Throwing darts is a great way to get together with friends and have a lot of fun. Working on your hand to eye coordination and focus, darts is an indoor sport that keeps your mind sharp.
The game of darts is thought to have come out of England in the late 1800s where the board was made out of a piece of elm wood. Bartenders tried to heal the holes made by the darts by soaking the board overnight. In the 1930s a dart board was made of sisal fibers – originally used for making twine and fabric. This allowed a dart to spread between fibers to stick in the board, rather than drive a hole into it. There is much less upkeep of a sisal board, and they last much longer too. There are cheaper boards on the market made of cork, which darts will leave holes in. A good sisal board can be found for under $80, while cork boards are about half as expensive.
When looking for a board, it is important to look at the metal dividers. The ideal board has very thin dividers between the numbered sections so there is less of a chance to hit these – or "bounce out". Good boards allow you to rotate the number ring so you can spread the concentration of dart strikes over the whole board. A certain dart game may have you aim for specific numbers, so this feature makes your board and darts supplies last longer.
The game of darts is evolving yet again with the invention of the electronic dart board. These boards have thousands of little holes that allow soft tip darts to enter the board. The computer keeps track of your score and displays it on the built in screen. Most electronic dart boards come with a number of games including 301, shanghai and cricket. While more user friendly and better for beginners, electronic dart boards do not offer the professional response and minimal margin of error that a sisal board does.
A magnetic dart board is another option; the board is a large magnetic surface and the darts have magnetic heads. These boards are great for kids because the magnets used are relatively strong so practically every throw sticks to the board with few bounce outs. Like billiards and air hockey, darts is a great game of skill that is enjoyed in pubs and taverns around the world.