In the latest edition of his new 'Stat of the Week' column, PDC Stats Analyst Christopher Kempf outlines the most accurate treble 19 hitters in world darts, with two of the sport's most decorated stars leading the way...
The biggest innovation in strategy in darts since the 1980's is the use of T19 as an alternative scoring target and as a means to reach a certain set-up target.
The 2024 Premier League is on track to have the highest number of treble 19 attempts per leg in the history of the tournament, nearly doubling the rate at which treble 19 was used in the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
Players are also becoming more accurate on this treble, too. This trend was in evidence just last week, when, in averaging 110, Michael van Gerwen scored 57 16 out of 23 times - the most accurate anyone has ever been in a Premier League match on treble 19 with more than 20 attempts.
The trend also is likely to accelerate in the future; the Premier League player with the second-most treble 19 attempts per leg is 17-year-old Luke Littler, while the player with the fewest is 54-year-old Peter Wright.
Switching has been the cornerstone of Van Gerwen's strategy for his entire career, and he is renowed for both his accuracy and his willingness to switch.
Only a handful of PDC Tour Card holders switch to treble 19 more often than he, or with greater accuracy.
However, Van Gerwen's old rival Gary Anderson - enjoying some of the most productive years of his career on the Players Championship circuit - has consistently outscored Van Gerwen on the treble 19 switch.
In each of his three matches at the 2024 World Championship, Anderson attempted barely more than one treble 19 for every 10 treble 20s, but was more accurate on the former.
Players' performance styles and strategies are loath to change after decades of tournaments, but Anderson can be assured that, if he were to feel compelled to use the green trebles more often, it would benefit him.
The presence of many young and continental players in the top ten further suggests the shifting balance of power away from England and Phil Taylor's regular opponents of the 2000s and 2010s.
There is nothing to suggest that a player without Gary Anderson's switching accuracy can start throwing at treble 19 with every dart and see his game improve - by far the most frequent switcher active in professional darts is world number 69 Keegan Brown.
But to some extent every player in darts knows that the treble 20 bed will at some point become obscured by the first dart - at which point the best possible score is not 140 but 134, not 180 but 174 - and is building the treble 19 switch into their game.
The parameters: 2023 and 2024 seasons, minimum of 100 stage/streamed attempts.
The caveats: Data only available for TV, Euro Tour and streamed PC matches. Almost all switches involve a first dart at treble 20, but 1.8% of the switches summarized here are from other targets, especially the bullseye and treble 18.