Difference between darts in Europe and the US

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Difference between darts in Europe and the US

The major difference between darts in the US and Europe is the sort of game played. In Europe and the UK in particular the game played is singles 501 or the shorter 301, in other words the international game played round the world. I guess this is why the Europeans always win the big tournments, they are always playing the same game over and over. In the leagues and the BDO (British Darts Organisation) virtually the only game played is singles 501, and it is pretty much the same in Holland, Germany, Finland etc.

Whereas in the US, as well as 501, Cricket is widely played and played in tournaments as well. Also there are more doubles and triples etc., so in American tournaments you could be involved in the tournament all weekend, but in the UK if you lose the first match your weekend is over.

The other big difference is the introduction of the electronic dart board, which is widely used in the states, but catching on quickly over in Europe as well. This has brought in soft tip darts, although they are very similar in weight etc to the steel tip darts. The bar owner can now make money out of the game too, so there will be more venues to play at and hopefully that will raise the standard of the game especially in the US So we can get some American guys and gals to compete with the Europeans.