Streaming again (kind of)

I’m still off the bike. My back is improving slowly but I think it may be another 4 weeks before I return to the saddle. It’s really shit tbh. I’m missing cycling but I have to just accept it, know it’s getting better and deal with it. So I’m sorry for the lack of cycling posts but they will resume ASAP when I’m fit enough to ride again.

However, in the meantime to keep my sanity in check, my back improvements have allowed me to play longer darts sessions and work on my dart players physique (too much beer and food). And this week I finally dipped my toe into the world of online darts. Oooooooo!

So what is online darts? It’s quite simple, you play against opponents over the internet with a webcam pointing at your board and an app or website deals with the scoring, streaming etc. There are plenty of apps and websites out there but typically each will show your opponents board when they throw and vice versa. There is an element of trust re board setup etc and it’s etiquette that if you throw a high score or checkout with a double you remove any darts that obscure the key ones and point them out or wiggle them. You simply type your score in after each throw. The apps allow you to join games published by others or you can publish your own in any format you want. 301, 501, double-in etc over any number of legs and/or sets you choose.

My first game was on a (free) system called Nakka which is used by the ODKL darts league I’ve registered for but more on that in a mo. It’s a simple but effective system I needed to test my setup on. It very simply manages games and tournaments. No bells or whistles here it just does what it’s supposed to do. Score games, manage scores. I won my first 3 games on this platform. When you start to play, your scores are recorded so your 3 dart average is calculated. This is how you choose opponents of similar ability, so I look for players slightly above my average to get a decent game. It seems playing better players raises your own game too.

Then I progressed onto the Target Dartcounter app which is one of the most widely used. As well as the online game community this app allows you to play locally with, say, a friend or an online bot and use it to score plus it has practice games (Round the Clock, Bob’s 27, Cricket etc) and records your stats for everything you throw regardless of the game type or practice you do. Funny story, I was playing only my 2nd online game and hit a 180 on my first shot. I typed my score in then my opponent messaged me and said he couldn’t see my camera. He must have thought I was a right cheat! I sorted my cam and apologised and promised it was legit and to be fair he was fine and we carried on. It’s a friendly place.

Online darts is quite addictive much like Zwift was when I was racing on there a few years ago, so I’ve registered for an online league for a bit of extra spice. The ODKL is an online league I found by chance really as the organiser, Matt, has his own darts YouTube Channel I found by chance too. The league runs quarterly, its £10 to register and you only play 2 -4 games a month. Additionally there are monthly tournaments which are played in one evening and all your results get pumped into a league and Order of Merit. It just seems like a nice relaxed setup to me with plenty of support on Telegram, the WhatsApp-esque messaging platform they use. There are more established online leagues out there but I just liked Matt’s approach and being able to jump on the journey with him as he seems to have taken the league organisation over from others and this his his first crack at it.

If you fancy a go, I’d say do it. Most leagues including the ODKL will take your averages into account so you play against opponents of similar ability. I’m a complete newb but so far it’s been pretty simple and welcoming without any pressure. The fixtures are published then the games are organised between players to fit around their daily lives. Perfect for me.

In other darts news, my new board is still in the box (under my laptop in the pic above). I’ll probably mount this for the league and I’ve ordered a new HD webcam too so I don’t have to keep nicking my work cam everytime I want to play.

The fixtures are released Friday. I’ll let you know how I get on.

Adios amigos.