Without good counting skills, you get stuck quickly in darts. Period. But where do you actually practice that?
One great website is GoDartsPro (https://www.godartspro.com/). You’ll find over 150 darts games there. Great for improving your throwing and training, but also for boosting your math skills.
Having so much choice is wonderful, but also… overwhelming.
I recently chatted with Anders Östman, the man behind GoDartsPro. I asked him point-blank: "Anders, if my readers want to learn to count and score better and faster, which games do they absolutely HAVE to play?"
He gave me these two recommendations. And the good news? They are more fun than a math class.
(Note: You need a free account; that allows you to try out quite a bit. With Premium, you get access to the full library (€6.95/month or €69.95/year at the time of writing).)
1. Darts Mathlete – Repetition of patterns
Darts isn’t really math, it’s pattern recognition. You don’t want to be counting at the oche, you just want to know what your checkout route is.
- What does it do? It shows you finishes. Get it wrong? No problem, you start over. That cycle of "wrong → restart → get it right" is exactly what clicks those patterns into your brain.
- Why I’m a fan: You train your “route-reflex”. After a while, you don’t have to think anymore, your arm just knows.
How to use it (10–15 min):
- Choose one group, e.g., 61–100.
- Aim for a streak of 10 correct answers in a row.
- Don’t rush. Look at the options and try to understand why a route is correct.
- Try it: https://www.godartspro.com/darts-mathlete/
2. Chalk Master - Real Scoreboard, real pressure
Chalking (marking) is easy when you’re sitting quietly at home. But when your legs are shaking during a match, 501 minus 45 suddenly feels like advanced calculus.
- What does it do? You score a match. You have to calculate it yourself, and only then check on the computer if you’re right.
- Why I’m a fan: It forces you to think first, and check later. And all of that in a realistic match simulation. Exactly what you need to master those nerves at the scoreboard.
How to use it (±10 min):
- Print the scoresheet or do the leg in your head.
- Track your number of errors: first get errors down, then get the tempo up.
- Alternate: write one leg, do one leg mental math.
- Try it: https://www.godartspro.com/gameon/chalk-master/
Also Fun to Play With
Flip-Out: Flip-Out: A memory-matcher (e.g., 5×4 ↔ 20); nice for a mental warm-up without a board: https://www.godartspro.com/gameon/flip-out/
Swipe-Out: You see a checkout and decide correct/incorrect in one swipe: https://www.godartspro.com/gameon/swipe-out/
Darts Math Quiz: 10 random scores (41–170) with 9 possible outs; pick the only correct route while your time and score are tracked. Not easy!
https://www.godartspro.com/app/darts-math-quiz-application/
