High-end darts tour takes flight in Western Pennsylvania
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In the world of darts, Mike Porterfield is on target.
The Sharon resident, who will celebrate his 32nd birthday Wednesday, is one of the top competitors on the Dart Players Pittsburgh tour which, in its fourth season, provides both seasoned and less experienced throwers the chance to compete in one of the region’s top leagues.
“It started when I saw there was a tournament in Pittsburgh and I wanted to give it a try,” said Porterfield, who has played for 10 years, the last six competitively. “I just love the competitive nature, and I like pushing myself to be the best. It’s just a lot of fun.”
Porterfield is having a lot of fun in 2022 as he held off the competition in four events, from a foundation-setting Q-School tournament in January to regular-season tour stops at Hilltop Bar in Mt. Pleasant, Baltimore House in Pleasant Hills and Sto-Rox American Legion in McKees Rocks.
He is set up as a favorite among the region’s top throwers this weekend at back-to-back tour events: Saturday at Chatterbox Lounge in Carnegie and Sunday at the Sto-Rox American Legion.
“(The 2022 success) kind of surprised me because I don’t throw steel tip (darts) too often,” said Porterfield, who also plays in an in-house league in Masury, Ohio. “I usually throw soft-tip darts. I’ve just been putting in more practice with the steel tip, and it paid off for me. I know the big dogs are coming for me after seeing me pick up those wins.”
The top 16 in points after the regular season’s eight tour events will be invited to the season-ending finals Dec. 10. To be eligible, a thrower must compete and earn points in at least four tour events.
Each tour stop is capped at 40 participants, and tour co-director Bill East said close to 30, from those in their early 20s to those in their 60s, are regulars.
At each event, the brackets see series whittle the competitors down until the remaining two battle it out in a best-of-13 championship match using the familiar 501 counting-down game format.
“One of the nice things we’ve done the last couple of years is we’ve streamed the semifinals and finals matches online, so these players are getting seen all over the United States and such for playing high-quality darts,” East said. “We also use Dart Connect, which is the scorekeeper and the stat and bracket manager. We put the streaming video with what Dart Connect does for an overall experience for those who want to watch what is going on.”
While Porterfield lives in Sharon, north of New Castle in Mercer County, and some league members do travel from places such as Erie or Harrisburg, East said close to 80% are from the Pittsburgh area.
“This has grown every year,” East said. “During the pandemic, we kept it going by doing temperature checks and taking other precautions to make every sure every thrower was as safe as possible.”
At each tour stop, points are awarded ranging from 12 for first place all the way down to a half point for anyone finishing.
With his three victories in the first three events, Porterfield owns 36 points, exactly double that of second-place Gary Kidd from the North Hills of Pittsburgh.
The tour continues with stops Sept. 10 at the Italian Club in Bridgeville, Oct. 8 at Just Jacks in Lower Burrell and Nov. 5 at Rum Monkey’s in Jefferson Hills.
Both East and fellow tour co-director Josh Meyer stressed there still are opportunities available for throwers to join in on one of the remaining tournaments.
“There are a lot of soft-tip leagues, but this is really long-format, pro-style darts just like over in Europe and here nationally,” East said. “I will argue that this Saturday and Sunday, within a six- or 10-hour drive, you won’t find better dart players. All of the best are coming, and they have been or will be successful enough to earn sponsorships. It is where the money and recognition is.”
The winner of the finals in December receives a payout of $1,200 and an invitation to join the national Championship Darts Circuit, North America’s highest level of professional darts featuring longstanding mainstays of the sport, today’s top stars and future championship material.
Second place receives $600, third and fourth each take home $300, and the four other quarterfinalists pocket $200 apiece.
“We’re pretty proud to pay out what we do at the championships,” East said.“They play all year and work hard to put themselves in position for the finals.”
A two-year order of merit within the league, East said, encourages participation and allows for entry in a couple of special events, including June’s Cricket McIntyre Cup, each season.
“If you’re coming to all the events and maybe are not winning them but are doing well, you still will be earning points and ranked a little higher when it comes to those special events,” East said. “It is something very meaningful and important to a lot of members on the tour.”
For additional information on the tour and its various tournament stops, email admin@dartplayerspittsburgh.com or visit dartplayerspittsburgh.com, Facebook.com/DartPlayersPittsburgh and @DPPittdarts on Twitter and Instagram.