathematically checkout.
Bust
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Mike De Decker produced two fine finishes to win the first set against Damon Heta in their first round World Grand Prix match
Bust is when a player leaves themselves a score to checkout but hits the wrong part of the board, scores higher than their target, and has to wait for the next time they step up at the oche to try and check it out once again. You see lots of players going bust when they leave very small scores, like hitting 20 when aiming for one!
Bounce out
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Luke Humphries recovered from a bounce out to hit this big finish during the World Matchplay final against Michael van Gerwen
A fate many darts players have suffered when going for three T20s, a bounce out is when the dart hits the board so hard it doesn’t stay in and falls to the floor.
Oche
Pronounced like hockey without the ‘H’, the oche is the line from which players throw their darts.
When will the World Darts Championship take place?
The tournament gets under way at Alexandra Palace on Sunday December 15, with three first-round matches and one second-round match on the opening evening.
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Speaking on Love The Darts, Michael Bridge and Polly James debate which players are still to be feared when playing against them
There will be live darts over each of the following eight days, including seven afternoon sessions, with the usual three-day break from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day before returning with the third round and a double session on December 27.
The third and fourth rounds will be completed by December 30 before a night off on New Year’s Eve, with the quarter-finals held across two sessions on New Year’s Day ahead of the semi-finals on January 2 and the final on Friday January 3.
The full day-by-day schedule for this year’s tournament can be found here.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live from December 15-January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.