(This article largely pertains to darts in the most common form, which is 01, split bull, open in, double out... These rules, statistics and opinions may vary as you go into full bull, master or open out variables)
Truthfully, there is no bad out if you hit what you are aiming at all the time. Unfortunately in the sport of darts, this is not how it works.
So why are some outs "better" than others? Well in that regard it's all about the percentages.
The reason you may have heard a player who has been in the sport longer refer to like a double 15 or a double 17 as a "bad" out is quite simple really.
In a split bull, double out game, the order of which you statistically have the best chance of winning is as follows;
1. Double 16, also known as 32
2. Double 12 or Double 20, also known as 24 or 40
3. Double 18 or Double 14, also known as 36 or 28
***Not included in this list is Double 8, Double 20, Double 6, Double 4, Double 2 (as they are all already included in previously mentioned "strings" of outs)
First, let me explain what I mean when I say a "string of outs"...
A "string" as I refer to it, is a series of numbers that are divisible by other even numbers. For example, in the case of 30 (or Double 15), which we previously said was a "bad out", the string is 1. This is because if you hit a single 15 and leave yourself 15 (not an even number), and you no longer have a double to shoot at.
Now you must reset on a new number, thus costing you potential shots at winning a game.
Conversely, 32 (or Double 16), is considered the "best out", because it gives you the longest string out of any setup number.
Theoretically, with a string of 5, you have 4 misses you can throw just inside of the double wire and still have a 5th dart at a winning leg. This string goes; double 16, double 8, double 4, double 2, double 1. No other double on the board matches a string of 5.
In fact, only Double 20 (20,10, 5) and Double 24 (24,12,6) come close, this is why they are your second best setups on the board.
Now that you know "the why", in upcoming blogs I look forward to discussing more theory and strategy as it pertains to darts and improving on the meta side of the game.
