Darts Betting Tips: How to Make Smart Darts Bets

No longer a pub game, darts has become a fully-fledged professional sport played year-round by top throwers, backed by an ever-expanding army of punters.

They'll all tell you that the key to beating the bookmakers with your darts bets lies in securing quality darts betting tips. 

That's where we come in. Read on here to find out our recommended darts betting betting tips and strategies.

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Tip 1 - Learn About Betting Markets

Serious darts bettors must choose the markets they bet on carefully for the best chance of success.

Match betting is the most popular market, where bets are placed on a player to win a match. Bookmakers will offer correct scores for set and leg tournaments and you can also bet on who will hit the most 180s.

Betting on the underdog in the ‘most 180s’ market can yield consistent profits in darts betting, just remember to factor in the likely number of total legs in the match before placing your bet. Draw markets are also available for most darts leagues.

For the likes of World Darts Championship betting, outright markets are available months in advance, which allows punters plenty of time to place bets.

As events draw closer, you'll be able to bet on individual matches and hopefully find value in underrated players. Don't forget to cash in on free bets offered by bookies ahead of the big events.

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Tip 2 - Select the Right Events

Some darts events are far more lucrative than others. The more prestigious an event, the better the players and more competitive it will be. 

Darts betting sites consider the popularity of events when they provide odds, so if you're hoping to make money by betting on darts, you'll have to choose your competitions wisely.

Premier League Darts hosts events all over the UK and runs from February to May, while the PDC World Championship is one of the biggest annual events in darts. These events usually command the most bets..

But punters also have a host of other top tournaments and international events like the German, US and Shanghai Darts Masters.

You shouldn’t focus solely on the big-name competitions, because even though odds are harder to find for smaller competitions, they can provide greater value.

Smaller events still impact tour ranking points and while they may not be televised by major TV networks, you can follow the official PDC website or one of the many darts analysis sites to keep up to speed with them.

They can also provide clues as to who will shine in the major competitions.

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Tip 3 - Respect the Short Format

The majority of competitions in darts take place in a match-play format over a series of legs.

In these tournaments, a winner is crowned on a 'best-of' basis. For example, in the best of 19 games, the player that wins 10 legs first takes the prize money.

This longer format tends to produce more winning favourites. So the longer the format - the less chance an upset will occur.

The takeaway here is that long-format darts can be easier to predict but less lucrative.

The shortest format you can bet on is best of nine legs or first to five and this is where you can look out for potential upsets, especially when going against short-odds favourites.

If you want to combine a number of markets from a match between an underdog and a fancied favourite into one bet, consider placing a bet builder to boost the odds.

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Tip 4 - Do Your Research

Understanding how form affects performance in darts is the key to betting success.

Darts is a mental game, and the performance of a player will naturally change in response to pressure over the course of a match.

When it comes to analysing your markets, take the time to examine all the participants.

Tips and predictions can be crucial, so find sites with expert tipsters for the best day-to-day tips and leverage statistics.

This will allow you to extract value from different markets, with data highlighting how different players function at the various competitions.

You may be able to identify a certain player's struggles at one tournament every year, so you'll know to avoid them in that event.

Tip 5 - Maximise In-Play Opportunities

Betting on darts in-play gives you the opportunity to take advantage of potential openings during a live match.

Live betting will be very familiar to fans of the best football bookmakers, so if you've ever placed an in-play bet on the football, you'll feel right at home. 

For example, If you bet on a certain player to win after they happen to go a few legs down, you'll get much better odds than you would from a starting bet. If they surge back to win the match, you're sitting pretty.

Big upsets are common at major darts competitions and often the favourite can come unstuck due to nerves or the underdog finding brilliant form. Waiting to place a bet can allow you to sniff out these opportunities.

You can sometimes pick up easy money on final score bets if you think a losing player is giving up.

Some darts pros will chuck the towel in if things aren’t going their way, say if they are two sets down in a five-set match, especially if they’ve been playing badly.

Similarly, when you're watching live darts, you might be able to determine the player who is going to land the most 180s in a game.

Perhaps the favourite is struggling to complete triple-20 trebles at their usual ease and you can get good live darts betting odds on the underdog.

Also, 'Highest Checkout' betting comes with clues when you place bets once play has started.

Before you bet, take note of players who are finishing well and those who aren’t. The chances are the players who are finishing easily will take the highest checkout, allowing you to nab some value odds.

The Darts Betting Calendar: Key Dates

The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) was established in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO).

The organisation now holds several championship competitions like the PDC World Darts Championship, UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam and Premier League.

They also run world rankings based on players’ performances. All the top new betting sites offer odds for these tournaments.

Here is the darts calendar in full:

• 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

Darts Betting: The History

As legend has it, betting on darts dates back to 1908 when Jim Garside - the landlord of the Adelphi Inn in Leeds - was brought before a judge for allowing his punters to make bets on what was considered at the time to be a game of chance.

To defend himself, Garside enlisted the help of local darts champion William ‘Bigfoot’ Annakin to prove that darts was in fact a game of skill...

Annakin showcased his ability to hit any number the judge requested, proving that technical ability was essential to the game. The ruling paved the way for darts to be introduced in pubs legally.

Darts betting has evolved alongside the sport, with numerous markets now available for punters to bet on through their favourite betting apps.

While it’s great fun to watch, those looking to implement a profitable strategy should take note of our darts betting tips.

Darts Betting Tips In Summary

Darts betting is more popular than ever and by following our top tips you can give yourself a great chance of winning.

Learning about different betting markets is imperative if you want to make correct bets. Selecting the correct events is also crucial.

While you might be keen on the bigger events, smaller competitions often offer up greater value.

Make sure you don’t overlook the short format as it’s often possible to pick out upsets when there are less legs involved.

Always do as much research as you can and follow expert tipsters for insight and analysis that can put you a step ahead.

Finally, there are lots of in-play opportunities you can exploit once matches have started, so keep an eye on the live action and consider your in-play darts betting options.