The PDC World Darts Championship is almost here and we’re answering some of the key questions behind the sport such as – why do darts legs start at 501?
Why Do Darts Legs Start At 501?
Darts is one of the most fascinating sports on the globe. The best players come in all different shapes and sizes, with very few looking like your traditional athletes.
Each leg of darts starts at 501, but why is this the case?
Darts players have the ability to score in heaps if they’re accurate on the treble and the minimum number of darts required to finish a leg is nine – known as a nine-darter.
Starting legs at 501 adds an extra degree of difficulty to the game, meaning you need to score at least one odd number before checking out.
For example, if the target score was 500 – players could simply aim at the 20 for the entire leg without having to move around the board.
By using 501 – an odd number – there is far more variation between legs, increasing the difficulty for players of all different abilites.
It also brings players’ mental maths into play, as they need to begin thinking about leaving themselves an ideal checkout number or double to finish the leg.
Without the 501 number, we wouldn’t have magical moments like this.
THIS IS INSANE!!! WHAT A LEG OF DARTS!!
MICHAEL SMITH HITS A NINE DARTER!! 🤯😲 pic.twitter.com/T6HWmRCQYX
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) January 3, 2023
The number can be tricky to navigate for even some professional players such as Jose de Sousa, who has become renowned for his frequent miscounts.
The Portuguese darts player, who won his first major at the 2020 Grand Slam, once tried to check out on a completely wrong score at the 2023 World Championship!
Never change Jose 🤣
De Sousa miscounts in the opening leg of the match but the moment of madness goes unpunished and he takes the lead!#WCDarts | R3
📺 https://t.co/37DNuuK5Me pic.twitter.com/3Bskkz1jwl— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 28, 2022
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