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Rules for the American Dart Game of Baseball

Darts is a common game played in many taverns. There are many different variations of the game in the United Kingdom and the United States. One of the most common games played on the American dart board is American Baseball Darts. The game utilizes the dart board a bit differently than British dart games. American Baseball Darts is played in nine innings per game, just like baseball. The American Baseball Dart Association, or ABDA, governs all American Baseball Dart leagues. The organization created the rules for the game and posted them on its website.

Starting the Game
- According to the ABDA, each player shoots nine innings. An inning consists of three darts, and players aim their darts at the numbers on the dart board, starting with the number one during inning one and going all the way up to number nine during inning nine. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins.
Scoring
- The uncolored ring between the red and blue rings around the outer edge of the board gives players triple points if their dart lands there. This varies from the rules of British darts, in which this area only give double points when players hit it.
  
  The red ring next to the unpainted ring offers double points for players who hit it. The blue ring outside the unpainted triple-point ring is out of bounds and brings no points for those who hit it.
  
  The unpainted area from the inner red ring to the center of the board earns players one point.
Shooting Rules
- Players cannot go past the line on the floor when they shoot their darts. If a player steps over the line, he forfeits any points he earned with the shot.
  
  The ABDA also says lunging toward the board during a shot is prohibited. A player may move toward the dart board during a shot as long as her back foot does not touch the floor in front of the line while the dart is still in her hand.
  
  If a dart sticks into another dart that's already on the board, then the player forfeits the points of that dart.
  
  All darts shot in the wrong inning are forfeited, and players may not shoot out of turn.

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