How To Hustle, And Play Darts For Money

In the movie The Color of Money there is a line of dialogue that is understated, but it is the most important line when it comes to playing for money. As Fast Eddie, Vincent, and Carmen are about to hit the road hustling their way to a big 9-ball tournament in Atlantic City, Fast Eddie says, “The real money is in the practice room….” Truer words have also never been spoken about the game of darts.

While hustling, and 'playing for money' may seem synonymous they are not; nor do either need to have a negative connotation. Both can be used as tool to teach yourself, and others how to guide your personal brand, level the playing field, and separate the ethical from the unjust.

Any touring professional will tell you. Playing this game “professionally” is a grind. Lots of travel, and lots of personal sacrifice. Making money in this game is not like earning a weekly paycheck. The purses and trophies don’t pay the rent; it is even more dire in North America. Earning a living playing the game is incredibly trying, even among the world’s best.

The PDC Order of Merit; the running two-year money list, tells you all you need to know about how many players should quit their day jobs. As of the writing of this article, players hovering around the ranking of 64 (what is needed to maintain a tour card) have amassed about £58,750 (~$72,532) over two years. And the cost of earning that money is high, especially for North Americans.

This is a fair argument. How else are players to be judged and ranked other than winnings? The only money counted though is PDC tournament money. The extra irony is, there are some tournaments for a select few that can earn winnings that don't count towards ranking points (World Cup, World Series events, The Premier League).

Playing for money as opposed to entering a tournament for a purse is a little different. Money is a great equalizer in many walks of life, but it is also a great differentiator. Having actual skin in the game can add pressure for some, and motivation for others. I want to make an important distinction here — gambling is different than betting on oneself. Gambling is defined as: "Playing games of chance for money", or "Taking risky action in hopes of a desired result." Darts is a game of skill. In life, we take calculated risks everyday, it is healthy and important to do. Putting money on someone else is different than putting money on yourself. Betting on oneself is calculation of the confidence you have in your skill to negotiate life's hurdles. Darts is just one of those hurdles.

I do not like playing for money. In fact, I advise players that their money would be better spent if properly invested in their game. The joy I get from teaching the game far outweighs any financial gain I would get by beating up on a player. I would rather charge for my time, and teach someone how to compete on my level or higher. For the most part, playing for money is way too adversarial to build healthy teacher/student relationships. Make no mistake, while I don't like it, and I always try to provide an instigator, an out from losing money hastily, I am not against it. In looking to avoid it, if you look to throw off nature’s balance, if you talk out of turn, or disrespect the hard work and sacrifice that has been put in, I, and many others will look to reset the ecosystem with your ego and wallet. Here are a few ways playing for money is done so that you can learn something and make informed decisions.

Best of 3 for $1:

This is a great for anyone to play for money. When longtime friend/teammate Paul Burns, a New York City darts mainstay and benefactor, first introduced me to this I thought it was silly. He thought it was too, when it was first shown to him, but it is awesome.

He said, “It might not be for much, but it’s for something, and you don’t want to lose it.” He was right. Best of 3, 501 for $1 is a great way practice with a friend so that no one goes broke, there are no hard feelings, and you enhance your focus. The worst that happens over the course of a practice session is that those $1 bills add up to a few beers for a buddy. The best is, you learn how to play the game with “something” on the line.

HEADS-UP PER LEG:

Late night at the right bar or after an LOD or local tournament you will find plenty of players high on life with money to flaunt. Most of the time it is small stakes that can spiral with double-or-nothing bets. This is where lots of people get involved for money. I often observe it as a fly on the wall.  Isn't it funny how everyone has a higher view of their game past midnight while getting their drink-on? These games seldom come the way of decidedly stronger players. That is chum in the water for sharks.

If anyone does come my way while pleasantly sauced, I try to convince such players that my waters are too cold and deep for them to swim in. I usually say something like, “Text me tomorrow in a sober moment, and apologize for swimming in my ocean rent free.” They normally have a moment of clarity and we share a laugh. If they get pissed, and ratchet it up aggressively, it's game on.

Challenge Match:

These don’t happen often although the soft tip community has recently found ways to stream remote money matches. They generally happen when two players are talking smack to each other through third parties over drunken evenings. 501 best of 31, alternating the throw is the best way for each party to put their money where their mouth is.

The stakes are really a matter of choice, but if you want the talking to stop, $1,000 is the way to go. These matches should happen at a date planned in the future, not only so that players have some time to prepare, but also so that the match can be made an attraction for the community, and perhaps draw some stake-horses and the inevitable "action". When all is said and done, the talk will stop, a handshake will be had and the ecosystem will be reset.

The Straight Hustle:

This takes skill and not just at darts. This should be approached with honesty and dignity in order to have self-respect, keep your place in the community, and to not get your ass kicked. Here are a few guidelines should you find yourself giving/getting a proposition:

1. Don’t Misrepresent Yourself.

I recently walked into a darts bar with only two darts players present. I did not recognize them. In the midst of their conversation the more confident player was telling the lesser player, “If I don’t know a player when he walks in, I assume I’m better than he is.” I smirked, but said nothing. He turned to me and said, “Wouldn’t you agree?” I politely said, ”I don’t know if that’s the wisest approach.” He cockily laughed at me. So I provocatively said, “You don’t know me, and I don’t think you wanna do this.” He paused, looked me up and down, and introduced himself, to which I introduced myself honestly as Dax. His demeanor changed right away, and then he looked back at his friend and said, “Except for this guy”. He knew my name, and bought me a drink for not taking advantage of the situation. I accepted the drink and we had a great conversation. Had he not known my name, and still had that attitude, I would have turned his pockets inside out, but I would not have mislead him with a fake name to do so.

2. BE THE ANTAGONIST. 

That doesn’t mean to be the instigator, it means being confident if the opportunity comes your way. I have a few lines that are honest, deferential and quite boastful. In repetitively trying to talk players out of playing for money, I have closed with, “Ok, but just so you know, I’m really, REALLY good”. I don’t feel bad because I haven’t lied, yet I have said it in such a way that tries to oversell a level of competence. When players just can’t take "no" for an answer, especially for higher stakes I have said; “Why don’t you just hand me half of the money now, put the other half back in your pocket, I’ll buy you a beer, and you’ll make out ahead, by us NOT playing.”

3. RAISE THE STAKES.

If you are willing to call, be willing to raise. Some common poker strategy is very helpful when betting on yourself. If someone comes your way as an instigator of a money game you need to quickly assess if you think you are the stronger player. If you are confident you are, you need to raise the stakes.

Years back, I was taking part in an exhibition/practice with 3 other national shooters. After beating one of them handily in a best of 11 he said, "Nice match. Let's do that again for $100." Without hesitation I said, "My wife is waiting for me. If I'm going to make her wait more, let's make it $1,000". He walked away from it dumbfounded, and I'm glad he did. I didn't want him to come at me with a proposition. I thought we were having an awesome and mutually beneficial session. I think he was bothered that I wasn't as known of a quantity. So be it, I let him know what I was ready to do. Raising the stakes puts you in the driver’s seat, makes them question themselves and also gives them an opportunity to respectfully bow out.

4. LEAVE YOUR DARTS/SWAG AT HOME.

This is for when you are somewhere randomly that happens to have a dartboard. Just like Fast Eddie Felson tells Vincent to ‘leave the ballabushka’ (the cue stick). While I always have a set of darts on me, you can’t roll up on some heady drunks having fun with your gear and hope to hustle. If you can do it with brass house darts or three different tungsten darts, you will find yourself a money game. You need to blend in with people who DON'T play darts, not the people who do.

Exhibitions: 

“Playing” for money in this fashion is not an option for everyone. This is for a select group of professionals. They are playing the way a musician would play a guitar. They are not necessarily competing. They are performing. Just like with musicians, there are many more people who can strum a guitar than there are those that you would pay to see perform. Exhibitions are much more symbiotic than you would think. For you, the participant, it is an awesome forum to share the oche with a pro; how else would you get such an experience? In a weird way, you are paying to play, but you are paying for a unique experience, one in which you are sure to learn something. Exhibitions are about fun. Pros are not there to be hyper focused on throwing 12-darters against every player they face. There are trick shots, creative chalking, some playful smack talk and laughs. They are also not hoping to come up in front of every best local player to demoralize them. It is a night of fun, to hope to get a picture and ask some questions.

For players who can fetch a fee, it is a great opportunity to earn. It is not just about being good though. There is an intangible needed; a different gear. In speaking with Devon Petersen on the topic, he expanded on it further. “You have the responsibility to entertain the people. It is not about you. It is about them. You are there to show why you have pro status, you do that by putting on a show for them. Taking the money and leaving is the wrong approach. There are some that do that and it hurts their brand. There is an opportunity to make a connection.” It is not an easy thing to do for all high level players. It is not a competitive mindset, which all top level players must access and live in to stay tight. Down shifting from that gear to a more playful, gregarious one, is tricky.

The Illicit Con: 

This is something I can’t get behind. This is when you lie about what your name is, and/or have others involved in a confidence game, and/or when extra curricular side bets are in play. There are simply too many moving pieces. Understand this, there is always someone working opposite angles, and if you don’t know all the money in play, eventually you will get taken for a ride or get into a fight in a bar that you can’t properly fight your way out of. I have had players from out of town call me and say, "I’ll be in NYC next weekend, meet me and let's 'work over' some players." While I can appreciate the craftiness, I simply refuse to get involved in an underhanded approach where I am asked to "not know" who a certain player is. The lack of sincerity just doesn't work for me.

Know Your Enemy:

There are apocalyptic players out there that are not to be trifled with. While our interconnected world keeps all regions of active players connected in one regard or another, there are players of yesteryear or players who only throw in their basements who turn up on occasion and blast. Players, that if they had the time/convenience/desire they would be the top player in your league/town/state, without much effort. They are scary good. Every now and then, they emerge and it behooves you to know who they are, and to be respectful, or by the end of the night you might be broke and saying, “Who the F was that guy?!”

A Lesson Only Learned One Way:

There has to be a first time if there is to be a second or a third. Playing for money has to start somewhere if you ever want to be able to do it. Eventually you have to jump into those deep and dark waters. Years ago, when I was figuring out how good I was, I taught myself this (necessary) lesson. I was getting quite good but needed to prove it to others. An accomplished national player was sitting in a quiet darts bar in New York City. He was known for only getting off of his bar stool for money games. I was the only one throwing and he could care less about getting up to simply throw for fun. I went up to him willing to pay, but unsure if I could win. I put $100 dollar bill on the bar in front of him and said, "Best of 11". He got up without hesitation and made his way to the board.

When it was over he had bested me 6-5, and I did not have a match dart, but I got to learn what it felt like to play for money. If you have never done it, it does feel different. The energy, the nerves, the focus. It was an experience that literally had to be paid for to feel; after all, those feelings were directly related to the fact that money was on the line. He said, "I didn't think you were that good." His response alone I would have paid for. It was complimentary, but more importantly it indirectly told me of the confidence he had in playing me (anyone) for money. Had he thought it could have gotten that close from the onset, he might not have actually accepted. I certainly hadn't approached him that confidently. I had paid for a valuable experience, and gotten it, but vowed the next time I played for money it would be with the supreme confidence needed. Unfortunately, there is no other way to simulate the experience of putting your own money on the line. You simply need to be willing to pay for, and soak up the experience; to come out on the other side to see if you have forged yourself into a tougher, more resilient darts player. Only you can decide if and when that experience is to be had.

When you bet on yourself, you need to be completely sure of one of two things: Either you can afford to lose (and pay forthwith) for the sake of learning something, or you are confident you are going to win. If you can learn to look at either result as gaining something, a fair argument can be made that you win no matter what.

Respectfully,

Dax

Dr. Manhattan