Throwing darts requires strategy and technique

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Saturday, June 26, 2010 | 2 a.m.

Alvin Martin spends his days walking the Southern Nevada streets and delivering mail as a postal worker.

He’s an average man in his mid-50s and relatively active in his free time, although not in top physical condition.

That certainly wouldn’t stop him from competing against one of the world’s top players in his sport of choice.

A recreational darts player for more than three decades, Martin’s outing Thursday at CD’s Sports Lounge on Desert Inn Road and Pecos-McLeod with the Southern Nevada Darts Association included playing against Roland Scholten.

Scholten, a veteran thrower from Holland (his moniker is “The Flying Dutchman”) who is one of the Professional Darts Corp.’s most notable performers, practiced for the World Series of Darts Festival, which kicks off today at the Tropicana.

“Only in darts can I come down here and play a guy like Roland,” Martin said. “If I golfed, would I be able to play a round against Tiger Woods?”

Every participant has a different strategy for throwing the 20-gram dart at the board, which is roughly 9 feet from the bull’s-eye to a red line players throw behind in accordance with international regulations.

Throwing requires as much strategy and technique as mastering a free throw in basketball or hitting a curveball in baseball. In darts, there is a correct way to bend your knees and hold your elbow, although the dozen or so throwers on this evening have different styles.

And, you can’t forget about the math.

Each opponent starts with 501 points and works to lower that number to zero with three throws per turn. A dry erase board is next to the target and participants keep a running tally.

“For some, the key (to winning) is more math association and subtraction than dart-throwing,” said Pat Carrigan, the local group’s president.

The association has 40 members and typically has outings twice a week. CD’s Sports Lounge, one of two darts bars in Las Vegas, allows competitors to play for free. There is a $20 annual membership, which covers the league’s fee to be affiliated with the American Darters Association.

The group has several part-time participants who play for the social benefits: meeting new friends, having a few drinks and enjoying time away for the rigors of work.

Take Carrigan, who met his wife, Rose, during a league match 15 years ago. Sharing a passion for darts, they were married 18 months later.

The couple have traveled to England, Canada and throughout the United States competing in and watching darts events. They’ve been part of a group of 10,000 to 15,000 fans assembled for a darts match in England, the size of crowds Scholten often enjoys.

“You can only see the board on a big-screen television,” Pat Carrigan said. “Just being part of that environment, with all of that energy, was something amazing to be at.”

The group’s participants range in background and ability: men and women, older and younger, blue-collar and white-collar workers. The one requirement is you have to be at least 21 to enter the bar.

“It’s just a big challenge to try to beat some of these people who have been playing for years,” said David Flowers, 23.

Saturday nights are blind-draw events, where anyone can pay $5 and be randomly paired against someone in a friendly competition.

You could be paired against Stacy Bromberg, a Summerlin resident who is the nation’s top ranked female player and widely considered one of the world’s best. Bromberg, who has her own signature dart and is funded by sponsors, estimates she has made $500,000 playing darts over the past 20 years.

She often travels to Europe for competitions, but still considers CD’s Sports Lounge her home.

“It’s great camaraderie,” Bromberg said. “I have made some of my closest friends because of darts.”

The activity is often associated with drinking alcohol, which is evident during any outing at CD’s Sports Lounge. The bar is 10 feet from the throwing area, and players often drink and play video poker between games.

“To me, throwing is a job,” said Bromberg, who also works as a substitute teacher. “I don’t have a glass of vodka before I go teach. But that is not the normal point of view in darts.”

It’s what makes the activity so appealing to a player like Martin. Having a beer and tossing darts with some of the world’s top players sure does make for one interesting evening.