Short answer: three darts if one person throws and already knows their weight. Six if two people play regularly. Twelve if the board is in a garage, basement or rec room where friends, family or the kids throw at it. Darts are sold in threes because one player throws three per turn. That convention is right for a league player and wrong for almost every home board, and it is the reason so many first sets disappoint.
Why are darts sold in sets of three?
Because a turn is three darts. In every standard game, 501, Cricket, Around the Clock, a player throws three darts, walks to the board, pulls them, and hands over. One player, one turn, three darts. The convention comes from pubs and leagues, where every player brings their own set.
At home the situation is different. The board goes up once, and whoever is in the room plays with whatever darts are by the board. If that is one set of three, every game is three darts shared between everyone, and the game turns into a relay of walking to the board and pulling darts out for the next person. It works. It is also the single most common reason people say their first board "did not get used much."
What happens when two people share three darts?
You take turns with the same three darts, which means you cannot both leave your darts in the board, you cannot compare where you each landed, and the person waiting has nothing in their hand. In Cricket, where you need to see whose marks are whose, sharing is genuinely awkward. In 501 it is just slow.
With six darts, two sets of three, each player keeps their own, both sets sit in the board at the end of a round, and the game flows the way it does in a pub. This is the reason a 6-pack is the standard upgrade from the darts that came with the board: not because six is better than three, but because two is the usual number of people at a home board.
When are twelve darts the right number?
When the board belongs to the house, not to one person.
A board in a garage or basement gets thrown at by a couple, their kids, the guys who come over on the weekend, and the occasional guest who has not held a dart in ten years. Twelve darts covers four people with their own sets, or two people with a spare set each for when a dart hits the concrete and the point needs sharpening. Nobody waits, nobody shares, nobody has to pull someone else's darts.
The second reason is the one that gets missed. Nobody knows their dart weight before they have thrown a few. A 12-pack with four different weights, three darts each, lets four people throw 21, 23, 24 and 25 grams back to back on the same evening and swap. By the end of it, each person knows which weight suits their arm, and if anyone later wants a matched set of their own, they know exactly which one to buy. A single set of three cannot teach you that, at any price.
How do you keep four sets of darts apart?
By the flights, which is the easy part, and it is worth checking before you buy a multi-pack.
A good 12-pack ships with flights in distinct colors or two different shapes, so that when four sets are in the board at once, everyone can see whose is whose at a glance. Sets where all twelve darts look identical, or where the flights are so similar that you have to pull them out to tell, cause arguments in Cricket and are a sign the maker did not think about how twelve darts actually get used. Spare flights in matching shapes keep the sets apart after the first ones tear.
Does buying more darts mean worse darts?
No, if you buy at the right tier. It means a different material.
A 12-pack at $30 is made of brass or steel barrels, not tungsten. That is the trade: a tungsten set of three costs the same and comes with one weight for one person. Brass and steel are thicker at the same weight, which matters if your three darts already land in the same bed and block each other. For a home board it does not matter, because they do not. We go through exactly when barrel thickness starts to cost you in Are Brass Darts Good?.
What should not change between a 3-pack and a 12-pack is the checklist: stated and matched weight per dart, tempered steel points, 2BA shafts with O-rings so they stay tight, spare flights, and a warranty. A 12-pack that fails those is twelve poor darts. A 12-pack that passes them is four good sets.
What should I look for when buying my first darts set?
The same things whether you buy three, six or twelve, in this order.
- The right tip for your board. Steel tip for a bristle board, soft tip for an electronic board. Steel tips crack electronic boards. Soft tips bounce out of bristle. Our Soft Tip vs Steel Tip guide covers this.
- The weight stated per dart, and matched. A set that does not state it is not measuring it. For a first set, 22 to 24 g steel tip or 18 g soft tip. For a house, a mix.
- Enough darts for the people who will throw. Three per person. Count the people before you count the dollars.
- Tempered steel points. Bent points are the most common failure. Tempered steel bends less and sharpens back.
- Standard 2BA shafts with O-rings. So they stay tight and spares fit.
- Flights you can tell apart, with spares. Especially in a multi-pack.
- A warranty from a maker who answers. Points break and barrels crack. A stated warranty with a registration process tells you the maker expects to hear from you.
Everything else, the case, the sharpener, the colors, is a bonus.
Which darts should I buy for playing at home?
Four honest cases.
One person who throws, and will keep throwing. Three darts, in your weight, and if you already group tightly, tungsten. This is the buyer the forums write for, and for this buyer three is the right number. Our Best Steel Tip Darts Under $50 guide goes through the tungsten options.
Two people who play against each other. A 6-pack, two matched sets of three in the same weight, in a case. 22 g if you are unsure, 20 g if either of you throws fast. Our best seller, Midnight Shadow, is the 20 g version of exactly that: six brass darts, spare flights, a case, nothing to add.
A bristle board in a garage, basement or rec room that everyone uses. A 12-pack with mixed weights and distinct flights. Our most popular set, Manhattan Midnight, ships twelve steel barrel darts, three each in 21, 23, 24 and 25 g, with two flight shapes, so four people play and everyone finds their weight the same evening.
An electronic board at home. A 9-pack in 18 g, three sets with three different grip patterns, with a lot of spare tips, because tips are the part that wears. Our Best Soft Tip Darts for an Electronic Dartboard guide explains why the board sets the specification.
The mistake most guides make is answering all four buyers with the first answer.
Should I keep a good set for myself and house darts for everyone else?
Yes, once you have found your weight. It is the arrangement most regular home players end up with: one matched set that is theirs, stored in its case, and a 6-pack or 12-pack by the board for the kids, guests and the guys. The good set stops getting thrown at the wall, and nobody has to be careful with the house darts. Buy the house darts first. The good set you will choose better after a few months with them.
Frequently asked questions
How many darts come in a set?
Three, because one player throws three per turn. For a home board shared by two or more people, 6-packs and 12-packs exist so that each player has their own three.
Do I need 6 or 12 darts for a home dartboard?
Six if two people play regularly. Twelve if the board is shared by a household, used when friends come over, or nobody yet knows their weight. Three only if one person throws.
What should I look for when buying my first darts set?
The right tip for your board, the weight stated per dart, enough darts for everyone who throws, tempered steel points, 2BA shafts with O-rings, flights you can tell apart with spares, and a warranty from a maker who answers.
What are the best darts for home use?
For a shared bristle board, a 12-pack with mixed weights, brass or steel barrels, stated weights, tempered points and spares. For a couple, a matched 6-pack. For an electronic board, an 18 g soft tip set per player with plenty of spare tips.
Can four people play darts with one set?
Yes, by sharing, but it is slow and in Cricket it is hard to tell whose marks are whose. Four people play properly with twelve darts, three each.
Is a 12-pack of darts worth it if I play alone?
Not for the number, but sometimes for the weights. If you do not know your weight yet, a 12-pack with four different weights is the most affordable way to find out. Once you know, buy a matched set of three.
Why are darts sold in sets of three?
Because a turn in every standard game is three darts. The convention comes from leagues and pubs, where every player brings their own set. At home, where darts stay by the board and everyone uses them, three is rarely enough.
How do I tell different sets of darts apart?
By the flights. A good multi-pack ships with distinct colors or two shapes so that four sets in the board are easy to tell apart. Spare flights in the same shapes keep that true after the first ones tear.
IgnatGames makes 6-packs of brass darts in 18 to 26 g, 12-packs of steel barrel darts with four mixed weights, and 9-packs of soft tip darts with three grip patterns, all with spare flights, O-ringed shafts and a 10-year warranty after registration, because we think most home boards need more than three darts. If you are the one player who throws alone, buy the three. This guide holds either way.
