Leagues / Start Here
New to League Play? Start Here.
Everything you need to know before your first league night — how leagues work, what they cost, and why players who join tend to stay for years.
League Basics
What is a dart league?
A league is a collection of teams organized to compete against each other at a set location.
What is a team, and how is one organized?
A team has 2 or 4 players who play once weekly in an organized league. One person, designated as the captain, recruits and organizes the team.
When are league seasons?
There are three seasons lasting approximately 12 to 14 weeks:
- Fall: September – December
- Winter: January – April
- Spring: May – August
How long do matches last, and what nights are leagues?
League matches typically begin at 7:00 or 7:30 pm and end by 9:00 or 9:30 pm. Organized leagues play five nights weekly, Sunday through Thursday.
- Traveling leagues have set nights of play to make scheduling with other area locations easier. You play at your home bar half the time and travel within a 30-mile radius the other weeks.
- In-house leagues are the traditional team league: everyone plays together at the same bar, on the same boards, every match.
- Remote leagues are played from your home bar on a Dean Vending G3 Bullshooter board, which connects you to opponents playing on G3 boards at other Dean Vending locations. You still show up at your bar every week — the other team shows up at theirs.
What league formats are offered?
The most popular games today are Cricket and '01. Leagues include:
- 1-Person Singles 501 DIDO / Cricket
- 2-Person Cricket (Open, Women's and Mixed)
- 2-Person Cricket/01 (Open, Women's and Mixed)
- 4-Person Cricket (Open, Women's and Mixed)
- 4-Person 01 (Open, Women's and Mixed)
- 4-Person Combo Cricket/01 (Open, Women's and Mixed)
Players choose between Cricket and '01 based on preference and which tournaments they want to qualify for — and between Open, Women's or Mixed competition.
How are skill levels handled?
Teams are assigned to a skill bracket based on known ability — previous league play or your own stated level. Brackets run A, B, C, D ("A" most skilled, "D" beginner), so you compete against teams like yours.
What is Cricket? What is '01?
Cricket: get three marks on each of seven numbers (20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15 and Bullseye) before your opponent. Extra marks beyond three score points — to win, close all seven numbers and be ahead on points.
'01 (301/501): each player starts with 301 or 501 points and races backwards to zero — but you must hit zero exactly to win.
Costs & Prize Fund
What does it cost?
Each player pays weekly dues of $3.00 or $4.00 (set by each league) toward the Player Prize Fund, plus quarters in the dart machine for game play:
| Format | Machine play per person / night |
|---|---|
| 2-Person Cricket | $6.00 in quarters |
| 2-Person Cricket/01 | $7.50 in quarters |
| 4-Person Cricket | $3.00 in quarters |
| 4-Person 01 | $3.00 in quarters |
What is the Player Prize Fund?
The Player Prize Fund is paid based on each team's wins — and players receive 100% of it back: 75% in cash prizes, with the remaining 25% applied toward the banquet and tournament expenses. Dean Vending does not charge dart players administrative fees.
What is sanctioning?
Sanctioning runs September 1st through August 31st and comes from two sources:
- State sanctioning ($6.00/player per year) lets you play organized state competition — MOMA (January), MTA (March/April) and the 7-State Invitational (November/December).
- N.D.A. — National Dart Association ($7.00/player per year) opens national tournaments, plus the bi-monthly "Throw Lines" magazine.
Why play in a Dean Vending league?
- You qualify for more tournaments by playing in our leagues.
- Your league receives 100% of weekly dues back as prize money, paid on wins.
- Standings are emailed to players weekly and published on this site.
- No administrative fees for dart players.
- The most up-to-date communication on all tournament events.
Join a League
Sign up in the player app — that's where you pick a league night, register for tournaments and keep your stats. Create your account, then register for whatever's open. New to leagues? Every skill level plays, and the league office places you on a board.
Questions first? Email ted@deanvending.com.