Darts betting tips

Darts is one of fastest-growing sports in the UK, with more than 4.8 million people watching the 2024 Paddy Power World Darts Championship. It’s played at darts clubs all over the country and, while still popular in the pub, isn’t reserved solely for those who like a pint.

From the World Championships to the Premier League and Masters, there’s a lot of darts action over the year. With so much going on, it’s no wonder people seek out darts betting tips and odds while following it all on TV and at the Ally Pally.

This guide is designed to help beginners launch their darts betting journey in the right way. We’ll explain the process of betting on darts, give you some tips, and talk through the main bets.

Discover the biggest tournaments to follow, what darts bet is right for you, and how to best enjoy the live darts experience – right here with Paddy!

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What is darts betting?

Darts is one of the simplest sports to bet on at Paddy Power. It all starts with creating an account and joining the growing darts betting community. Once you’ve made an initial deposit, head over to Paddy’s darts betting hub and check out upcoming matches and tournaments.

Your aim is to back a bet that you think will win. For most people, that involves betting on one player to win a match. However, as you get more experienced, it’s possible to place bets on many other outcomes. We’ll go into those in a little more detail later in this guide.

Paddy’s website offers tabs for different bet types. These include: Popular, In-Play, Competitions and Specials. From here you can navigate to a chosen match, or bet on the outright markets.

Now, each match carries its own odds for bet types such as match winner, correct score and player specials. In our example below, Wilson is 4/6 to beat Berger in the match odds. To bet on Wilson to win, simply click on their odds and a pop-up bet slip will appear on screen. Enter your stake, check you’re happy with the risk and potential payout, and hit Place Bet to complete the process.

darts betting tips at Paddy Power

After that, it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy the action! If your bet wins then your account will be credited with your stake and winnings, ready to either withdraw or re-bet.

Best darts bets

Now you know how to bet on darts, it’s time to understand the odds in a little more detail. The odds show you how much you stand to win, relative to your stake. So, a 3/1 bet means you earn £3 profit for every £1 staked. Equally, odds of 4.00 means you earn £4 in total for every £1 bet.

You can choose between fractional or decimal odds at Paddy Power. Either way, they show how likely something is to happen, and therefore the money you make if you guess correctly.

Let’s look at the types of bets you can make. There are loads available at Paddy Power, whether it’s a World Championships game or an obscure match out in central Europe.

Here are some darts bets to familiarise yourself with:

Match bet – The most simple bet in darts is the match bet, where you back one player to beat another.
Correct score – Predict what the eventual score in legs or sets on your chosen match.
Total legs – This bet requires players to bet over or under a set number of legs to feature in a match. For example, you might bet on there being +6.5 total legs in a best-of-nine match.
Player 180s – Players get a 180 when they score three Treble 20s in one go. This is a great bet, where you predict how many 180s a player will score in a match.
Leg handicaps – Bettors can apply a handicap to the final result in order to even out the odds. For example, you might bet on the favourite to win their match with a -1.5 leg handicap, at better odds. They then need to win their match by two legs or more for you to win your bet.
Highest checkout – A checkout is the score you need to get from one step to the oche in order to win a leg. The highest checkout possible is 170 (2x Treble 20s + 1x Bullseye). Bet on which player will score the highest checkout in a match.
Tournament winner – Bet on the ‘outright’ markets and back a player to win the tournament.
Nine-dart finish – Nailing exactly 501 in nine darts is really difficult. A nine-dart finish is rare but you can bet on one in a match or across a tournament with Paddy Power.

Best darts tournaments to bet on

bet on darts

Now it’s time to look at the tournaments you can bet on during the course of the season. Someone is throwing darts somewhere in the world every week, but the biggest tournaments get the most attention.

Below are the top darts competitions to bet on and when they’re staged in the darts calendar:

Paddy Power World Darts Championships | December/January – Of course we have to start with the Worlds. Darts betting doesn’t get bigger than this December/January tournament, where 64 of the world’s top players and qualifiers compete for the £500,000 winners share. There’s a £2.5m total prize pot – the biggest in darts. The smart bet here is to back the top seeds to saunter through the opening rounds in a big accumulator bet. Their individual match odds are small, but bettors can squeeze out much bigger profits when combining these selections.

Players Championships | Finals in November – There are 30 Players Championships events running over the course of the season, with the Players Championship Finals taking place in November. These tournaments are perfect for picking up against-the-odds wins. Upcoming players can stun seasoned pros on a regular basis.

European Tour | Championship in October – There are 13 European Tour tournaments that span the season, taking place mainly in continental Europe. It all culminates in the European Championship in October. British and Dutch players usually dominate here, and are well worth backing in European Tour events.

UK Open | March – There’s been a recent spike in nine-dart finishes at the UK Open, with seven recorded between 2020 and 2022. The UK Open darts is a fun tournament to bet on and matches are long, so there are more chances to place live wagers.

Other top tournaments include:

Masters – February
Premier League Darts – February to May
World Matchplay – July
World Grand Prix – October
Grand Slam of Darts – November

Now we know about how to bet on darts and which tournaments are available, it’s time to look at those all-important darts betting tips.

These tips are only meant to act as guidance for new players. There is no guaranteed formula for success when betting on darts. The best you can do is maximise your knowledge or the game and stay in control of your budget. That way you can bet confidently while staying within your limits.

With that in mind, here are some simple betting tips darts newcomers should be aware of:

Set a budget and stick to it – The best thing any bettor can ever do is to set a budget and stick to it when betting on darts – or any sport for that matter. Knowing your limits results in a far more enjoyable experience even if you lose your bets.
Get in early – Outright darts betting odds on who will win a tournament, for example, are set weeks before the action starts. Each player has high odds early on because there’s no guaranteeing who will be on form heading into the event. So, if you’re confident a player will succeed then don’t wait until the good odds have fallen away.
Watch but don’t bet – If you’re new to the sport, why not watch darts live at Paddy Power or on TV and refrain from betting until you know more about how it all works. Watching is the best way to get involved and can really enhance your bet choices.
Back 180s – The 180s market is often overlooked but it’s a great over/under line for new players. If a player looks to be nailing their Treble 20s time and again then backing them to go over a line could be profitable, but it requires the punter to watch attentively.
Build accas – The early rounds of tournaments often seen high seeds taking on qualifiers. The seeds may carry odds so short they’re not worth bothering to bet on. So, punters add them to big accumulators and keep faith that all the favourites will win. This is a particularly smart bet on the PDC Women’s circuit where the very, very top pros are way ahead of the rest, just like the elite players in men’s tennis crush all before them too.

Live darts betting explained

You’ll probably see plenty of references to live darts off when you join Paddy Power and watch the game on TV. Well, that’s because you can bet in-play as matches unfold. It goes without saying that live darts betting is the best way to get closer to the action – and it also helps you make much smarter decisions.

That’s because live betting gives you the chance to cash out before losing bets spiral, and offers bettors more options to place smart wagers. For example, you might bet on a big favourite to win their World Darts Championship quarter-final, only to see them fall three legs down. Now might be the time to cash out on your losing bet. Or you might be able to take advantage of the changed odds and bet more on your pick at a high price, hoping they turn it around.

There’s no set formula to betting on live darts. Everyone is different and will have their own methods, and their own bet preferred bet types. What’s important to understand if the constantly-changing markets need your attention. Paddy Power also offers stats, scores and updates throughout big games, so you can maximise your knowledge and make smarter bets. However, all this requires you to stay on your toes and make choices at the right time.

There’s no point betting on darts live if you’re not going to stay engaged.

Darts betting tips – Paddy Power’s ultimate beginner’s guide

What is darts betting?

Best darts bets

Best darts tournaments to bet on