Are you a fan of cricket darts?
Well, what if I told you there are more games out there besides cricket darts… If you are looking for a quick game that’s easy to learn and perfect for beginners, Baseball darts might just be the ideal game to get you started.
Baseball darts of course takes inspiration from the popular American sport that is baseball. When played on a dartboard, you don’t quite get the same thrill as hitting a strike or a home run but it’s still a fun and mildly competitive game.
Therefore, in this article, I’m going to run through how to play baseball darts covering the rules, scoring, and example games while also adding some tips and strategies to give you a slight edge next time you play a friend!
Table of Contents
Number of Players
1 or more players
You can play baseball darts either by yourself or with an unlimited amount of people. If you are going to play with other people, you can play in either a singles competition or with teams.
Baseball Darts Rules and Scoring
Baseball darts is called that because it mimics America’s favorite pastime, baseball.
Similar to the beloved sport, you will play nine rounds or innings. Each person will try to score as many points as they can during each round. The person or team at the end of nine rounds will be the winner.
To accurately keep score, begin by numbering one through nine down the side of the dartboard. Then, write the names of the players, or teams, across the top of the board. This will be where you will keep track of everyone’s score throughout the game.
Numbers in play – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
To play baseball darts, you will aim for numbered areas on the dartboard, beginning with area number one. In each of those areas, there will be single, double, and triple point sections.
If your dart lands in the single section, you will be awarded one point. If your dart lands in the double section of that area, you will be awarded two points.
If your dart lands in the triple section of that area, you will be awarded three points. If a dart lands outside of the points area, you will receive zero points for that throw.
The limit on the number of points each player can get per dart is three. This means that for each round, the most amount of points each player can receive is nine.
Once all of the players have thrown their three darts and you have written down everyone’s score, you will move onto the second inning where you will aim for the section marked as number two.
This will continue until every player has thrown nine complete rounds. The player or team with the highest score at the end of the game will be declared the winner!
Baseball Darts Variations
There are a few rule variations you can incorporate into the game to mix things up! These rule variations are called the “7th Inning Stretch” and the “Dummy Players.”
If you want to add the “7th Inning Stretch” rule, it will be added during the seventh round. If a player does not score any points during this round, their current score will be halved. This is a high-stakes way to add some fun that will often become a critical point in the game.
If you know one team will be significantly better than the other, you can incorporate the “Dummy Players” rule.
You will simply add a dummy player to the less talented team that will have a predetermined score, often of five, ten, or fifteen points. These points will be divided equally between the nine innings, making the game score a little more competitive!
How to Play Baseball Darts
To begin the game, each player will throw for the bullseye to determine how will throw first. Closest to the bullseye will throw first and then players will take turns in a clockwise order based on the names on the scoreboard.
Players will take turns throwing their darts at the numbered section associated with the first inning. Each player will get three darts and three throws to make their aim. After each player has made their three throws, the round will be over, and you will move on to section two.
The game will continue until every player has thrown three darts over nine rounds. At the end of the game, the person or team with the highest score will be declared the winner!
There is a fun and challenging twist that some people mix in the game to make it even more similar to baseball! If you throw your dart and it does not land in the single, double, or triple areas, that will be considered an out.
You will continue to rethrow your three darts until you have three outs. After you are out, the next player takes their turn and the cycle continues.
Baseball Darts Example Game
You and your two friends are getting ready to play baseball darts for the first time! You will start by listing the numbers one through nine on a sheet of paper or scoreboard. You will then write your name and your friend’s names across the top of the paper, creating a grid to keep score.
Next, you will section nine sections on the dartboard. You will begin by throwing three darts at section one, and writing down your score. Player 1 will then throw their three darts at section one, and then write down their score. Last, player 2 will throw their three darts at section one, and write down their score.
You will repeat this until you and your two friends have played through nine rounds. The person with the highest score at the end of the game will be the winner!
Baseball Darts Tips & Strategies
Baseball darts are designed to be a fun and easy game that most beginners can pick up and play. More competitive players or those looking for a practice game would not be best suited to baseball darts as there is a limit on how heavily you can score.
This game reminds me of Shanghai darts and follows a very similar playstyle, the only difference being that more experienced players will prefer Shanghai darts due to the fact that there is an instant win rule if a player hits a single, double, and treble in the same shot.
Having said that, there are still some strategies you can use. Firstly, focus on the trebles. These have the highest potential for points scored and even if you are not the most accurate player (yet), an occasional treble will really boost your score.
Secondly, stay away from the double. a double might seem more lucrative than playing it safe on the singles but it’s not! When aiming for a single, a bad dart is still likely to land in the single and give you a score, it could even fall into a double or treble.
When aiming for a double though, there is significantly less room for error. A missed dart on a double has a 75% chance of no score and you are more likely to land outside of the board, even if you’re a decent level player.
Baseball Darts Dartboard
Baseball darts are designed to be played on a regular dartboard over innings. If, however, you really want to create the game of baseball on a dartboard, there is a speciality board the will allow just that. The 2-in-1 reversible dartboard has the regular dartboard layout on one side with a customized baseball playing field on the other.
If you’re a real sports junkie and want the novelty of actually playing baseball on a dartboard, it’s definitely worth checking out these boards. You can find one on Amazon here.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a beginner and new to darts, there are very few games that are as easy to pick up and play as baseball darts.
The scoring is straightforward, simple to understand, and the games themselves can be fun without being frustrating – like some games where doubles, trebles and even bullseyes are requirements!
Therefore, try it out for yourself and if you’ve found it to be a fun game, check out some of our other dart games where we list more novelty games like cricket and even tic-tac-toe darts.
