How people cheat using the Scolia Home Dart System

A video illustrating the various ways people cheat in Scolia Tournaments using the Scolia Home Dart system.

[@Chelskie-darts]

Well put together pal 👍🏼 cheating is a massive flaw in the darts community hense I refuse to play any online games , I’d rather just play 501 against a bot or against myself

[@TheRealRoof]

when i play online, and i have a bounce out and the scolia registers it as a throw i delete the throw. i'v owned the systemn for nearly a year and have come across 1 cheater, i conseeded the game, thanks for this vid, very informative

[@user-tj7ku1ge5h]

If you cheat on this, your literally just cheating yourself😂

[@golfboy7438]

My question is how do you know someone is cheating and i don't buy just because they hit back to back 140s it means they are cheating , im a 51 average and hit back to back to back 100s last night so at times you can hit the big scores Also not everyone is comfortable having themselves on camera and having their home on camera so thats not a solution either The simplest solution is a camera facing the board like the other websites do for online play On the flip side i dont want to be watching my devices camera like a hawk to see if my opponent is cheating

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

It’s hard to know if someone is cheating or just inconsistent or on a roll. But there are sometimes I look at the tournament bracket and see that it’s 26, 41, 22, 36, 43, all game every game until the end when it’s 140 and a 100+ close out. It’s not definitive but it’s predictable. As far as the camera, there are already three cameras facing the board the players just can’t see them. That’s an easy fix for Scolia to make. The Scolia should also be able to invalidate any dart that enters the board below 10 miles per hour (the average speed is for a thrown dart is 40mph).

[@golfboy7438]

@@DartsFanatics-xp3gs yes didn't think about the speed of the dart hopefully it's something they can implement

[@FirstMM]

@@DartsFanatics-xp3gs Accurately measuring the speed of something travelling at 40mph over a distance of 30cm would require at least 60 frames per second. I am not sure how good their cameras are, but if you have a faster thrower at 50mph then that increases to 75fps. Maybe they could halve the resolution during the throw, and then take a higher resolution shot after each dart hits.

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

@@FirstMM I don’t know that they need to measure the speed accurately. I’m not asking them to tell me the dart entered the board at 41, 49 or 50 MPH. Just ensure the system isn’t registering any darts that are traveling less than say 10 miles per hour when they enter the board.

[@TheDartsPub]

I’ve never used Scolia but I think the only way to make online darts “cheat-proof” (or at least cheat-resistant) is for both players to have a dual-cam setup with real time views of the thrower and the board. Easy to set up with OBS and makes for a better playing experience, IMHO.

[@user-yt5il3yi1z]

Well done beautifully illustrated. 😊 did your mother never tell you " cheats never win".

[@nationofmorons6018]

Yeah, but often by the time they realize that - they hurt and mess up lots of people along the way

[@neildavis6819]

If you cheat your only cheating your self

[@SM0KE_0RIG1NAL]

Cheaters only cheat themselves in darts. I never give a f*ck if the opponent is cheating. I just throw for myself and as practice for my super league and county matches in person. Also you’re incredibly disrespectful to call 40-50 mediocre. I average in the mid to high 80’s and have been beaten by players averaging 10 points less than me. So averages aren’t always the be all and end all.

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

To respond to your comment about it being “incredibly disrespectful to call 40-50 mediocre” there are a lot of great players who average 40-50. I meant mediocre with the dictionary definition meaning “of moderate ability.” When someone averages 40-50 in all their recent games, including the first rounds of the online tournament we are in and then in the final the player’s average jumps to 107 with two one dart double bull finishes including a 161 finish and a 100% checkout rate then something is fishy.

[@birdshenanigans8506]

I'm definitely Subscribing 🤣🤣🤣

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

Thanks! Appreciate you. Make sure you enable notifications so you can be the first to comment.

[@BazzaBeeBenson]

What a horrible 180 call lmao

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

Dart Counter has a better caller. Sometimes with the Scolia, I can’t tell the difference in the call between a 14, a 114, or a 140.

[@Fletchlie]

This is interesting. Never even heard of this system, or any system other than a dartboard and a stick of chalk! 😂 Did this come about because of lockdown or has it been a thing before that?

[@relaxed70]

Don't let this one video sour the Scolia for you. It's a great system.

[@diesuperbohnen7260]

Scolia should just opens tournaments with seperate webcam Where you can der distanzierten between board and Player and this is solved

[@TheDantheman12121]

One outfacing camera world solve the issue

[@relaxed70]

What did Scolia say when you approached them about this?

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

“Unfortunately we are aware of the fact that some players are trying to exploit game mechanics to gain advantage during tournaments. This is why we have established a Code of Conduct for our tournaments and we will continue to make developments and enhancements to provide better experience for our players. If you know about any specific players who you suspect to cheat, please let us know and if possible, send us images or videos that support your claims. Thank you in advance.”

[@paulbrown8771]

Surely the system should be able to detect hands sticking darts in , it has 3 cams ffs lol 😮

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

If one uses short darts and sticks the darts in by hand; the board recognizes that. If one uses some combination of long points, shafts, and stems and holds the darts by the flights, the hand stays outside of the area of detection. This is partly why I suggested the manufacture try to consider speed. The average speed of a thrown dart is 40 MPH, the average speed of a hand placed dart is under 5mph.

[@tommycarter6382]

Not being funny but I average around 52-60 and I regularly hit back to back 140's after scoring 26's or 45's and I all so check out ton plus finishes

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

And I completely understand that sometimes people play inconsistently and those things happen. Are some people going to think you’re cheating? Probably. Can the changes I’m suggesting Scolia take reduce the prevalence of actual cheaters and at the same time reduce the likelihood that people will dismiss your good darts as the performance of a cheater? I really think so. It’s a win win. The fair players will have to deal with less cheaters and be less likely to be falsely accused of cheating.

[@tommycarter6382]

@@DartsFanatics-xp3gs yes but based on your video you're classing me as a cheater. How is a 52-60 average inconsistent it's within 8 points difference. Everybody hits the occasional back to back low scores followed by two back to back big scores. Best thing to do would be to install a camera facing the player not sure why they didn't do that as standard

[@tommycarter6382]

@@DartsFanatics-xp3gs how much of this boils down to you just being a sore loser and not being able to accept a defeat? It darts anybody can beat anybody that's why it's such a great sport. You can't just win every game and if you lose don't look for excuses. Let me give you an example I once played a pub match I started out with a 140 first two darts in the treble the other team all shouted 'no way!' as if they hadn't seen it before. I was on a double in the first leg before my opponent had scored 140 in total in 4 visits and guess what he pepper a few treble 12s and treble 18s with wayward darts and I couldn't hit my double. He hadn't thrown a single straight dart the whole leg and he checks out 60 20 and tops. 2nd leg exactly the same and I lose the match my first 9 average would've been over 100 his would've been about 30 and I lost and I accepted it and enjoyed every minute of it

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

⁠@@tommycarter6382that’s a pub match. It’s in person. You can see it happening live. There is no reason to doubt that the player was cheating in that situation. It was probably quite amusing to watch. Now let me give you a real world example. I paid $1,150 and waited two weeks for a Scolia, so I could play online with other enthusiasts whenever I want. I enter a tournament. I win the first set and move on. No funny business. I win the second set and move on. No issue. While I’m waiting for the next matchup I look at the tournament bracket in real time. I click into it. Look at the players, their three darts averages, their double out percentage, and the number of 180s scored on Scolia. I see one player with a 38 lifetime average. He’s been paired up with two players with 50-60 averages and beaten them 3-1 and 4-0. I click into those games, 26, 41, 11, 45, 30, 140, 180, 68 finish and I see something similar in every game. Total crap darts until the last few throws. Then that player and I get matched up in the finals. It’s first to five games. I watched him hit 9 18s (3 triples), followed by 9 17s, and finally 9 16s and then a perfect close. How does a player with a 38 lifetime average throw 9 triples in 9 darts and why would any decent player be aiming for triple, 18, 17 and 16 in a competitive 501 tournament? That player wasn’t even trying hiding it. At the end of our set he was sitting around 109 average. The issue here isn’t being a sore loser. I lose all the time to fair players and it is what it is. And if someone is an inconsistent player that doesn’t automatically make them a cheater. The issue here is that the company is selling a premium product at a premium price and has the technology to prevent cheating and hasn’t done it. The nice thing about making it harder to cheat? It stops fair players from being falsely accused, it stops sore losers from writing off other player’s performances as cheating, and it stops cheaters from ruining the game.

[@TYTHEOWL]

@@tommycarter6382 Why would they do this & reduce their target audience? I wouldn't play if a camera facing me was forced - not because I cheat, in fact I use both board and oche facing webcams most of the time, however in the morning I occasionally jump up and have a quick game or tournament in my underwear (as weird as that may be), or without a top on, or with kids in the room, etc. things I wouldn't want random people seeing. Further to that, if it's not forced, it's pointless as cheaters wouldn't have to use it. It's a good idea until you think about it more.

[@TheDantheman12121]

If it is possible to chat there will always be issues. Even if no one chats there will be suspicions if some has a random lucky turn

[@MatadorDarts]

I've watched this a couple of times now, I agree that there is a method of cheating but I've played hundreds of games in tournaments on the scolia system and wouldn't say I've ever come across someone that has cheated, nor had any of my community or friends say someone has cheated against them either. As I say, I know it's possible but it's super rare. People should not be put off by this video, which looking at the comments they seem to be

[@mathis_unt]

Always asking opponents to play with cam, but I still love the system anyway

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

I try but there are so many people who speak a different language and the cheaters always say they don't anyway.

[@teejay6063]

Full view, verified by you're opponent before the match.

[@ravey1981]

It's like if you ordered Paul Nicholson from wish....

[@joshBHA]

Who spends 500 quid on a scolia just to cheat?

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

The only way you can get Scolia for 500 quid is with the Flex subscription model ( which requires 500 plus an additional 9-12 quid per month).

[@MrMallum]

Use a webcam setup like they do on the pro darts so you can see the opponent

[@AntmanStrengthFitness]

Idk man I sometimes throw trash then get some back to back 120-140 or hit a 180, potential isn’t always cheating but of course people cheat

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

I agree. Not everyone who plays inconsitently is cheating. However, the implimentation of anti-cheating devices reduce the risk of a fair player being labelled a cheater. It works both ways, anti-cheating mechanisms make it harder to cheat for those that do and make it more clear to everyone else that legitimate players are in fact legitimate.

[@AntmanStrengthFitness]

@@DartsFanatics-xp3gs only immature people or people that can’t handle a loss cheat, I’d say playing older players will likely result in less nonsense

[@tommyroche9142]

You have to be really into darts to spend that amount of money on the system, which makes me wonder why anyone would then cheat. It's as if they have a burning desire to be seen as winners by others, but at the end of the day they are really just losers and they know it. It's a bit sad when you think about it.

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

I agree with you. Some people seem to be good players who are just having bad days and maybe those players just want to protect their rating and statics by winning. Thankfully, I don’t see a lot of cheating in the private online 1v1 matches. I guess there is less incentive to cheat in those.

[@smashyrashy]

If youre cheating just find a new hobby

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

I wish that people would. I don't understand what the incentive is other than bragging about being a top darts player on an app.

[@birdshenanigans8506]

@@DartsFanatics-xp3gs 🤣🤣🤣

[@rizzeerizz8985]

Forget scolia at this ridiculous price just go autodarts it's the same thing but cost peanuts

[@l_m9494]

Do you use it ? I'm curious because I can't find any decent videos about it. I want to know if tht application is as good as scolia like stats and games ect

[@deano5666]

i agree that a board cam would solve 99% of these issues. especially with target bringing one out with the omni. but scolia must provide an addon on that is reasonably priced if its to be on their system. you cant expect people to pay nearly $900 and then expect them to provide their own camera on top of that. scolia needs to act quick because its taking them far to long to come up with solutions.

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

The Scolia platform requires a laptop, smart phone, or tablet to run the system. Every one of those devices already has a camera built in. I just bought a cheap tripod with a laptop mount. Now when I play I put the laptop behind the throwing line instead of on the fireplace mantle (the camera faces the board). The issue is that many users claim they don’t have a webcam.

[@deano5666]

But my issue is why should users have to provide their own when they are already paying a massive amount of money for a system that is already heavily overpriced. Especially when competitors are about to show they can provide them as add ons. How hard can it be for scolia to make an add on bracket and board cam and sell it for a reasonable price online.

[@dazuk1969]

@@DartsFanatics-xp3gs You make a very good point. I can't think of a device that doesn't have a cam on it except super cheap burner phones maybe. That then begs the question, you can afford a 1000+ bucks dart playing system but have no device with a camera on it ??. I don't know the rules playing Scolia darts but there should be a rule that if there is no camera showing you throwing from the play line you can't play competition darts. There is no point playing if you know you are being cheated on. Thanks for letting me know about this.

[@DanishWarriorDartJourney-lh5lx]

So what if they Cheat it is up to Them when you have scolia at Home it is for practice purpose ? So you just need to concetrete on your Own game

[@leicestertyke]

Good video. Needs stamping out.

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

I really like the product. It will get fixed eventually. A mandatory webcam could fix all these issues. For the moment it’s just so frustrating dedicating an hour to a tournament and making it through a few rounds just to be paired up with an obvious cheater close to the end. There is no report a cheater option (although I have emailed Scolia about specific people). Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic darts players on the platform. Not every good player is cheating, but the cheaters undermine everyone’s skills and accomplishments and ruin the tournament experience.

[@deano5666]

@@DartsFanatics-xp3gs a board cam is a must add on for scolia especially when omni is coming out with one.

[@FirstMM]

The problem with darts is that it is entirely normal for bad players to suddenly play well, and great players to suddenly play bad. I have played a lot of games where I was struggling and suddenly hit back to back 140's against them and then just got my double first. I have also been beaten by people who are happy to hit a 45 3-dart average suddenly taking out a weird ton plus checkout from nowhere. I only play live, I don't have a Scolia.

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

I hear you, and in person that “problem” is unfortunate but at least you know your opponent is not cheating and your opponent knows he will not be accused of cheating. Online, however, your opponent maybe cheating or may be falsely accused of cheating. The whole point of the video is to highlight the flaws in this device, so that the manufacturer of this expensive piece of equipment is pressured to make timely modifications to make it harder for people to cheat and by doing so make it less likely that a fair player will be falsely accused of cheating.

[@AllThisOverASliceOfGabagool]

I've taken out big checkouts after a bad run of scores, because I have Dartitis but I occasionally have mine darts where my old self remembers how to play before going back to the new type

[@russchamberlain536]

I have been getting so annoyed with the cheats on the tournaments in scolia they cant group 3 darts together but will hit 142 out and higher. I complained to scolia and think the tournaments should be played with the cameras and not just heat mapped that way you can watch the player throw. I purchased my scolia 3months ago and it's at the point now id rather use my dartscounter app. I dont get why someone would pay £800 to then cheat makes absolutely no sense

[@scab8614]

Every tournamant is a bit of an exaggeration. i'm that avg player and sometimes i stunt. my avg is 40 on the system. But i can produce games of over 50.. So think ppl are overreacting. Ppl don't like to loose so they think the other player is cheating. BUT the real problem solver is indeed an extra camera.

[@stefanw1659]

I agree and also the 40-50 average player having a back to back 140 being a sign. Has happened numerous times. At times one might think I’m checking out like MVG, other times or most of the times it’s like I’m throwing with my feet. So maybe stick to good usable signs to look out for. That wasn’t a good one.

[@scottmarshall4270]

Yeah I was having the leg of my life once and got accused of cheating. I the 40-50 average I don't think much cheating is happening cos if your cheating why you on a 40-50 avg. Really pissed me off as I am a super honest player who will change my t20 to a t1 if that's how it landed. This video is a bad idea as it may increase the cheating now.

[@tiggy3775]

He probably accuses everyone who gets a 180 or a good finish a cheater, this guy wants to eliminate the relaxing game of darts after work i guess.

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

I definitely don’t support accusing people of cheating as being the solution to this problem. I just want players to use the camera that is already built in their device for tournaments or if that’s too intrusive for the casual player for Scolia to make it more difficult for people to stick the darts in the board by hand.

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

I agree that’s an exaggeration. Sometimes I’m out in the first round against an honest player and sometimes the tournament only have six people in it. But on Dart Counter I only play camera matched and I only observed people cheating in twice. The percentage of cheating vs games played was much less.

[@bjorndewinter]

cheaters are gonna cheat regardless of what you do to prevent it. i've played on nakka live with webcams and they still do their thing. so just report and move on.

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

The harder it is to cheat the less cheating there will be. Will it be reduced to zero? No. But, speaking of "reporting" the Scolia doesn't currently have an function in the tournaments that make it easy to report, one has to email the customer service and so far they have not responded to me on those kind of emails.

[@bjorndewinter]

@@DartsFanatics-xp3gs come to think of it. i did play a european competition a few years back that required 2 cams. 1 pointed on the board and 1 pointed @ the player. that was and still is 1 of the few ones i played in where they didnt have cheaters. but that wasnt via scolia tho. but that could be a solution to eliminate most of the cheaters.

[@teejay6063]

You have to be an incredibly pathetic person to want to cheat in a fun, no-money darts game. That's really sad. Whats the point? I never heard of this, and I love concept, but not with corny cheaters.

[@DRneverlucky]

I use a magnetic dartboard 😂😂😂

[@ScarzHD]

You meantioned that you want to be a great darts player, Ok, just playing a online leauge here and there isn't going to do that for you! it's a lot of hard work that goes into being a dart player, i've been playing myself for just over 10 years in Australia, i've got to travel the world playing in the WDF World Cup last year, Wigan Uk in the PDC World Youth Championships, Belguim for a couple of WDF events, New Zealand for a test match. So don't think for a second that just playing online darts is the way to go. Go play in a local league in your area. Put the time in on the board, don't just rely on online darts because as i said, it'll get you nowhere where you want to be in this sport. Now for the Scolia system, I've never used it myself, but i do see some changes that they can make... 1. The first change that i'd make, would be making the cameras that come with the system go live everytime you're playing a online match. 2. The second change that i'd make, would be bringing out a updated version of the current scolia system. Now what i mean by this is, keep all the same features as the original... but add an extra camera either in the top middle of the casing or on the side of the casing. (These cameras will also go live once a Online match starts and it will stop people from cheating, because people don't want to be caught cheating) (Also, when the cameras are live, it sends a live feed to a private stream so support can monitor each match as they're played either live or when they have free time) 3. The third change that i'd make would be, adding a inbuilt Oche lazer that is already set to the correct distance (just for the people that don't want to put either a bit of wood, tape or don't want to buy a Oche. 4. The last change i'd make, would be... making the system a little more affordable, not everyone has the money to throw away on a system that's worth 1000's of dollars, i think a better price for this system would be around the $300-$500 (AUD) mark.

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

Thanks for your comments. To clarify, I don't want to be a professional darts player. I'm 36, I've been playing casually since I was 10. I agree that there are better ways and a more involved process to being a great player. However, systems like Dart Counter, Scolia, and soon the Omni really bring competive darts to another level. I throw more darts now than ever just because its in my living room and there is always an opponent or a tournament avaliable. I also play better darts in competitive enviorments than I do just practicing with nothing at stake. I like your suggestions. The price is too high but atleast the cost barrier of entry means that the people who have committed to the purchase are serious about the game. On Dart Counter its typical to run into a younger crowed of drunk youths, playing on a $15 board with brass darts (that bounce out all the time), and a cell phone camera that falls over during their turn becuase its proped against on a book somewhere.

[@ScarzHD]

@@DartsFanatics-xp3gs Who’s saying that you have to practice with nothing at stake? If you have a few mates that like to have a game of darts, invite them over and play a couple of finishing games like 78, bobs27, 121, double Double (around the world) just don’t get caught up in the 501 trap, constantly playing 501 gets boring and repetitive… but if you are going to play 501 with a few mates, put a couple dollars on the line and at the end of the night or the session the winner takes all… There’s all sorts of practice games around to help you with your game, just from doing the double double game with Simon Whitlock, I went from a 80+ avg to a 85-90+ avg. But as I stated already, there’s a better alternative to just constantly playing online darts, for me I’m not a big fan of the online darts community (due to the fact of all of the cheaters) but I still very much prefer in person matches. Now I say that prefer the in person matches, because I can control my pace, my rhythm, when to approach the oche, read people’s body language etc! What do I mean by i can read my opponents body language, when my opponent throws a 26 or a 45 or any shit score, they’ll almost every time be very slow to move from the oche once their last dart has hit the board and they’re very slow to get back behind the oche once they’ve taken their darts out of the board… in a online match it’s harder to read someone’s body language, unless you’re playing on the WDA (Webcam Darts Association) where you can hear the other person whether they’ve hit a shit score or a good score

[@andybarry5315]

I'd buy one, but not at the current price.. not a chance

[@knutvoberg4236]

Because people can be tempted to cheat at the checkout, especially in close legs, here's a simple rule of thumb: If your opponent's checkout percentage is higher than the average after more than 2 legs, then something could be wrong!

[@klanlezznaobu]

sure 2 legs vs a couple of matches....

[@rubenabeels]

all who watched this shame on you 😅 imagine paying 700-900 euro's just to cheat and be bad at the game

[@brettgas2787]

And you invented nothing

[@tansley3]

Wont be buying this then

[@DartsFanatics-xp3gs]

I hope they are working on fixing it. But the target Omni system is coming out soon and so isn’t the Target Vert cam. Those two might just be worth waiting for.

[@MrSnookerballs]

wear a microphone please