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Take a comfortable den, playroom, or finished basement, a refrigerator filled with lots of
thirst-quenching beverages, bowls of chips, pretzels, and dip, six friends, and a dartboard. Anyone in this stimulating situation could shoot a little
301, 501, or around-the-clock. But, they are not us, and we just love to come up with new approaches to dart playing.
In a previous article, I touched on playing darts with a little variety. In this article, I
hope to expand your pleasure with some more imaginative ways to enjoy dart playing. You will need to review the earlier article to grasp the essence of the 20-Down chalkboard (or, just pick it up as I go along).
So, here we are comfortably munching on the goodies and gulping a drink or two: Jim, the
board man; Norm, the cynic; D’Arcy, the let’s-get-it-done ex-goalie; Ron, that’s me, the originator; Rick, the laughing kookaburra distracter (try throwing a
dart with that cackle in your ear); and Bert, the clueless. We usually end up playing six different games from our Book Of Games (duo-tang of ideas—we forget easily). Sometimes there is an exchange of a few dollars in these encounters.
Jim decides that we should start with Black and White. In this game, the scoreboard uses the 20 down to 9 in order to even out the count of black and white numbers. The six of us form teams usually based on “opposite hand” dart throw at the board using the number colors to determine who ends up with whom.
Each team selects one of its better throwers to decide color choice. Closest to the bull
wins choice. More often than not, the winner will pick white. In order to score, the white team can only shoot the white numbers of 20 down, which are 19, 17,
15, etc. The black team can only shoot the black numbers, which are 20, 18, etc.
The main wrinkle in this game is that an active number cannot be hit or closed by the other
team until it is opened.
Nor may it be hit by accident. If it is so hit, points (not X’s) are awarded to the opposing team. Therefore, if I should be aiming at 12 (I’m black) and hit a 9 by mistake, nine points would be awarded to the other team.
Only when a number has been opened (with 3 X’s) can it be closed (3X’s).
This allows for interesting strategies. Does one open a number and “run” with it? Or, does one get two X’s on each number and then open one or more at a time? Remember that the opposing team cannot hit a number until it has been opened. The game ends when all numbers have been opened and closed and the team with the highest score declares itself the winner.
It’s now Norm’s turn to call the game.
He chooses a game with no appropriate name, so we call it Norm’s Game. Doubles open and triples close in this 20 down venture. Scoring occurs on the big or little pie only. On this night, we decide that only the big pie will be in effect. We’re not that good to make it little pie only. However, players better than us might choose the small pie only.
Only one team at a time can have a number open. For example, Norm throws the double 20, but
misses.
Jim, on the other team, throws for the double 19 and hits the mark. I, who shoot second on Norm’s team must now throw the triple 19. I miss, so D’Arcy, on Jim’s team, throws the big pie 19 and hits it twice. Thus, that team now has 38 points. The game then continues. We do set a time limit on this game. We do want to get through six games before midnight.
There are some wrinkles in the game that makes it a little more challenging.
The dart-off-the-board rule is in effect in that the team scoring will lose its open number should a player throw a dart off the board. That means, any place outside the double ring, whether on or literally off the board. A player, when trying to score, may accidently close his own team’s number by hitting the triple. I’m sure that some astute readers of this article could imagine a few more wrinkles. Decide as per expertise and mood.
D’Arcy now jumps to the line with his ideas for a game. He chooses Triples Close, which is a 20 down, every number counts, call game variation. Call a triple of a number, hit it, and it is closed for the other team. Scoring occurs when a number is called, hit, and then the bull (single or double part) is hit scoring single or double of the original number hit. Should another number than the called number be hit, points would go to the other team. There is no penalty while shooting the bull.
So Bert decides that he would like to score on the 20. He has a choice. Shoot the 20
and then the bull and score. But suppose he hits the 5 (15) or the 1 (11), then those points would go to the other team. He then decides to shoot
the triple 5 or 15 without penalty and make those numbers safe for his team. He hits the triple 5—such luck—and then goes after the triple 11 and hits it
too—such unexpected luck (no skill there).
With his next dart he can call the 20. He hits it. This would mean that Rick, his team member next to shoot, would throw his first dart at the bull in order to score 20 or 40 points. However, in the meantime, I have my turn (being on the other team) to throw the 20 to try to close it to Bert’s team scoring. I hit the triple 20---tough luck for Bert’s team. I try then to hit the 19 having declared that I am trying to score. Otherwise, there would be no penalty should I hit the 3 for instance. Players have to declare their intentions before throwing or else disputes may arise as to whether the player is trying to score or to close. I miss the 19, hit the 7, therefore, giving 17 points to Bert’s team. I should have known better. There is some strategy in the game, and scoring changes throughout the game as numbers are closed. Keeping track of this game proves a challenge for Jim, the scorer, but he’s up to the task and the guys have a good laugh throughout the play.
Rick now calls the game. It’s Freeze with its basic premise that no one team can score until all numbers have been opened. The bull may or may not be part of the game and all other numbers count. The throws are wild and once a number has three X’s beside it for one team, the other team cannot hit that number (for the time being anyway). Once a number is owned by one team, should it be hit by a dart from the other team, the value of the number (20 through 10) goes to the owner. Once all numbers have been opened, then the race begins. Numbers can be scored on and numbers can be closed. The game ends suddenly after a huge suspenseful buildup. So, Rick throws his three darts and hits a single and triple 20. His team now owns that number. The extra X is irrelevant. With his third dart he hits a double 18 thus placing two X’s on his side of the board beside 18. Jim now shoots for his team and hits a triple 18. That does not negate Rick’s two 18’s. It just establishes ownership for the time being, and means that Rick’s team needs to hit the 18 only once after the game truly begins when all numbers are open.
Bert, unimaginative as he is, chooses a variation of the preceding game. We have called it Bull First. The game is definitely call. The twist comes when the bull must be opened and closed before scoring can occur on the 20 down numbers and their equivalents below 10. Bert gets up, throws his three darts but hits 1, 3, and 20. Therefore, 44 points go to my team (See
rule #6 in 20-Down). Remember, it’s a call game and he had to hit what he called—the bull. I get up and hit a double and single bull and then I throw for the 20. I miss and hit the 5. Fifteen points for Bert’s team. D’Arcy then throws three darts at the bull for Bert’s team. He hits one bull, the 13 and the 14. Twenty-seven points go to my team. Rick, then calls the 20 and hits it three times. Sixty points for our team. And the game goes on. Eventually, Bert’s team opens the bull and then the game becomes a typical 20 down game.
The evening has been long and it’s my turn to name the game.
I go for a seemingly simple game to get us to midnight without much stress. Oh that that should be true! The game is called Big Pie Only. As the name suggests, only darts that end up in the big pie count. If a dart should end up anywhere else, there are penalties. The penalty for hitting the triples, doubles, small pie, or anywhere else outside the double ring is loss of all the team’s X’s. A team at this point does not lose its amassed points. Should the dart end up in the bull, then the team loses not only its X’s but its accumulated points as well. Now, do you see where the stress comes in?
The big pie is the largest piece of real estate on the board, but when penalties are inside
and outside of it, the panic sets in.
The game can be loads of fun especially when one team accumulates all kinds of points only to lose everything near the end of the game when an errant dart ends up in the bull. The game works best when the every-number-counts-rule is in effect. Also, the game should probably be timed depending on the expertise of the players. There can be a lot of “X” erasures in the game. The truly brilliant players might adapt this game to Small Pie Only.
Finally we come to midnight. Some of us leave a little poorer in our wallets than when we
arrived, but none of us is poorer for the diversion and gratification of the evening. These games are just a part of what we do when we get together to play
darts. We continue to modify and develop games that make the great sport of darts an enjoyable pastime.
20 DOWN
For the purposes of this article, I will consider the original 20 Down game
which is the “root” game from which many variations can evolve. It can be played as a “wild,” “call,” or “sequence” game. Any number of persons can play
in two or more teams or as individuals.
The object of the game is to “open” a number then score on it before it is
closed. A 20 would score 20 points if hit once (beyond being opened), 40, if the double 20 were hit, and so on.
The 12 would score 12 points, and so on. The bull is part of this game. In a “call” or “sequence” game, darts that hit other active numbers would score for the other team(s) or player. If more than two teams or players are participating, a decision has to be reached before starting the game as to how many “hits” will close a number.
In order to discern the qualities of these games, the following terminology
applies:
1. OPEN: This means hitting a number the equivalent of three times before scoring can occur. The “hits” are recorded on the chalkboard using “X’s.”
2. CLOSE:
This means hitting an already “open” number the equivalent of three times to close it to further scoring potential. A number may already have one or two hits on it before it is either open or closed.
3. WILD: It does not matter which counting numbers the dart(s) should hit—all hits count either to open, close, or score.
4. CALL:
The player must first signify the number or numbers he is going to try to hit. Misses, therefore, count against him.
5. SEQUENCE:
This means calling shots in order. Therefore, a player might call 20, Bull, 10 and be in correct sequence.
6. EVERY NUMBER COUNTS:
Every number is in effect on the dartboard. But because the score board goes from 20 down to 10 (the 9 is not in effect in a 20 down game), the single digit numbers have a corresponding double digit number. That is, 1 is equivalent to 11; 2 is equivalent to 12; and, so on. The 10 and the 20 have no equivalents.
7. SINGLES: This occurs when the dart sticks in the board inside the double ring or inside the triple ring but in neither of the rings.
8. DOUBLES: This corresponds to the outer ring (doubles) on the board and scores double.
9. TRIPLES:
This is of course the triple ring equivalent and scores triple.
10. THE BULL:
The inner ring counts “doubles;” the outer part of the bull counts “singles”
11. THE BIG PIE:
This is the area between the double ring and the triple ring.
12. THE SMALL (LITTLE) PIE: This is the area between the triple ring and the bull.
13. DART OFF THE BOARD: This is any dart that falls (literally or figuratively) outside the double ring.
14. BLACK:
The numbers that are colored black on the board.
15. WHITE: The numbers that are white.
16. ODD: The odd numbers on the board.
17. EVEN: The even numbers on the board.
18. TIME GAME:
Some games play best with a time limit. Strategies change and excitement often builds to a climax. However, use some accurate alarm system or disputes will arise.
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