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In today's blog post we will take a look at the classics of steel darts . In addition to many great dart games that you can play with friends in front of the dartboard in the evening, most of the games are classic darts .
We are talking about the X01 games , such as 501 Darts . We will specifically look at the rules of the classics and explain a few ways in which these games can be modified as desired .
Whether 501, 701 or even 1001, there are no limits to your imagination.
Darts in its original form – 501 Darts
Generally, most of you will be familiar with the game under 501. The reason is simple, because in all well-known TV tournaments, a leg is played down to 0 points in 501 mode.
Every darts fan knows what to do with this number. That's why it's considered the most classic game that can be played on a steel dartboard . But for beginners, we'd like to explain again how exactly such a darts game works.
The classic dart game explanation
The Dart 501 rules briefly explained: In a classic 501 dart game, two players compete against each other . The aim is to throw the 501 points down to zero - as quickly as possible.
That's how simple the game can be broken down. And from this point onwards the variations begin , which are used by many amateur players to adapt the game and the rules to their own needs .
It is very important to know that the goal of landing on exactly zero points requires a certain amount of skill. A game cannot be won by blindly throwing at the disc in the hope of eventually landing on zero points, because if a player has 15 points left and hits 17, this is considered a throw-over.
These are dart rules that cannot be changed, but things are different in different variants of the game form X01.
301, 501, 701 or 1001?
Apart from the basic rules just mentioned, the format of the game can be changed as desired. The variants with 301, 501, 701 and 1001 points have become established in the darts scene in recent years .
The procedure is always the same, no matter which version you use. The goal is to end up with exactly zero points .
The starting number is often adjusted to the level of the player. It is common for beginners to start with 301 points, while world-class players like to use the 1001 variant, especially in training .
In competitions, however, the variant with 501 darts points and above is usually played. However, as already mentioned, the basic rules remain the same. In smaller tournaments, the 701 darts variant is also often used to decide close constellations .
For example, we were at a tournament where I competed in a group phase with five players . The first two players would advance to the knockout phase.
After all the games were played, I was in second place with the same number of points as two other players. But we had also beaten each other by the same score , so the direct comparison or the leg difference could not be decisive.
So the decision was made in a three-way match, in which the three of us played down a leg of 701. But why 701 and not the usual 501?
Quite simply, the longer the distance , the more likely it is that the best player will prevail through consistency . That is why this form of play is often chosen.
Darts why 501 and not 500?
Many dart players have asked themselves this question before and some of them certainly know the answer: Why is the 1 at the end of this dart game?
After all, you could just as easily play 300, 500, 700 or 1000 points to zero.
The answer is simple: With an even starting number that is to be played to zero, a dart player could score continuously over a segment.
For example, with 500 starting points , the player could play the entire leg over the 20. Regardless of whether the game has to end with a single out or a double out , the player could stay on a single field or at least segment.
And this is exactly what the 1 at the end is supposed to prevent . The player is forced to show his skills on the entire dartboard by aiming at and hitting various fields in order to get exactly zero points.
Other game variations – Double Out, Straight Out, Team Matches
The dart game variants can also be adjusted by checking out, i.e. ending a game. This means that inexperienced dart players can, for example, initially throw at the large single fields and select the Straight Out mode .
Here, only one throw on the single large field is needed to end a game . In competitions, the Double Out mode is often used. Here, the dart players have to be a little more precise and end a game with a throw on the corresponding double field.
If you have 20 points left, you have to aim for the D10. If you hit the single 10, you move on to the D5. The goal remains to get exactly zero points.
Another variation is the Master Out . Here, the game can also be ended using one of the small triple fields . Although this variation is not required in any steel dart competition, it can at least provide a welcome change during training.
Game modes – Legs, Sets, Best of X?
The game modes can also be customized as desired . At the World Cup, for example, the game is often played as follows to achieve victory:
- A player needs three legs to win a set.
- A leg means that 501 points are thrown to zero .
- In addition, a certain number of sets are then required to finally win the game.
This goes so far that a best of 13 sets format is used in the World Cup final . This means that seven sets must be won to be world champion .
Set mode is almost never used in small tournaments for amateur players. Leg mode is often used here, also with the "best of X" legs variant.
The dart rules 501 sets legs are nothing other than what you play at home. That's why you should also incorporate the set format into your training.
Infobox: So if you need 6 legs to win, that means you are playing in a best-of-11 leg mode. Why? Because a maximum of 11 legs are played if the final score is 6:5.
Other cool gaming options besides 501 Darts
You can find these and many other game modes in our exclusive e-book . You can also get motivation and have a 4-week training plan integrated.
This guarantees that nothing can go wrong. That's why we and many of our customers recommend the e-book. After that, you can be sure that you'll be ready for any game . Both mentally and in terms of gameplay!
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