Daily Darts Friday December 22: MVG Returns to the Oche

It’s the last weekday before Christmas so there will be a party atmosphere at the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace on Friday. The schedulers have therefore given us a packed day, starting at 12.45 pm and ending in the late evening with the return of defending champion Michael Van Gerwen.

There’s a lot to get through so let’s see if we can find any value from Friday’s picks.

Kicking Off

The day starts with a tie between Gerwyn Price and Ian White which provides us with one of the tightest result betting markets so far. Price starts as favourite and can be backed at best odds of 4/5 with MarathonBet while marginal outsider White is on offer at a top price of 6/5 with William Hill.

Both men had relatively easy passages into the second round and the result could be even closer than the odds suggest. We favour White but will move on and tip elsewhere.

Next up is the match between Vincent Van Der Voort and Steve Beaton and once again this is relatively tight with Dutch Master Van Der Voort ahead at a best of 8/11 with Sun Bets to win it. Van Der Voort is one of the ‘giant killers’ to have progressed to round two having whitewashed Dave Chisnall while Beaton, priced at 5/4 with MarathonBet, came through 3-1 in a game against William O’Connor that featured low averages for both men.

We’re with Van Der Voort for this one so a small profit is available at those 8/11 odds.

Moving Through the Card

Michael Van Gerwen

The next two games from Friday’s schedule both hold some potential for a shock, starting with the last match of the afternoon session between Jan Dekker and Dimitri van den Bergh. Dekker is another man to have upset the odds in the first round as he despatched his Dutch counterpart Jelle Klaasen and he looks good here as the outside punt.

Van den Bergh took out Stephen Bunting in the last round and starts as favourite at best odds of 7/11 with MarathonBet but we’ll be considering Dekker as a confirmed tip at 7/5 – also with MarathonBet.

However, we should also take a look at Robert Thornton in the first game of the evening session. He’s been a quarter finalist in this event on two separate occasions and while the last of those appearances came in 2008, he remains a danger to any opponent.

On Friday evening, Thornton takes on Mensur Suljovic and looks good to us as the outside punt at a top price of 31/11 with MarathonBet. Suljovic is the favourite at a best of 1/3 with Paddy Power and SkyBet but like many favoured players who have already been beaten this year, he is talented yet vulnerable. We’re at the best of seven now so shocks may become rarer but Thornton remains our first confirmed tip of the day.

Giants

Mensur Suljovic

Finishing off the evening we have two giants of the game and the two men who head the betting markets to win the PDC World Championship outright. Both Gary Anderson and Michael Van Gerwen have very short prices to win their respective games but there are plenty of side markets open in the lead up to the first throw.

First up is Anderson who is at a best of 1/25 with Sun Bets and 188Bet to beat the veteran Paul Lim who is way out at 16/1 with Boylesports. Lim provided one of the highlights of the tournament so far as he took out Mark Webster in the last round but this is likely to be as far as he goes.

Therefore, the side bets to look at include Anderson to win 4-1 in the correct score market which is at best odds of 11/4 with SkyBet and Sun Bets. However, Lim was remarkable in that previous win but had some nervous finishes on the doubles and The Flying Scotsman Anderson will provide a much stiffer test. Anderson to win 4-0 is the tip at a top price of 10/11 with BetBright.

We finish proceedings with Michael van Gerwen against James Wilson and once again, there seems little point in getting involved with the result betting. MVG is a short best price of 1/25 with Sun Bets and BetBright with Wilson out at 16/1 with Boylesports.

Mighty Mike should breeze through but could it be time for a nine-darter? SkyBet are offering 16/1 on Van Gerwen to hit one and that is tempting us as a long shot. However, we’ll finish with the correct score again and MVG to win 4-1 which is at 5/2 with Sun Bets.

Best Bets:

• Robert Thornton to beat Mensur Suljovic at 31/11 with MarathonBet
• Gary Anderson to beat Paul Lim 4-0 at 10/11 with BetBright
• Michael Van Gerwen to beat James Wilson 4-1 at 5/2 with Sun Bets