The reason 170 darts checkout is called The Big Fish and why stars often swerve it

Luke Littler and fellow competitors often turn down the opportunity of the showbiz shot for two key reasons

Crowd-pleaser Luke Littler surprised his army of fans when he turned down the chance to reel in The Big Fish at Blackpool.

The Nuke is not the first darts star to knock back an opportunity to win a leg with the highest available 170 out-shot.

But why do the top PDC players in the game turn down the chance to win a game when they have a dart in their hand and a target to end the contest?

The shot is commonly known as The Big Fish. Although there is no definitive reason why, most darts fans believe it emanated from popular Sky TV broadcaster Rod Studd, who appeared first to use the phrase during his commentary.

Littler, who dodged a shock Matchplay exit when pushed in the last 16 by Jermaine Wattimena, uses a celebration mimicking holding a rod and reeling in a fish when he hits one, but he and his fellow competitors are also often seen turning down the 170 shot even if they land the first two treble 20s to leave 50 and a crack at the bullseye.

In two situation this will happen. The first is when their opponent does not have a score available to win the leg themselves on their next visit to the board which ensures the player rejecting the chance will get a chance to return and win the leg.

Secondly, a player may also turn the 170 finish down when in position to hit because he or she does not feel their opponent will be capable of hitting their numbered finish on their next visit, meaning they believe they will get another opportunity to come back to he board and win the leg themselves.

The reason for this is simple. The player turning down the 170 finish and using the final dart to leave a specific number does so in the knowledge they will then return to the board with three clear darts at a double, often their favourite.

For example, in that situation, many player will use the third dart to hit a single 18, which leaves 32 points for their return and a shot their preferred double 16 target. Or a player may choose to hit a single 10, leaving them 40 point for their return to the board and a shot at double top.

If attempting to hit the bullseye, a miss is more often than likely to leave a number which will require them to hit a single number with the first dart of their next visit to get to the double figure, which essentially means a the first dart in hand will be not be an opportunity win the leg.

Ironically, although players often take the option not to shoot for the bull finish, stats complied earlier this year by PDC Stats Analyst Christopher Kempf insists hitting the 170 checkout has a positive effect on the subsequent performance.

Kempf’s impressive figures released in March showed that 170 checkouts encourage the players who hit them and demoralise the players against whom they are hit.

The effect is also noticeable in the percentage of legs won by both players before and after the 170. While the 170 hitter wins only 48 per cent of his legs before the 170, he wins 52 per cent afterwards.