JUST WHAT IS AMERICAN DARTS?

Simply put American darts is a reinvented version of the English dart game that is easier to play yet just as challenging.

It begins by using the original material that the first players used back in the 12th century - Solid Hardwood. Every tournament style dartboard is made from a hardwood known as Basswood grown in the U.S. It is used for its ability to easily accept darts as well as being very light compared to other species. These dartboards are manufactured in such a way as to allow the darts to land in the end-grain portion of the wood. This provides greater ease in shooting and allows the dartboard to last much longer than if the side of the grain was used.

The American game of darts has been a well kept secret in the dart industry even though its history dates back over 100 years to the coal regions of northeast Pennsylvania.

American darts is just what it implies. It began as an alternative to the more difficult playing of English darts.

In English darts the most popular games makes the players begin with a specific number of points. The objective is to reduce the number down to zero by subtracting each throw of the dart. Unless you are a very seasoned player this becomes a rather difficult task.

The inventors of the American form of darts decided to base their most common game around the traditional game of Baseball. Each player throws three darts beginning with the number 1 (or I st Inning). Each dart represents a score depending where the dart lands. For instance, if you throw in the large white pie shaped area of the number 1 that counts as 1 point or "run". If you throw the dart and it lands in the bright red area of the number 1 it counts as 2 points or 2 "runs". Finally if the player shoots a dart in the small rectangular white area of the number 1 it counts as 3 "runs". Any darts landing in numbers other than the inning shooting counts as zero as well as in any area of the blue ring. After three darts are thrown the player ADDS his or her score and then the next player or players follows shooting at the same inning. Players then shoot at the number 2 or 2°d inning and so on until the final inning or ninth inning as in the real game of baseball.

Scoring then becomes easier and much more fun since addition is the only method required. You will notice that the whole dartboard is used since the innings of 1 through 9, which are in red, are spaced very evenly around the circle. This allows the dartboard to wear evenly and adds additional life to the dartboard.

One of the most interesting aspects of the wooden American dartboard is the fact the more one shoots at the wood surface the better the dartboard becomes. It can be compared to the comfort of a favorite pair of blue jeans or a pair of shoes. It just plays better the more it is used.

Another major feature is the inlaid steel dividers between all scoring areas. In an English dartboard, in most cases, the steel dividers consist of a "cage" stapled onto the surface of the dartboard. The difficulty with this is that there is a greater chance of hitting the steel with the dart which causes the dart to "bounce" off and fall to the floor. The American dartboard has steel pressed completely into the surface of the board so that there is nothing protruding to cause dart failure. Add to this the fact that the steel is a minuscule .010 in thickness and you can see it provides the shooter with a greater dartboard surface to shoot at without the fear of losing the dart to "bounce".

One of the most interesting and most talked about characteristics of a Dartshark American tournament dartboard is the rotating center. Not sparing any expense the originators saw the fact that while playing constantly on the numbers from 1 through 9 as in the game of "baseball", the numbered areas left were not getting used as much. They decided to make the center rotate so that the dartboard life could be maximized. By occasionally rotating the center by one number the dartboard has a new area to shoot at and allows the dartboard to wear more evenly providing extra life to the dartboard.

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