What Is A 9 Dart Finish? Tips to Get a 9 Darter!

What Is A 9 Dart Finish?

A 9 dart finish, aka 9 darter, is the minimum number of darts to win a leg or a single game of 501 darts.

In order to win a 501 game, you have to score exactly 501 points with the final dart landing on a double section or the inner bull; and 9 is the least darts you can do to achieve this. The most common path is hitting the triple-20 with the first 7 darts, then hitting the triple 19 and double 12 respectively with the last 2 darts.

A 9 dart finish indicates outstanding skills and techniques of the player who successfully executes it since every dart must be thrown with the highest level of accuracy.

How Rare Is a 9 Dart Finish?

In Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) history, only 427 nine-darter finishes have been recorded from 1999 to 2022 (in 24 years). The most 9 dart finishes were recorded in 2019, with 47 finishes.

As you can tell by the number, a 9 darter is extremely rare, even in world-class competitions with the most skillful players. Watch the crowd’s reaction when a player pulls off a 9 darts finish => Watch GERWYN PRICE STRIKES PERFECTION with 9 darter

Prizes For 9 Dart Finish

What does a player get for a 9 dart finish? It would reward a player with both recognition and money (in world-class tournaments).

Players who nail a 9 dart finish in a televised tournament are awarded a Gold Pin Badge by the PDC, and a Silver Pin Badge is given to those in non-televised tournaments.

The pros who compete in the PDC series of competitions (world championships) even have the chance to bring home a big amount of money (ranging from £2,500 to £100,000 since the introduction of prize money for a 9-darter).

For the 2021 PDC World Championship, the title sponsor, Selco, sought to increase the excitement and guaranteed £100,000 to any player who could hit two consecutive nine-darter throws during the competition, including £25,000 to one lucky fan and £25,000 to a designated charity).

Most Famous Players for 9 Dart Finishes

There are many cases to consider as the best 9 dart finish. It really depends on personal references. But recently, history has been made with the 2021/22 World Championship being the first event in the PDC World Champion history to have three perfect legs.

The first 9 darter recorded on television was performed by John Lowe at the 1984 World Matchplay, utilizing an unusual route of double 18, treble 18, and treble 17.

At the top of the list of amazing darters is Michael “Mighty Mike” Van Gerwen, who has thrown an amazing 24 nine-darters throughout his career, with seven of them recorded on television.

Other worth-to-mention names include Phil Taylor – 21 nine-darters, and Adrian Lewis with 14 nine-dart finishes.

How To Hit A 9 Dart Finish

You must throw nine perfect darts in a row to hit a nine-dart finish. Anyone who plays darts understands that consistently hitting three flawless darts can distinguish a professional player from someone who just plays for fun.

This is because dart targets and margins are so narrow that you must shoot with extraordinary consistency and accuracy. Even after nailing back-to-back 180s, players typically overthink and put pressure on themselves when they realize they have the chance to hit a nine-dart leg. As a result, they miss those important last darts.

Here’s the most typical nine-dart finish, you hit a 180 in your first turn (3 throws at the treble 20), and again a 180 in your second turn, and then 141 in your third turn (treble 20, treble 19, and double 20). The more you play, the more you will find out that there are a lot of other combinations to achieve a 9 darter.

The Bottom Line

What is a 9 dart finish? This post has given you the answer you are looking for. It means that you win a game of 501 with the least darts possible (9 darts). A 9 dart finish is extremely rare and it demonstrates the top-notch skills of the players who execute it successfully.