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February1February 1, 2019

2019 PDC Darts Masters Betting Tips As The New Season Begins

The new PDC darts season gets underway this weekend in Milton Keynes with the 2019 Darts Masters at The Marshall Arena. Last season’s winner – and indeed the winner of the previous four Masters events – Michael van Gerwen is once again the favourite. His main challenger, Gary Anderson, who is the only other player in the top half of the draw to make the quarter-finals at the Ally Pally, has withdrawn due to a back injury.

However, 15 other big names from the PDC world will be on show, including Stephen Bunting, who replaces The Flying Scotsman.

Quick glance of the 2019 PDC Darts Masters

Venue: The Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes
Dates: Friday, February 1 to Sunday, February 3
Prize Money: Winner £60,000, Runner-Up £25,000, Semi-Finalists £17,500, Quarter-Finalists £10,000, First Round Losers £5,000
Format: First Round – Best of 19 legs, Quarter-Finals – Best of 19 legs, Semi-Finals – Best of 21 legs, Final – Best of 21 legs
Current Champion: Michael van Gerwen
Where To Watch: ITV4

Previewing the 2019 PDC Darts Masters matchups

This year, Mighty Mike goes into the event as World Champion, having won at the Alexandra Palace back on New Year’s Day. His rivals will be all too aware of his preference for the Masters’ longer style format, with the first round being best of 19. It is also true that he always starts the season strong, having refreshed himself over the January break and it usually shows by the time the world’s best head to Milton Keynes. Indeed, in 11 of his last 12 Masters matches, MVG has posted averages of 100 or more.

Mighty Mike opens up against sixteenth seed Jonny Clayton on Friday night. Welshman Clayton beat MVG in a Grand Slam of Darts group match last year and also came close in the quarter-finals. Given that match, who’s to say he’s not capable of winning here? Given his 125/1 price at Betway, he might be worth a small each way flutter. Also in the top half of the draw are Mensur Suljovic, who goes head to head with Simon Whitlock, Daryl Gurney will take on Dave Chisnall and Anderson’s stand-in, Stephen Bunting will face 13th seed Darren Webster.

Daryl Gurney is another who knows what it takes to beat MVG, having done exactly that at the Players Championship Finals. A poor World Championship display should inspire him to show his best again, especially with the Premier League campaign coming up on the horizon. In the absence of Gary Anderson, Gurney and his opponent Dave Chisnall might both be looking ahead to the semi-finals already.

In the bottom half of the draw, things are equally as competitive. Second seed Rob Cross begins his campaign as the solid favourite against Joe Cullen, while the ever (un)popular Gerwyn Price takes on the game’s other pantomime villain, one James ‘The Machine’ Wade. Sixth seed Michael ‘Bully Boy’ Smith faces Ian White in his opener, while Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright will need to improve drastically if he is to make it past first-round opponent Adrian ‘Jackpot’ Lewis.

Peter Wright is the biggest name in this side of the draw, having a great deal more to prove than most after suffering a horrible 2018. His season came to an abrupt end at The Ally Pally where he fell at the first hurdle to distant outsider, Spain’s Toni Alcinas. During 2018, Wright only collected three titles, pitiful given his standing as world number two for the majority of the year. The year came after a strong 2018 where Snakebite picked up eleven titles including the UK Open. However, last year he did reach the finals of both the World Grand Prix and Champions League Darts, so there were fleeting moments of hope for the Scotsman, including his impressive if unexcepted demolition of MVG in the semi-final of the Champions League.

Wright has a tough start against two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis, who is slowly returning to form after a poor couple of seasons himself. Jackpot made the last 16 at the World Championships before coming up against MVG and could easily dismiss Peter Wright at the Darts Masters. Should Wright progress, he could face Ally Pally runner-up Michael Smith, who is now playing like an unofficial member of the top three, which is why his Betway price of 7/1 looks like a bargain worth taking. The St Helens thrower is second favourite ahead of Rob Cross, although he is outperforming Voltage massively as evidenced by his numerous ton plus averages at the World’s last month.

Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price, who was hit with a £21,500 fine plus a suspended sentence for his behaviour during his Grand Slam of Darts match against Gary Anderson, takes on James Wade. The English darter will also feel the boos rain down on him following his horrible attitude against Seigo Asada in North London. While neither are fancied to walk away with the season’s first trophy on Sunday, this match will provide an early season indicator on who this year’s public enemy number one will be.

2019 PDC Darts Masters betting lines

The following OUTRIGHT victory prices are all available at Betway.

(4/7) Michael van Gerwen v Jonny Clayton (125/1)
(20/1) Mensur Suljovic v Simon Whitlock (66/1)
(28/1) Daryl Gurney v Dave Chisnall (33/1)
(66/1) Stephen Bunting v Darren Webster (100/1)
(9/1) Rob Cross v Joe Cullen (50/1)
(28/1) Gerwyn Price v James Wade (28/1)
(7/1) Michael Smith v Ian White (66/1)
(12/1) Peter Wright v Adrian Lewis (20/1)

January19January 19, 2019

Glen Durrant Wins Third BDO World Championship Title In A Row

By Peter FryersIn

Darts Betting Tips

Glen Durrant won his third BDO world title in a row on Sunday but now looks set to deflect to the rival PDC sooner rather than later. Durrant became the first man since legend Eric Bristow, who died last year, to win three straight titles. Bristow, nicknamed the Crafty Cockney, won his three titles over three years ending in 1986 before the PDC was even in existence.

Duzza collected his record-equalling win courtesy of a 7-3 win against two time champion Scott Waites at the Lakeside Club. Mirroring Michael van Gerwen’s PDC victory 13-days earlier, Duzza won the opening leg on Bull, took down 25 legs, hit 25 out of 54 doubles. He won by a 7-3 score line and finished the match on double 16, exactly the same as MVG, who also collected his third World Championship.

Durrant averaged 96 over Waites’s 91 and also landed three more 180s than his rival. Scotty 2 Hotty, who was crowned champion in both 2013 and 2016, took the game to his opponent in the first half of the match, landing his second 160 checkout of the tournament with the scores tied at 3-3. That was as good as it got after he lost the seventh set 3-1 and never really recovered. Waites briefly took the lead in the 10th, in one last attempt to save the match, but a string of missed doubles allowed Durrant to land a 114 checkout to close out the match.

2019 Darts Masters Draw

We’re now just two weeks away from the 2019 PDC season getting underway, which begins with the Darts Masters. Taking place at the MK Arena in Milton Keynes from February 1-3, the Masters is the traditional first event of the season. The event is made up of the top 16 players on the Order of Merit and will be broadcast on ITV4.

Newly restored PDC World Champion Michael van Gerwen is out to win his fifth Masters title in a row and has rightly been installed as the pre-tournament favourite at 10/11 with Betway. He is followed in the betting by 9/2 shot Gary Anderson and Michael Smith at 8/1. Rob Cross is the fourth priced favourite at 10/1, two points cheaper than Peter Wright, which says a lot for the way Wright played last year. The Gentle, Mensur Suljovic is available at 22/1 ahead of James Wade’s 28/1 before Adrian Lewis, Daryl Gurney and Gerwyn Price who are all 33’s with Betway.

Friday February 1

First Round (Best of 19 legs)

Daryl Gurney v Dave Chisnall
Mensur Suljovic v Simon Whitlock
Gary Anderson v Darren Webster
Michael van Gerwen v Jonny Clayton

Saturday February 2

First Round (Best of 19 legs)

Gerwyn Price v James Wade
Rob Cross v Joe Cullen
Michael Smith v Ian White
Peter Wright v Adrian Lewis

Sunday February 3

Quarter Final 1 (Best of 19 legs)
Quarter Final 2 (Best of 19 legs)
Quarter-Final 3 (Best of 19 legs)
Quarter-Final 4 (Best of 19 legs)
Semi-Final 1 (Best of 21 legs)
Semi-Final 2 (Best of 21 legs)
Final (Best of 21 legs)

January12January 12, 2019

2019 BDO World Championships Semi-Final Betting

By Peter FryersIn

Darts Betting Tips

Scott Waites will face Germany’s Michael Unterbuchner in the first of Saturday’s BDO Men’s World Darts Championship semi-finals at the Lakeside Club after the two-time champion overcame Conan ‘The Barbarian’ Whitehead in Friday’s Quarter Finals. Only one round earlier, Whitehead had eliminated Mark McGeeney but couldn’t rediscover his form once reaching the final eight.

Scotty-2-Hotty, seeking his third Lakeside title, managed to bank an average of over a ton for a 12-dart opening leg. Whitehead then took the second set before moving ahead thanks to a third set victory in which he scored an exceptional 154 checkout. Waites came back, taking out the next three sets as he seized the initiative, with averages of 101, 81 and 68 with momentum swinging his way.

Before long, Waits had moved within one leg of the semi-finals, inspiring Whitehead to give it everything he had and dig out a bullseye followed by double 16 for a 102 finish. This fightback wasn’t to last long, however, as he subsequently missed crucial shots which allowed Waites to collect double 20 and end ‘The Barbarian’s’ comeback setting up a meeting with Michael Unterbuchner in Saturday’s semi-final in the process.

A look ahead to the Semi-Finals

For the second year in a row, Unterbuchner, who Betway have priced at 11/2 for the outright win, reached the Lakeside semi-finals after fighting back to defeat the 13th seeded Dutchman Willem Mandigers 5-4. In truth, Unterbuchner looked like he would be heading out after he found himself trailing 3-1 early on. Instead, he showed great character as he took out a vital 104 finish to get back into the match and ensure this exhilarating quarter-final went the distance. Mandigers, who was playing in his first Lakeside quarter-final following his surprise victory over Wesley Harms, hit the highest checkout of the match with 158. It was not quite enough as his opponent averaged 88.35 overall compared to his 86.66 to make the last four.

Friday’s late session saw victories for Glen Durrant and Jim Williams who won 5-2 and 3-5, respectively. The pair will now meet later today with Durrant seeking a record-equalling third successive Lakeside title after seeing off Kyle McKinstry to book his semi-final spot.

4/6 favourite ‘Duzza’ is bidding to become the first man since Eric Bristow in 1984-86 to lift the trophy three years in a row but fell behind early on as McKinstry took the first set. Duzza soon found a way to flip the score in his favour however to move 2-1 ahead. Things remained close until the seventh set, which Durrant claimed with a checkout of 85 to finish the match.

Duzza will now meet 11/2 shot Jim Williams in a repeat of last year’s quarter-final after the Welshman saw off Scott Mitchell in Friday’s other quarter-final. Williams has won five titles on the BDO circuit since his defeat here last year and is a decent 11/2 at Betway to take the trophy home on Sunday. The final takes place on Sunday at 19.00 (GMT) with live coverage available on both BT Sport and Channel 4.