Why is the centre of a dartboard called the bullseye?
A dartboard layout generally follows the pattern of any other target with ever smaller circles within circles. The final circle in the centre of any target board is called the bullseye.
There are two thoughts behind naming the smallest circle in a target – in our case the dartboard – the bullseye.
The term originated around the 1880’s during shooting competitions in England.
- The bullseye in the middle of the target (of the times) did actually look like the eye of a bull.
- The bullseye was named after a five shilling coin which was the same size and had already been popularly named a Bullseye.
So whichever background story you prefer, the centre of our target, the bullseye of our dartboard, is named because it is either similar to a bullseye or the same size as something that was called the bullseye already.
FAQ’s
While we’re here let’s look at some other frequently asked questions about the bullseye on a dartboard.
What are 3 Bullseyes in darts called?
If you managed to get all three darts in one throw in turn to hit the bullseye then it is called getting a hat-trick.
This is no mean feat given the size of the bullseye on a dartboard (only 1.27cm / 0.5 inches in diameter).
Alan Evans, a welsh dart player from the 70’s and 80’s, was on a tour around Scotland and famously finished games from 150 by hitting 3 bullseyes no fewer than 8 times!
Following this, hitting 3 bullseyes became known as doing the Alan Evans shot
Another interesting fact about Alan Evans was that he once played an exhibition match against Muhammad Ali where he could only score by hitting trebles. Alan won the game by hitting bullseye to finish and was able to call himself Darts Champion of the World.
How many points is a bullseye in darts?
A bullseye is worth 50 points. See our post on How Many Points Is A Bullseye Worth In Darts (There Are 2 Bullseyes..) for more details.
Can you finish on a bullseye in darts?
Finishing a game on bullseye is permitted in the rules of darts. But it is a hard way to do it!
What height is the bullseye in darts?
The centre of the bullseye is 5’8” from ground level (173cm).
See our post on How To Hang A Dartboard At The Correct Height to see how easy it is to do this.
There is even a video tutorial in the article.
How to Hit the Bullseye in Darts?
- Get your stance right facing side on to the board.
- Only allow your elbow to pivot as you throw. Everything else stays still.
- Aim as you bring the dart back.
- As you throw make sure you follow through to full arm extension.
- Practice! As it isn’t easy to hit the smallest target on the dartboard.
See our post Guaranteed* to get you throwing darts like a pro! for more details on how to throw accurately.
