Nine-darter

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The nine-darter is darts' equivalent of a hole-in-one, a 147 break in snooker, or a perfect game in bowling — except it might be even harder. Finishing 501 in just nine darts requires three visits of near-perfection. The most common route: 180 (T20, T20, T20), then 180 (T20, T20, T20), then a 141 checkout (T20, T19, D12 or T17, T18, D18). The mathematics of a nine-darter are fascinating. You need to score 501 in exactly nine darts, with the last hitting a double. There are hundreds of possible routes, but they all require either two 180s and a 141 checkout, two 180s and other 141-checkout routes, a 180 and a 177 with a 144 checkout, or variations thereof. The common thread: you need at least five treble 20s, usually six. In professional darts, televised nine-darters are rare enough to make headlines every time. Phil Taylor hit eleven in televised competition. Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, and several others have multiple. Each one triggers a bonus prize and wild celebration. The PDC often offers a major cash bonus for televised nine-darters. For the vast majority of players, a nine-darter is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement — or a never-in-a-lifetime one. But that doesn't diminish the dream. Every time you start a leg with 180, then hit another 180, that whisper starts: "Could this be it?" It probably won't be, but the possibility is what makes those moments magical. Even watching a nine-darter attempt is special. When a player is on 141 after six perfect darts, the crowd goes completely silent, then erupts if the seventh, eighth, and ninth darts all find their targets.