Fat

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"Going fat" is one of the smartest plays in darts, but it takes experience and self-awareness to know when to use it. Fat refers to the large single-scoring area of a number — the big wedge between the treble ring and the outer bull, or between the treble ring and the double ring. It's the biggest target area for any given number. You "go fat" when you need a specific single score to set up a checkout. For example, if you're on 81, you might want single 19 to leave 62 (a two-dart checkout via T10, D16). Instead of aiming at treble 19 and risking a miss into a neighboring number, you deliberately aim for the fat 19 — the large single area where you're virtually guaranteed to hit 19. This is percentage darts at its finest. It's not glamorous, it won't make the highlight reel, but it wins games. The difference between a player who goes fat when needed and one who always guns for trebles is often the difference between a consistent winner and a flashy loser. Going fat is also crucial in "covering" scenarios. If you're on 32 (D16) and your first dart misses into S16, leaving 16 (D8), that's fine — you had a built-in cover. But if you'd hit S8 instead (leaving 24, D12), you might wish you'd gone fat 16 instead of aiming at the double. The key insight: the best darts players know when to be aggressive and when to be conservative. Going fat is conservative, controlled play that maximizes your chances of leaving a finish. It's unglamorous but effective.