Although it is difficult to determine the precise origins of the game, variants have been documented dating back as far as the Middle Ages, with soldiers throwing arrows at upturned wine barrel covers. Darts remains a hugely popular sport in which darts are thrown at a circular board. This board is divided into areas, each of which is assigned a certain number of points. As the darts player hits the board he or she scores points, each of which is deducted from the total score. Players start with a certain number of points (normally 301 or 501) and the objective is to reach exactly zero. The highest possible score with 3 darts is 180. This can be obtained when each of the three darts lands in the triple 20 and an exuberant shout of 180! is perhaps the sound most associated with darts playing.

Major darts events include the two World Professional Championships, held annually over the Christmas/New Year period; they are run by two separate organisations, the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). The PDC split from the BDO in 1992 and there has been significant antipathy between the two bodies ever since. Both organisations hold other events including the World Masters, UK Open and the World Grand Prix. Darts probably has its greatest following in the UK but is also fairly popular in the Netherlands.

Betting on darts is usually for the winner of the championship or for the winner of a particular game. Most major bookmakers offer good odds on darts games and darts has traditionally been a game on which considerable sums have been wagered.