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It's a sport that has gained an astonishing level of popularity in recent years, welcoming thousands of fans into huge-capacity arenas for competitions, with hundreds of thousands more tuning in on television.
Players with monikers like the Wizard and Snakebite are now household names, fighting it out around the world for big prizemoney.
But what is it about this British pub sport that has seen such a huge explosion in popularity?
Television the key
"Everything that is on the television is good. It gets people into the game."
That is the view of two time PDC world champion Michael van Gerwen, who spoke ahead of the Brisbane Darts Masters, the third leg of the Australasian stage of the World Series of Darts.
"People also see that it gets bigger and bigger around the world, not only Europe but also in America … and of course Australia is now also broadcasting [competitions]," van Gerwen said.
"So television is the biggest part for us. It's easy for people to watch, I think."
Darts is tailor made for television and the medium has propelled its stars into the realm of genuine sporting celebrities.
Taking place over the Christmas period, the PDC World Championships have become synonymous with the festive period, and a big ratings winner.
Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis emphasised this fact when the pay-tv network signed a seven-year broadcast deal prior to last year's championships.
"It would not be Christmas without the darts, which has become an essential part of the festive period for Sky Sports," he said.
The 2018 final saw a peak audience of 1.4 million people tune in to see previously unheralded Rob Cross claim his maiden title against 14-time PDC champion and legend of the sport, Phil 'The Power' Taylor.
The final even garnered a peak audience of 2.7 million in Germany, a nod to the increasingly multi-national appeal of the sport.
Those numbers have made free-to-air channels in the UK sit up and take notice, with both ITV and the BBC signing deals to show a selection of tournaments over the next three years.
The surge in popularity and television interest has been reflected in a big increase in prizemoney, a factor that has changed the sport almost beyond recognition in recent years.
What is darts?
- Two players take it in turns to throw three metal darts at a board 2.37m away, 1.73m off the ground
- A board is split into 20 numbered sections, with a bullseye in the middle
- Each section is subdivided into single, double (outside) and triple (inside) scoring areas
- Players start with 501 points and have to reach zero by finishing on a double to win a leg
- World Series final games are decided as the best of 21 legs
"Money. Of course money," van Gerwen said when asked about the biggest change in the sport.
"Years ago, when we played darts the tournaments were in a pub and the pub owner was the manager. But now we've got doctor, physio, management, all those things. How can you have a team like that? With money. Otherwise it's not possible."
Money is certainly coming into the sport, and the rewards are coming to the players.
The winner of the 2019 World Championship will take home a record 500,000 pounds (AU $878,186) from a prize pool of 2.5 million pounds (AU $4.39 million), an increase of 40 per cent increase from last year.
Van Gerwen currently sits on top of the PDC Order of Merit — a two-year rolling tally of earned prize money in PDC events — with an impressive total of 1.693 million pounds ($2.961 million).
"Of course we can't compare with all the others — football, basketball, all those things," the Dutchman said.
"But yeah, we're doing all right."
The winner in Brisbane will pocket $35,000 from a total tournament prize pool of $105,050.
The 'real deal'
It may be made for TV, but a trip to the darts is now a must for any genuine sports fan.
With players walking on stage to pumping music and fans in fancy dress seated at tables just a short throw away from the action, a trip to the 'Ally Pally' — or Alexandra Palace in London — is on the bucket list for sports fans around the world.
"To be in the crowd is a good night out for people, you can do whatever you want, it's nice." van Gerwen said.
For the players, the raucous atmosphere can either be a blessing or a distraction.
"It's to do with confidence, if you have a lot of confidence … then it's easy to deal with the crowd." van Gerwen said.
"There's no walking back. When you walk onto that stage, you have to perform and what happens behind you isn't important, it's what happens in front of you that is."
That level of concentration does not come by accident. Darts — despite the obvious theatre surrounding the live events — is serious business, demanding a huge amount of dedication from its stars.
"I have a practice session for two or three hours, before a game I practice two to three hours more, so we practice quite a lot but it's work isn't it?" van Gerwen said.
"It's not a pub game anymore. It's the real deal at the moment, so you have to make sure you're sharp.
"People think it's only throwing darts, but it's much more. It's about how you deal with the pressure, how you deal with the nerves, how you deal with the mental aspect of the game."
Global domination
With an easy-to-watch television product and a party atmosphere at events, the sky could be the limit for darts.
The World Series of Darts, now in its sixth year, is attempting to break new ground by staging tournaments in the USA, Dubai and even China, as well as Australia.
Experienced tour-pro Simon 'The Wizard' Whitlock adds a local flavour to the events in which eight local players have the opportunity to compete.
"It means a lot for me to play in these events. I'm a proud Australian so it's great to play in front of an Aussie crowd," Whitlock said.
Van Gerwen — as world number one and current statesman of the tour — acknowledged the importance of taking the top players to darts outposts, including all of the top-four-ranked players in the world
And with the level of interest in the sport showing no signs of abating, the darts roadshow looks like it will continue to go from strength to strength.
"It used to be a pub sport, but the last time we played in a pub … I can't even remember." van Gerwen said.
"You need to give things a chance to change, to grow and I think we are in a good way."
Topics: sport, other-sports, brisbane-4000, qld, australia