Learning and becoming a master at darts, just like any other endeavor, has its own hurdles. For most beginners, it’s the overwhelming terminology that makes it quite a challenge to learn.
With so much jargon involved in the game, it can be pretty hard to keep up with other players and online boards, especially if you’re just starting out.
So our best approach? Zoom in on each of these terminologies for a more thorough understanding.
Our phrase for today: triple 20 in darts.
You might have come across this in your research and your discussion with fellow dart enthusiasts, but what does it mean? We go down to the nitty and gritty to define what triple 20 is in this article — keep reading.
The Basic Anatomy of a Dartboard
When it comes to truly understanding the different games, their respective scoring, and techniques in a game of darts, one needs to be familiar with the segments and rings that make up a dartboard.
That said, let’s take a closer look at this first to truly paint a picture of what a triple 20 is.
The first thing that you’ll notice in a dartboard (other than its shape) is that it is divided into different colors and segments. Each of these corresponds to a particular score that you can earn if you hit these.
In the middle is the much-coveted bullseye, a black ring right at the center of the board. This typically earns you 50 points. Surrounding it is a red circle that is worth 25 points, still a part of the bullseye, and just as valuable.
Farther out and closer to the rim are the doubles and triples. Following the inner and outer bullseye are the triples or trebles. Lastly, you have the doubles, which are a bit bigger and easier to target than the trebles.
Zooming in on the Triples and Doubles
You still with us so far? We promise that this will make sense as we go deeper into what triples and doubles mean in darts.
Okay, so you know how for beginners, the bullseye seems like a more coveted real estate space in a dartboard? Well, expert dartists and professionals will actually tell you that doubles and triples hold just as much weight too.
You see, as their name suggests, the darts that you manage to land on these areas will double and triple in score. Say you hit the black part of the board, in line with a 19. That means that you will be awarded with 19 points.
Now, if you land your dart on the double 19, then you can multiply that by two to get a score of 38. And if it lands on a triple, then you also get triple the points at 57.
What is the Triple 20?
So far, we’ve established that aiming for the bullseye is not really be as glorified as it is on movies and social media. Instead, focus on your doubles and triples.
Still, if you want to kick it up a notch for an extra big payout on your final score, then the best spot to aim for is the triple 20.
You can find the triple 20 near its corresponding number on the board. Start by locating the number 20, and then move a little closer to the bullseye — that’s where the tripe 20 is. Be sure not to mistake this for the double 20, though.
Landing a triple 20 will earn you a total of 60 points. Compared to earning 50 points from a bullseye, this makes it much more valuable to the player if the game is determined by who gets the highest number of points.
But here’s the rub: landing a triple 20 is difficult. Even much more difficult than landing on a bullseye.
A triple 20 is often targeted by those who are already skilled players. It’s an optimal space because even if you miss the triple 20 slot, you will still land a score that is higher than the average.
If, however, you are still starting out and have not perfected your throw, it’s much safer to aim for the bullseye instead of the triple 20. This at least ensures that you hit something.
Triple Training: A Strategy for Hitting the Coveted Triple
Hitting the precious triple 20 field, understandably, takes time and a lot of practice. Here is one crucial tip that you can adapt to your training: Practice on the whole range of fields in the dartboard too.
See, above all, hitting the triple 20s is all about precision. To practice this, you need to be able to target any specific field at a given time.
So while it’s OK to designate a portion of your practice to just hitting the triple 20s, if you truly want to improve your skill in darts, don’t be afraid to branch out to other fields and segments too.
If you don’t want to wander too far, then identify other triples that you may favor and aim for those. Be it a triple 19 or triple 18; these numbers can still significantly improve your final score if it all comes down to that.
Final Thoughts
A triple 20 is considered as an optimum strategy for dart experts who want to dramatically increase their score. However, knowing what a triple 20 is can still be a far cry from actually successfully throwing one.
To execute a triple 20 at every attempt, you need to be able to train for it and improve your throwing precision significantly.
There’s a reason that the triple 20 is a much-coveted real estate on the dartboard — hitting it is a show of mastery and exactness. It often takes years for a person to consistently hit it.
So if this is your goal, our advice is most basic but important: take the time to practice.
Worth Reading:
