World Championship Darts Betting: Best Pre-Tournament Bets

Joe Short

November 30th, 2018

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Quick Tips:

• Bet ‘The Field’ in Van Gerwen vs The Field – 8/15 with Betway
• Lisa Ashton to beat Jan Dekker in round one – 2/1 with Unibet

The World Championship Darts gets underway on December 13 and there are plenty of opportunities to bet on darts during the tournament.

The Ally Pally will be packed every night for the two-week event as darts’ greatest stars descend on north London.

Michael van Gerwen is the overwhelming favourite to win a third World Championship but stunned the darts betting world last year when losing his semi-final to Phil Taylor.

It proves there are no guarantees at the top level of the sport and 2019 should be no different.

The William Hill World Championship Darts first round draw has been made, throwing up some interesting match-ups and tantalising projected games.

MVG Favourite for Third World Championship Title

Van Gerwen is the 8/5 favourite with Blacktype to win the World Championship Darts and it’s clear to see why he is the favourite.

Almost everything MVG touches turns to gold. He has won three premier championship titles this year plus a hat-full of European crowns.

Yet there are doubts over the Dutchman’s form — and they are justifiable. He is now on a four-tournament barren streak and lost the Players Championship final 11-9 to Daryl Gurney in mid-November.

Confidence in MVG may be waning with some punters, as darts betting fans eye up alternative players at better prices. After all, his odds are usually heavily weighted by his popularity — and that results in less profit on your bet.

But Van Gerwen is always worth considering. He is a class above everyone else and on his day is unbeatable. Whether he can sustain that over two weeks in his current form is questionable. What isn’t, however, is his class.

Ladies Betting at World Championship Darts

There are two women competing at the World Championship Darts this year: Lisa Ashton and Anastasia Dobromyslova. And it’s fair to say both are on top form heading into this competition.

Ashton makes her Worlds debut after winning the UK & Ireland's Women's World Championship qualifier in November. She is a four-time BDO women's champion and a formidable opponent.

Ashton plays Dutchman Jan Dekker in the first round — a player who flitters into the occasional PDC tournament before falling early.

His best result this season was a Players Championship quarter-final in Barnsley back in March. Unibet have Ashton at 2/1 to take the win.

As for Dobromyslova, the 34-year-old is a three-time BDO women’s world champion and has previously played at the Worlds. She won a Rest of the World qualifier to reach the 2019 edition and has a tough first-round opponent in Ryan Joyce.

Now, Joyce’s form has dropped since a consistent run of last-16 displays at tournaments over the summer. But this is his first Worlds and he’s under the spotlight, with additional media interest in Dobromyslova’s inclusion.

That could add unwanted pressure on the 33-year-old and Dobromyslova, who is bang in form, is better than her 5/1 price with 10Bet to get the win.

First Round Upsets?

The top 32 players at the World Championship Darts are seeded, so don’t play the first round. But this is the round we see the very best of global darts.

Players from all over the world qualify for this tournament and will be desperate to show off their talents on the oche.

Remember Paul Lim, the 64-year-old who in June rumbled Rob Cross to win at the World Cup of Darts? The Singapore Slinger is 6/5 to beat Ross Smith with Bet365

Five-time Japan Open champion Seigo Asada is worth considering at his 3/1 price to beat Krzysztof Ratajski. Asada reached the last-64 of the Worlds last year before losing to eventual winner Rob Cross. Ratajski is the favourite but this match should be watched closely.

Devon Peterson reached the last-16 of the Worlds in 2014 and won the Africa qualifier to earn a first-round match with 53-year-old Englishman Wayne Jones. Peterson is a great 6/5 bet to win that match.

And Canada’s North American Championship Winner Jeff Smith has a viable chance of upsetting England’s Josh Payne. The latter failed to make the Worlds last year and has won a sole Players Championship crown in 2018.