QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT AMERICAN DARTS

(Q.) WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AMERICAN GAME OF DARTS AND ENGLISH?
(A.) The biggest difference is that American darts are played on a solid Hardwood surface compared to synthetic fibers with English. Hardwood is used so that the steel dividers can be flush mounted to the surface without the need of a "cage" as in English. Also the scoring areas are different in size and placement. The rotation of numbers around the dartboard are in the same sequence as English with a single bull's eye located at the center.

(Q.) WHEN AND WHERE DID AMERICAN DARTS BEGIN?
(A.) The history of American darts is full of legend and speculation just as is English. But from research it is believed that American Darts began in the Philadelphia region in the late 1800's. The English game as we know it today also began around this time. The reason may have been because American's wanted their own game separate from the English. Using the abundant supply of hardwoods made their version unique compared to English.

(Q.) ARE THE GAMES THE SAME BETWEEN AMERICAN & ENGLISH?
(A.) The most popular games of English require players to begin with a certain number of points and the object is to shoot your darts and subtract each throw from your total until you reach zero. American Darts uses the theme of American Baseball by using the numbers 1 through 9 as "innings". Each player shoots at the inning trying to score as many "runs" as possible. Each inning is added to the previous total, with the most runs after nine innings being the winner. This easier way of playing may be why the American game stayed so popular and unique.

(Q.) HOW ARE "RUNS" SCORED IN EACH INNING?
(A.) Each number has three different scoring areas. The first is the larger pie shaped white area which counts as 1 point or "run" when the dart lands. The smaller red area counts as 2 points or "runs". Finally, the smallest white rectangular area counts as 3 points or "runs". Any dart landing in the blue circle counts as zero. The most a player can receive in one inning is 9 since three darts are used by each shooter per "inning".

(Q.) WHY DO TOURNAMENT STYLE AMERICAN DARTBOARDS HAVE A ROTATING CENTER?
(A.) The design of the American game is such that just about every other number is used while playing the American "baseball" game. To make the dartboard last longer the designers made the center rotate so that when the "innings" begin to wear the center may be rotated one number to allow for a new area to shoot at. This design doubles the life of an American Dartboard.

(Q.) WHAT TYPE OF DARTS DO AMERICAN DARTS USE?
(A.) American Wood Dartboards use primarily what are called wood shaft turkey feather darts. These darts are different from any other darts in that the tips are pointed and not blunt as in English. The pointed tips allow the darts to "stick" to the wood surface more easily. Blunt tip darts may work but will drastically reduce the life of the American Dartboard. The wood shaft darts add to the character of the complete American Dart experience since they have been used since the beginning.

(Q.) WHY IS AMERICAN GAME OF DARTS NOT AS WELL KNOWN AS ENGLISH?
(A.) Most American Dartboard manufacturers up to this point have been mostly small operations literally hand crafting each dartboard. That left them little time to try to expose this product nationally. The greatest concentration until now has been in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, upper Maryland and lower New York. A spin-off of the Philadelphia dartboard can be found in the Albany, New York area as well.