Play Like the Pros? Solving the Game of Darts as a Dynamic Zero-Sum Game

The game of darts has enjoyed great growth over the past decade with perception moving from that a pub to is regularly scheduled on prime-time television in many countries such as United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, and Australia, among others. It involves strategic interactions between two players, but date, literature ignored these interactions. In this paper, we formulate solve dynamic zero-sum (ZSG), best our knowledge, are first do so. We also estimate individual skill models using novel data set based matches were played by top 16 professional players world during 2019 season. Using fitted ZSG problem formulation, quantify importance playing strategically—that is, taking into account score strategy one’s opponent—when computing an optimal strategy. For professionals, find strategically results increase win probability just 0.2%–0.6% single leg much 2.2% best-of-31-legs match. Summary Contribution: Dynamic games (ZSGs) considerable interest, they arise applications including sports, management communication networks, interdiction games, heads-up poker—an important topic modern artificial intelligence. study consider darts, which growing increasingly popular around today. it iteratively formulating each player’s best-response stochastic shortest-path (SSP) problem. then SSPs standard programming methods. solving ZSG, able accurately professionals strategically.