Darts Betting Strategy: In-Play Betting

Darts is a game that ebbs and flows, making in-play betting on darts a popular option at the best betting sites. A player who started a match off hotter than a penguin on a sunbed can suddenly miss a few important doubles or can start hitting 100s when they’ve been popping out the 140s and 180s like a robot. Their nerve starts to falter, sweat appears on their brow and suddenly they can’t even see the board clearly.

On the other hand, players who start slow can suddenly gain confidence once they’ve picked up that first 100+ finish. Their accuracy improves and after looking a complete mess in the first leg, it can suddenly look odds-on that they are going to end up as master of the oche.

If you are watching darts live or keeping an eye on the situation in a specific match, then you could maximise your chances of winning with in-play darts betting at the top live betting sites listed below.

What is In-Play Darts Betting?

Most darts bets are made before a match has begun. Darts bettors pick out who will be the winner (the most popular bet of all), or perhaps the player who will hit the most 180s or achieve the highest checkout. Other popular bets include predicting the overall score of the match, or the specific set score of any particular leg.

Bet in-play darts betting is basically the same except that bets are placed after the action has begun. Thanks to the internet this type of live darts betting is now possible at all of our recommended new betting sites.

Savvy darts bettors are now using their expertise to maximise profits using live darts betting odds. With the help of this guide, you should be able to as well.

Live Darts Betting Tips

There are several types of bets that you can exploit to your advantage when it comes to making a live bet in-play on darts. Here are a few of the most popular and how you can get the most value from them.

Match Winner

The most obvious live darts bet is on the winner of a particular match. You may be able to get better odds on your chosen competitor if you wait for a couple of legs before placing your bet. Maybe the favourite will lose the first set and the first leg of the next set? The winning price may drift and if you have the confidence that your chosen match winner will recover, then now is the time to get your money on.

Shock results in darts happen more often than you think. We've seen many upsets at competitions like the World Darts Championship over the years. Many times a star name has come into a match thinking they are going to have an easy ride, only to find their opponent is finding the triple-20 slot with unerring accuracy. Once the nerves kick in, they may find it hard to recover from a bad start.

If you back the underdog at this stage you’ll still get decent live darts betting odds and prices that provide you with in-play darts betting value.

Final Score

There are a few pro darts players who tend to chuck in the towel if things are not going their way. Once they are a leg or two down, they concede victory and stop throwing their best darts. If a player is 2-0 down in a five-set match, then the chances are that they are going to lose 3-0, especially if they have been playing poorly.

Also watch out for the final leg of any set. If a game is tied then the player to throw first in the first leg of the next set is more likely to win than the player throwing second, no matter the comparison between each player’s ability. You can get good odds on an underdog winning 3-2 in the final score betting market if they are throwing first in the final set of a five-set game, for example.

Most 180s

Betting on a player to score the most 180s in a match is always a good bet. Some players, once they have hit the first two triple-20s, focus in on the third with the accuracy of an army sniper. Others hit two triples and immediately get the ‘yips' and seldom manage to complete the set.

When you are watching live darts you might spot the favourite ‘most 180s’ player struggling to complete the triple-20 treble, while their opponent who usually picks up 100s and 140s is suddenly hitting more 180s than they should. You can use this information to your advantage, getting decent live darts betting odds on the underdog in the ‘most 180s’ column.

Also watch out for players who are going for triple-19 over and over. That can mean they’ve lost confidence in their ability to hit 180s and are taking a break from that troublesome triple-20 slot.

Highest Checkout

The world is full of pub-standard darts players who hit 180 after 180 but when it comes to finishing - known as checking out - they may as well put a blindfold on or turn around and throw the darts over their shoulders. The pro players are those who can hit the triple-20 the most often, and then find the numbers and doubles to complete their win legs.

In the early stages of a darts match, take note of players who are finishing well (it does not have to be high finishes) and those who are going around the houses – double-16, then double-8, then double-4 and so on. The chances are that the players who are finding it easy to finish are going to grab a high checkout when they reach one. Those blundering around the board are not going to be checking out on 170, 160 or 158 any time soon!

Where You Can Bet on Live Darts

Darts is now an all-year-round sport. Sky Sports has a dedicated darts channel, and many sites offer live streaming of events, even those where no spectators are present. Below are the major darts tournaments in the darting calendar. You'll find markets for all of them on the best betting sites and betting apps.

• The Masters – January
• Premier League Darts – February to May
• International Darts Open – February
• UK Open – March
• US Darts Masters – June
• World Matchplay – July
• Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand Darts Masters – August
• World Cup of Darts – September
• World Series of Darts Finals – October
• World Grand Prix – October
• European Championship – October
• Grand Slam of Darts – November
• PDC World Darts Championship – December to January

While all of the tournaments we've listed above provide great in-play betting opportunities, the one that's most popular with bettors is the PDC World Darts Championship - the sport's flagship event held over the Christmas period every year. For all you need to know about World Championship betting, check out our guide to the best World Darts Championship betting sites.

Final Thoughts on Live Darts Betting

In-play darts betting is thrilling and gives you the chance to maximise profits with your darts wagering - as long as you know what you are doing. Get betting on the arrow-men at the oche and the best of luck with all your live darts wagering endeavours!