We have compiled a list of the 30 most costly missed match darts in history but which of the star names endured the agony of top spot?
Matches are often lost by the width of a wire. But when those moments happen in a major final or high-stakes tournaments, they can cost players not just titles but huge sums of money.
Even the greatest legends of all time such as Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright have their own “what if” doubles they wish they could go back in time and hit again.
And with Luke Littler set to dominate the future, you can be sure he’ll also have his fair share of unforgettable missed match darts in years to come.
This countdown looks at the biggest pay cheques to ever slip through a player’s fingers in a single moment. It focuses on the modern PDC era, where the rewards are huge but the heartbreak is even bigger.
Hosted by Sporting Life’s Dom Newton, with pundit and former player Paul Nicholson (who features in this list) and darts expert Chris Hammer, this is a fun, insightful and agonising episode unlike anything seen before, featuring iconic highlights, unforgettable near-misses, and jaw-dropping what-ifs.
A countdown that perfectly shows just how financially brutal darts can be — and the fine margins between glory and agony.
Chapters:
- Introduction to the Costly Darts List
- Section One - The £20,000 missed doubles
- Section Two - The £25,000 missed doubles
- Section Three - The £26,000-£40,000 missed doubles
- The Top 10 begins with an Ally Pally meltdown
- Another £50,000 miss
- The £50,000 horror show continues
- A £50,000 Ally Pally classic
- The first of three £60,000 misses
- A huge underdog survives a match dart
- A record title dart missed for £60,000
- A heartbreaking life-changing miss in the BDO
- Even the very best can blow it
- Kissing goodbye to £130,000
- Number one is a dart that cost £150,000
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- How legends would fare today
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- Referees in darts
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- Worst losers in darts
- World number ones in darts
- Best players never to be number one
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- Players everyone hates to face
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- Greatest darts rivalries
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- Phil Taylor's greatest display
- Greatest World Championship displays
- World Cup of Great Darts performances


