[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship I'm running really short on time as I'm off to the cinema so gunna do my bets pretty quickly and briefly so apologies in advance. Richie George vs Jan Dekker- Over 7.5 Sets- 5/6 BetVictor- (4/10) Richie George Over 5.5 180's- Evens Blue Square- (4/10) Richie George (-1.5 180's) vs Jan Dekker- 6/5 Blue Square- (3/10) I can't see anything other than a close battle between these two guys. They've both played out a couple of thrillers on the Lakeside stage in reaching the quarters, as well as playing out a close match between one another in the Zuiderduin Masters. George should score the better of the two but you'd have to say Dekker's finishing is better which should mean this one has some legs on it and is close for the majority meaning we'll see at least 8 sets. George should be doing most of the heavy scoring you feel. Against Hendriks, his scoring was as good as anyone over the past week or so, and he hit 8 maximums in just 6 sets. We should get at least 8 tonight and in that time, it would surprise me if Richie didn't hit at least 6, which is less than a set on average which he should be above. The 180 handicap bets really haven't done me any favours over the past few weeks but the price here is too good to turn down. I've mentioned George's heavy scoring stats, whilst Dekker has managed just the 5 180's in his two matches including 2 in 7 sets against Garry Thompson so it's clear who the heavier scorer of the two are and George looks good value to me to hit at least a couple more maximums than the Dutchman tonight. Scott Waites vs Paul Jennings- Over 7.5 Sets- 5/4 Blue Square- (3/10) Paul Jennings (Most 180's) vs Scott Waites- 15/8 Ladbrokes- (3/10) Highest Checkout Over 130.5- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (3/10) Again can't help but feel this one could have some distance on it as well. Favouring the overs on the sets rather than the Jennings handicap purely because of the price but I do expect both to come through. The slight risk with the sets is if Waites doesn't get 3 sets but I'd be surprised if he didn't really and I think Jennings will to. Waites' results look better than they actually are in truth and they flatter him somewhat. He has been missing quite a few doubles but fortunately for him so have his opponents so far and that as allowed him to win comfortably in the end. Jennings has been finishing well all tournament though and against Jason Cullen he was on fire with his doubles and if he does that tonight, he'll have more than a chance of winning this I think but I think we'll see at least 8 sets regardless of the winner. Jenno has scored well all tournament and is as heavy scorer as any in the BDO ranks really which makes him value to hit more 180's here. He has managed 8 180's so far, whilst Waites has hit just the 6 and Jennings will know he will have to score well tonight if he is to have chances as Waites will score well. A bit like his doubles though, when Jennings hits a hot patch, he can hit a few 180's in as many legs and at this price, I have to have a punt on him to win the 180 battle. Both can hit the combination finishes as they've shown this week so the checkout line looks again low to me. Jennings hit that 144 in the opening game which shows he can nail these finishes and usually Waites hits a couple of decent finishes in his game so expect a decent checkout in this one in all honesty.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Things were going perfectly at one point tonight until Harms suddenly thought he was a 180 machine and rattled them off like they were going out of fashion. He did win though meaning he brought through the quarter bet, as well as keeping the outright going and O'Shea's win meant it was a slightly profitable night, taking me up to +19.27 for the tournament.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship

That still doesn't explain it though. If you're not greedy why not just bet on the match win? Or even a +1.5 handicap? I'm just trying to get some help from you as an expert' date=' why do you favour -1.5?[/quote'] Basically what you find to aim for is the best value (usually highest value) for the 'safest' bet you can find or think is going to happen. Now when I say 'safe', there are no 'safe' bets, only ones which you think are more probable to happen hence the higher stakes. If we take the O'Shea match as an example tonight. Kev clearly thinks O'Shea is going to win but match odds of 1.50 are pretty low, meaning high stakes are required to make a decent profit. The handicap line gives odds closer to the evens mark, which is a way of doubling the stake put down. It also is far 'safer' than the handicap of the (-2.5) or higher lines. Although we think O'Shea may win pretty comfortably, this line gives a little bit more room for error should O'Shea win 5-3 for example. The price may not be as good, but the chance of it coming through substantially increases. Although your argument that the (+1.5) line would have a higher chance of winning, the odds are reflected on this point and you would have to put some a massive stake to get any substantial profit.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Onto the quarter finals then and I'm effectively on Harms to win at 4/1 tonight so hopefully he can make it through to the semis again. Most of my interest comes in that game with a few bets and then 1 in the O'Shea-Green match as well. Darryl Fitton (-2.5 180's) vs Wesley Harms- 5/6 Blue Square- (3.5/10) Wesley Harms Under 4.5 180's- 10/11 Bet365- (4/10) Over 7.5 Sets- 4/5 BetVictor- (4/10) Highest Checkout Over 130.5- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (3/10) Taking a fair few in the opener but all of them do look good to me in all honesty. I hope Harms pulls through in the end but whoever wins, I expect an extremely close encounter. Harms has started both of his previous games pretty slowly in truth before finding his range in the latter stages of matches and he can't really afford to that today as Fitton is going to outscore him for the majority. The thing the Dutchman has to do in hit his doubles and that is where he is the better player. Fitton can score and score and although he's not really showed it so far, his doubles are really streaky and despite hitting them against Stephen Bunting, you'd be a brave man to back him repeating those doubling efforts. They've both had some tight matches already this year on the Lakeside stage and whoever comes out triumphant, I think they will do it no better than 5-3. Like I've said, Fitton will outscore Harms for the majority you fancy and he is by far the most prolific 180 scorer out of the two which makes me think the 2 180 lines are a little misplaced. In the previous round, Fitton hit 6 180's, and 5 in the game before that compared to Harms' 3 in both games. That tells it's own story and Fitton has showed on this stage before that he can make 180 hitting look dead easy, reaching double figures in the past. Wesley Harms has never managed more than 4 maximums at Lakeside, and that included an 11 set thriller against Tony O'Shea last year. We're not getting that many sets tonight so I don't see Harms hitting anymore than 4 maximums, and regardless of how many he does managed, I fancy Fitton to have hit at least 3 more. I have to fancy the overs in the checkout market as well given just how well Harms has finished his combination finishes thus far. In the first round, he hit a 140 finish and against Alan Norris, he hit checkouts of 147 and 150 which shows just how well he is nailing these finishes. This line is set way below any of those 3 finishes, and with the prospect of Fitton landing a decent one as well, I have to favour the overs. Tony O'Shea (-1.5 sets) to beat Robbie Green- Evens Ladbrokes- (4/10) I can't really add much to what has been said already. The H2H speaks for itself here with O'Shea winning on all 4 occasions. Whilst Robbie Green has won both of his matches comfortably, in the latter parts of the match against Scott Mitchell, he was missing a lot of doubles and even his heavy scoring was found wanting. He simply can't afford to do either of those things today as O'Shea will be able to score well you fancy whilst his finishes is far better. In parts, Green will be outscoring Silverback, I think that's a given, but as the match goes on, I expect O'Shea to continue to be the more consistent of the two. On the doubles especially he should be more solid and I think he'll come through this without dropping more than 3 sets and hopefully set up a repeat semi final of 12 months ago against Wesley Harms.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Patchy night for me and I'm fortunate Richie George got me out of a spot of bother to be completely honest. De vos lost though killing that outright amongst other bets so I'm back to +16.27 overall.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Heading back to uni tomorrow so will post my bets now as I might not have time tomorrow. Garry Thompson vs Jan Dekker- Over 7.5 180's- 10/11 BetVictor- (4/10) Think this line looks a little low to me in a match which could have some legs on it. Garry Thompson was really impressive in his opening game against Gary Robson, hitting 5 180's in just 4 sets and averaging a shade under 90 which was one of the best out of everyone in the first round. He is a really dangerous player on his day and his scoring is generally pretty heavy, despite his seemingly throw and hope style. Jan Dekker was fortunate that Jeffrey de Graaf missed a dart at tops for the match but credit to him, his 150 checkout was a little bit equivalent to that of Whitlock's 152 at Ally Pally so you have to give credit to Dekker for that. You feel the Dutchman might just relax a bit now though as that win came out of the blue considering his poor for of late. He is a decent scorer though and can chip away at this line with Thompson. When these two met a couple of years back at Lakeside in the quarter finals, there were 17 180's in total and although this match may not be as close as that match, if either one of these guys can find their range early on, one player could go close to covering the line on their own but with two decent scorers involved, I expect at least 8 maximums in this one. Geert de Vos to beat Scott Waites- 4/1 Ladbrokes- (2/10) Over 22.5 legs- Evens Blue Square- (4/10) De Vos Over 5.5 180's- 11/8 Blue Square- (3/10) Completely agree with Russ here really. I'm already on the Belgian outright but at this price, I feel he is worth a small punt as no way is he this much of an outsider. Fair enough Scott Waites should be favourite but his was fortunate to come through his opening game so easily as Willy van de Wiel missed quite a few doubles and if he hit those, Waites could have found himself in a spot of bother. We all know that Waites has never really performed at Lakeside and if de Vos can put some pressure on him tomorrow he has a chance I feel. He did really well to withstand Tony Eccles in his opener as Eccles was superb in the first set and de Vos did incredibly well to ride the storm there. He scored well throughout and his doubling was pretty solid and a similar performance will give him chances tomorrow. Waites hasn't gone past this stage of the tournament in the past 2 years and I fancy de Vos to trouble, if not beat him tomorrow. Think the overs on the legs looks a decent shout as well. If this was 4-0 either way it would be a major surprise and I wouldn't be surprised to see at least 6 sets if not the whole 7. Both players score pretty well so there should be plenty of holds, and potentially a few 3-2 sets either way so the 23 legs required looks pretty coverable. One final bet I'm taking is for us to see the Belgian hit 6 180's here as the price looks a tad high. He did only hit 3 180's in 4 sets against Tony Eccles but he scored pretty well throughout and had a fair number of 140 scores to his name. At this point last year, he went 180 mad and hit 8 maximums in just 6 sets against Christian Kist which shows how well he can score. He'll know he will have to score well to beat Waites and I think he'll do just that. In a game which could be extremely close, far closer than the odds suggest anyway, I reckon he'll notch up 6 180's here. Paul Jennings (Most 180's) vs Jason Cullen- Evens Ladbrokes- (4/10) Can't really add much to what Russ has pointed out already. Jennings was lethal on hitting the lipstick against Ross Montgomery, hitting 5 in total whilst Cullen only managed 4 in his debut win against Martin Atkins who missed a stack of doubles. Jennings is an extremely heavy scorer on his day and I fancy him to win this comfortably in truth and when he gets going, he scores extremely well. He's been to this stage of the tournament before, unlike Cullen and that should see him the more confident of the two here. Just feel Jennings is the most likely to hit the most 180's here given his Lakeside experience of 12 months ago and heavy scoring game so I'll back him to do just that. Richie George to beat Jimmy Hendriks- 6/5 Boylesports- (4/10) Richie George (Most 180's) vs Jimmy Hendriks- 5/4 BetVictor- (4/10) Quietly like George on both of this markets really. Neither player was exceptional in their first round and both are perhaps a little fortunate to be in the second round as both of their first round opponents missed a ton of doubles. Jimmy Hendriks produced perhaps the biggest upset of the first round in beating Martin Adams but although it may appear as an impressive win, the truth of the matter is that Wolfie missed double after double which in the end become beyond a joke but credit to Hendriks, he still had to step in and hit his doubles and he did just that. Dave Prins like Adams missed key doubles against Richie George to knock him out but in the dying stages, George seemed to step his game up a couple of levels which was impressive viewing. He will always have the comparisons to his father but given it was his first match on the Lakeside stage, he did well to come through it. You just feel George, now he has won a match on the stage, might just up his game a bit here. When watching him, I felt like he had a couple of levels that he could reach on his scoring whilst I'm not sure that Hendriks does. It may not be the best game of the tournament, in fact I can tell you it won't, but as the outsider, George looks to have a bit of value on him here and I'll back him to make the quarter finals on debut. He did hit 3 maximums against Dave Prins whilst Hendriks managed 2, but from watching the pair, George does look to be the heavier scorer of the two. He's been practicing with Colin Lloyd and James Wade and that should see him go well now the pressure will be off a bit and I think he'll hit more 180's and win the final game of the night.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Been a long while, too long since I've had a day like that. Was a bit anxious when O'Shea dropped the second set but thankfully he kicked on a bit after the break. Tonight's session puts me on +18.47 for the tournament with 3 outrights still going as well. Phew. Can only echo Russ' words. Cracking stuff from him and Kev and let's hope it continues for the rest of the tournament. :clap

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Better session of darts for me last night, looks like Russ' words did the trick again so cheers for that mate. :notworthy Last night leaves me on a semi-respectable -3.73 for the tournament with 3 outrights still going and hopefully that negative will be turned upside down tonight. I'm literally in complete sync with Kev tonight on everything so hopefully it'll be a decent night for the thread. Already taken the O'Shea handicap a couple of days ago but an additional few as well. Robbie Green (-2.5 sets) to beat Scott Mitchell- 5/4 Boylesports- (4/10) Like last year, the first game of the session isn't being televised anywhere and that's a bit of an insult to Robbie Green considering he's just beaten the defending champ, and beaten him well. I expect him to have a few words to say on the matter but I do expect him to win here comfortably. Green hit one of the highest averages in the first round, averaging over 90 and the impressive thing was he was hitting his doubles which is sometimes a problem for him. He scored well as he tends to do and a repeat performance should see him through here. Scott Mitchell finally won a game on the Lakeside stage but the game wasn't great in terms of quality and is average of just over 80 tells it's own story. His problem here will be the scoring and it's hard to see him coping with the scoring power of Kong. Green will miss some doubles but given his scoring if far superior, it's a decent chance that he won't be under pressure if he does miss a few. Unless he misses double after double consistently, which I don't see him doing after that first round performance, I don't see him dropping more than a set here in making it through to the quarter finals. Stephen Bunting vs Darryl Fitton- Over 11.5 180's- 11/10 Blue Square- (4/10) Again similar thinking to Kev but I'm taking the slightly higher line given the price. In these two guys, we have two of the heaviest scorers in the BDO and now they've both won their first games where the pressure was on for different reasons, I expect them to relax and really pile on the scoring. Fitton in his first round match hit 5 maximums and for a while he wasn't even scoring that well which shows how he can rack the 180's up when on song. Stephen Bunting hit 4 in his first round match back on the Lakeside stage and is as heavy scorer as anyone on his day. The game will be on doubles you fancy and whether Fitton can consistently checkout on his doubles. I'm not a brave enough man to back that he does, but I do expect at least 5 sets minimum, and in that time we should see the 180's reach doubles figures and some comfortably. Alan Norris vs Wesley Harms- Over 9.5 180's- 3/4 Boylesports- (4/10) Highest Checkout Over 120.5- 7/10 Boylesports- (4/10) Wesley Harms Over 3.5 180's- 10/11 Blue Square- (4/10) Think this has the potential to be a really good game and hopefully Harms does pull through as the slight favourite. The Dutchman did well to pull through his opening game given the nature of his opponent and playing a guy like Rune David is never easy given his antics but as the game progressed, Sparky started to play some decent darts but he will need to improve if he is to beat Chuck Norris tonight. These two know eachother really well given they play together over in Holland and that should mean it's a pretty close thing this game. I do think we'll see a fair few maximums as both are no mugs around the lipstick. Norris is the heavier scorer of the two as he showed in the first round. He was patchy in parts, especially on his doubles but he did hit 6 180's in just 4 sets in the first round and you'd expect Norris to hit a fair few tonight. Harms can score well also, and he hit 3 maximums in his opening game and the scoring aspect of his game has improved in the past year. He hit 4 180's at this stage 12 months ago against Robbie Green in just 5 sets so he can chip away at the 180's line as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one go all the way perhaps, but I do think we'll see at least 6 sets here and that should give both players enough time to find their scoring range and pepper the lipstick. Norris should do the bulk of the 180 scoring and go close to covering the combined 180 line, but Harms is certainly capable of hitting at least 4 tonight so I like the look of both overs lines on the maximum front. Also think there's a decent chance of a high checkout in this one. Both guys actually covered the line in their opening games, with Norris hitting a 125 and Harms took out a 140 so both are decent on the combination finishes. Apparently Norris has been hitting 170 checkouts for fun in practice and with this promising to be a close run thing, I think we'll see a checkout higher than the 121 mark which is pretty low in my opinion.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship

Yeah you probably could do that but it's not how I like to do things. I like to let the bet ride but I wouldn't put you off on doing that.

Eh? You don't like guaranteed, free money? Are you being serious? Well obviously I do but I never lay my picks/bets off ever. It's the same when I have the chance to lay one of my outrights for a guaranteed profit but I never do. I like to stick with my instinct and let them ride, for better or worse and tonight it was the former. Just my way of doing things

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship

Paul Jennings (Most 180's) vs Ross Montgomery- 5/2 BetVictor- (3/10) ....backing him to hit the most 180's as the price is baffling. This price would suggest that Ross Montgomery possesses the scoring ability of Gary Anderson or that Paul Jennings hits a 180 once in a blue moon but in reality, neither of these is true. It's been mentioned that the Scot has never really produced his best stuff at Lakeside and in 4 of his 6 games here, he's failed to hit more than 2 maximums in games which have lasted at least 4 sets. Paul Jennings however hit 2,4 and 3 180's in his 3 games last year and on his day, he is a very heavy scorer so he is in no way a bigger shot than 2/1 to hit ore 180's here. Even if he doesn't manage it, the price is too high to ignore and I'm more than happy to back him on this front as well as for the win.

Not sure what the technical gambling term is for this - sure bet, maybe - but this price is actually so out of line with what other bookies are offering that you can guarantee a profit by betting on all 3 outcomes. Surely that's what to do here rather than just betting on Jennings to hit the most 180s? Yeah you probably could do that but it's not how I like to do things. I like to let the bet ride but I wouldn't put you off on doing that.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship After a poor day yesterday, I'm back to -16.63 although that could change if de Vos loses tonight. Only slight positive is that the Dobromyslova outright is looking good (touch wood). Just need the doubles that are being missed to start going in and hopefully that will start tonight where I'm taking a fair few. Geert de Vos vs Tony Eccles- Over 5.5 180's- 5/4 Boylesports- (3/10) Feel there is some value with the Belgian in this one but given how I'm already on him outright, I'm not going to bother backing him. I'm a tad surprised to see the overs at odds against however. I'd be extremely surprised to see either guy run away with this one and if we get at least 4 sets which I think we will, the overs has a good shot here. We've seen so far over the first couple of days that most of the time the overs have come through and in these two guys, we have a couple of decent scorers. Once upon a time, Tony Eccles was playing amongst the big guns over in the PDC but given he failed to win many games on the tour a couple of years back, he's moved to the BDO circuit. Obviously he's not the player he once was, that's obvious given his move but one thing he has always been is a decent scorer. He once hit 8 180's against Adrian Lewis in the World Championship and he lost 3-0 that day which shows that he can score well and I'd be surprised if he didn't hit a few tonight. Likewise, Geert de Vos can score well as he showed 12 months ago. In his high scoring battle against Christian Kist, he hit 8 maximums and 2 in the first round as well so he's no slouch either around the lipstick. I just think with the way this tournament has gone, and with the scoring power of both players on show, there should be enough time for them to chip away at this line and cover it with the possibility of 5 sets. Paul Jennings to beat Ross Montgomery- 7/4 Boylesports- (3/10) Paul Jennings (Most 180's) vs Ross Montgomery- 5/2 BetVictor- (3/10) Missed the price that Kev got on Jennings but still feel he is value tonight. We've already seen many of the underdogs win their first round match and there's enough to suggest Jennings could add to that list tonight. His recent form has tailed off a bit but there were signs over in Ghent that he was returning to a bit of form. He made the quarter finals there and en route, beat Richie George and also Montgomery pretty comfortably in truth so he'll have the mental edge knowing he won their previous encounter. Ross Montgomery has never really lived up to his potential on the Lakeside stage and for a past winner of the Zuiderduin Masters and a semi finalist at the World Masters, never to have gone past the second round isn't really good enough. Some players never really seem to produce their best darts on the big stage and so far, the Scot has fallen into that category so although you would have him as favourite for the game, Jennings performed well on debut 12 months ago and I'll back him to perform well again tonight and take this one. Also backing him to hit the most 180's as the price is baffling. This price would suggest that Ross Montgomery possesses the scoring ability of Gary Anderson or that Paul Jennings hits a 180 once in a blue moon but in reality, neither of these is true. It's been mentioned that the Scot has never really produced his best stuff at Lakeside and in 4 of his 6 games here, he's failed to hit more than 2 maximums in games which have lasted at least 4 sets. Paul Jennings however hit 2,4 and 3 180's in his 3 games last year and on his day, he is a very heavy scorer so he is in no way a bigger shot than 2/1 to hit ore 180's here. Even if he doesn't manage it, the price is too high to ignore and I'm more than happy to back him on this front as well as for the win. Scott Waites vs Willy van de Wiel- Over 5.5 180's- 20/21 Boylesports- (4/10) Under 15.5 legs- 5/6 Blue Square- (4/10) Highest Checkout Over 114.5- 5/6 Blue Square- (4/10) Taking quite a few bets in the final game of the night in a game where all eyes will be on Scott Waites and how he performs. We've yet to see someone in the first round really stand out and many thing Scotty 2 Hotty will do that tonight but until he does that, he's going to have his critics as he has never produced his best darts at Lakeside. Now originally, I was considering the handicap for van de Wiel given Waites' recent history here but just in case Waites really does pick off from where he left off at the Grand Slam, I've opted for the unders on the leg. Even if Waites does drop a set, there's still a chance he can cover the unders if he really does start to play towards the latter stages of the match. If he gets going, van de Wiel will struggle to keep up with Waites in the scoring you feel so there's a decent chance he'll win a set or maybe two, 3-0 so the unders on the legs looks a decent call to me with everything considered. In saying that, I do fancy at least 6 maximums here as Waites could make this line look very small if he comes out firing. He hit 8 180's against Robert Thornton and then 9 when he ran MVG pretty close which shows his scoring power. We all know about the Holland players and just how good they are at scoring and van de Wiel hit 5 in his second round match against Atkins so he should be able to contribute as well and 6 maximums looks pretty probable here. Final bet I'm taking is the overs on the checkout line which I was surprised to see set this low. Last year, Scott Waites would have been in massive trouble against Andy Boulton if he didn't checkout out some big scores and he is more than capable of finishing like that again today given all eyes will be on him. We've seen the likes of Jan Dekker and Jimmy Hendriks take out some big finishes so far so van de Wiel could equally follow along his compatriots and take out a decent finish as well. The line doesn't require a big finish whatsoever really and a decent combination finish will cover it so again the overs looks good to me.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Nightmare day today with missed doubles from Stone and De Graaf costing me badly. Just been reading through last year's BDO threat and it was a similar start for me and Russ mentioned the 'crossbar shots' that weren't quite going in. If you could mention the same comment again mate it might bring a change in fortunes. ;) I'll update the P/L tomorrow when I have a look at tomorrow's card but can't be bothered with that at the minute as I'm too tired. I will post one bet I've taken though as the odds look the wrong way round to me. Quick write-up though as my bed is calling. Tony O'Shea (-2.5 sets) to beat Steve Douglas- 11/10 Ladbrokes- (10/10) My first max bet of the tournament as I really didn't expect these odds in all honesty. Not 100% when this match is scheduled for but whenever these two do play, I can only see a comfortable win for O'Shea. I was actually really impressed with Steve Douglas' performance today given his recent health issues but in all honesty, but for a ton of missed doubles and patchy shots from Gary Stone, Douglas would have been out. He spoke at the end how he should have lost really and how he's just pleased to be playing on the stage so the win today was a bonus for him. Tony O'Shea won't be doing him any favours though given Silverback is looking to finally win on the Lakeside stage. He was fortunate not to drop a set against John Walton as he was outscored for chunks of that match but Walton missed a stack of doubles. Douglas won't score as heavily as John Boy did though and you'd expect O'Shea, now he's won his first match, to improve on his performance. He did start scoring really heavily towards the end of the match and Douglas won't be able to cope with O'Shea if he does that early door. Douglas averaged a good 5 points below O'Shea on the averages in the first round and given how you would expect O'Shea to improve, there's very slim possibility I see him dropping more than a set in this one.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Not a massive fan of the schedule tomorrow afternoon. Considered going against Bunting and Adams but not really sure how they will come out and play so stayed away from that. Am taking 2 though, and an early one for the evening session. Gary Stone (-1.5 sets) to beat Steve Douglas- 6/4 Boylesports- (4/10) Quite like the price on the Scot here. I think Steve Douglas will just be glad to be at Lakeside this year after he's had some heart issues over the past couple of weeks and hasn't been able to practice a great deal. There was some talk about him possibly withdrawing but the doctors have given him the all clear but there have to be questions over his form right now. Before the health issues, Douglas had been having a good year with numerous quarter final appearences and he'll be looking to repeat his best performance here like 12 months ago. He's up against a tough cookie though in Gary Stone and the Scot comes into the tournament in superb form as he's just won Europe Cup, beating Martin Atkins and Christian Kist in the final to take the trophy. Aside from that, he pushed Stephen Bunting all the way in the final of the Welsh Classic so he'll be confident going into this one. Last year, Stone lost out to Martin Adams in the second round but averaged a smidgen under 87 that day and averaged over 88 in the first round which is a pretty good level in the BDO. Despite reaching the same stage 12 months ago, Douglas failed to average over 84 or get close to the heights that Stone was at and given the form that Stone is in, and the health issues that have affected Douglas' preparation, I think the Scot will have too much for him and I think he'll win without dropping more than a set. Jimmy Hendriks (Most 180's) vs Martin Adams- 7/4 Blue Square- (3/10) I don't really know what this price is about in all honesty. First of all we must note that this is a different Hendriks to the one who took a set of Taylor in the PDC version of the tournament but this youngster is equally no mug when it comes to darts. He's a former winner of the Youth Masters is the 18 year old and has taken part in the PDC youth events which show what a good prospect the Dutchman is. Already this year, he's pushed Stephen Bunting all the way on a couple of occasions and beaten the likes of Wesley Harms so he's clearly got something about him. His recent form isn't the best though which does put me off the handicap but given the way Adams has been playing of late, you feel he will have his chances here. I am going to back him to hit the most maximums here though. We've seen just how good these Dutch youngsters are and how heavily they score and I don't imagine Hendriks is any different. Adams in the early rounds has never been a prolific 180 scorer, even when playing well so I think the value lies with Hendriks here. Adams has managed just 2,1 and 1 maximums in the past few years and a repeat of that, should give the Dutchman a chance to outscore Wolfie on the maximums here. And one early bet for the evening session as the price is ridiculous really. Jeffrey de Graaf to beat Jan Dekker- 11/10 Sportingbet- (5/10) I really don't know what Jan Dekker has done to deserve being favourite here. It should be the other way round in my opinion really. Quite what has happened to Dekker I don't know. You'd have to say the only notable result he's had was a win over Stephen Bunting back in July when he won his only event but apart from that, he's done very little, and that's being kind to him really. Over the past 3 months especially his form has been non existent. We saw how true that was at the Grand Slam, where he only managed to win a single leg a piece in his 3 matches and averaged in the low 70's for 2 of those games. He's lost to some really average players recently as well and you have to feel his confidence is going to be low here. Jeffrey de Graaf only beat Dekker last month 5-1 in the Zuiderduin Masters which again baffles me to why he is the underdog. He's made 2 finals in the back end of last year has the Dutchman, and in the Sunparks Masters, he beat Alan Norris, Martin Atkins and Ross Montgomery on the way to the final where he lost to Stephen Bunting. He also beat Dekker in the final of the Isle of Man Open as well earlier on last year when Dekker was playing better than he is right now. There's no question which player is in the better form right now and that is the underdog here who I'm more than happy to back confidently here.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Good stuff Russ. Mixed day for me considering 3 of my outrights went out in the first 3 matches of the tournament which is never great. The match bets got me out of a hole really though, excluding the Prins result and I'm sitting on -1.63 overall after the first couple of sessions.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Not the best of start with 3 of my outrights crashing out and then Prins missing a ton of doubles for the match. Hope for better tonight in which I'm taking a few. A lot of them have been covered so won't add too much. Benito van de Pas to beat Darryl Fitton- 5/4 BetVictor- (4/10) Over 6.5 180's- 5/6 Boylesports- (4/10) I'm with the others on van de Pas here. Fitton has to overcome two major problems if he is to come through this one; pressure and doubles. He is bound to be feeling some nerves given he has lost in the first round for the past 3 years and when you're patchy on your doubles when playing well, van de Pas should have his chance in this one. The young Dutchman performed well here 12 months ago where he narrowly lost to Alan Norris and he's already pushed Stephen Bunting all the way this year at the World Masters and at this price, I have to back him to make it 4 in a row for Fitton. Also fancy the overs on the 180's. We saw in the afternoon session that most of the BDO guys hit a fair few 180's and these guys are no different. Fitton can absolutely hammer the lipstick and he hit 7 180's in his 4 set defeat to Robbie Green last year. You'd fancy him to hit at least 3 or 4 really and with van de Pas a pretty decent scorer as well, I fancy at least 7 maximums in this one. Alan Norris vs Wayne Warren- Over 6.5 180's- 5/6 Boylesports- (4/10) Hate to go against Russ but feel this is another where the overs looks to best the right call. If Chuck Norris can find his range and settle down, he could well go close to covering this line on his own in truth. He's been in good form and he hit 8 180's in his opening game last year and consistently scored heavily throughout the tournament. Wayne Warren has performed well this year, beating some very decent opponents so he shouldn't fear Norris here and he should hold his own. You don't make the runs Warren has unless you can score well so he should be able to chip away at the line but providing Norris shows up, think he should help the overs' cause here. Tony O'Shea (-1.5 sets) to beat John Walton- 4/5 Blue Square- (4/10) Over 5.5 180's- 8/11 Blue Square- (4/10) If this was at a latter stage in the tournament I'd consider going in more heavily on O'Shea here but the first round has to be met with caution as we saw earlier. Saying that, I'd be extremely surprised if he dropped more a set here in winning. John Walton used to dominate the BDO game but he's no where near as good as he used to be. In fact as Russ has mentioned, the only note worthy name he's beaten in 2012 is Paul Jennings as he's not done a great deal. O'Shea will be desperate to go one better than last year and win at Lakeside in 2013 and I don't see him having too much trouble here. He's already beaten Walton 4-1 in the Welsh Open this season and with O'Shea in good form, I think he'll win with a bit to spare here. Again backing the overs on the maximums. Walton can still score well and he showed that 12 months ago. He was comfortably beaten by Martin Atkins due to missed doubles, but he still managed 3 maximums in a game where he really didn't play well. Tony O'Shea scores well around the T20 and consistently hit maximums 12 months ago and despite a comfortable win for O'Shea which I'm predicting, the pair of them can contribute to at least 6 180's.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship My bets for Saturday afternoon then. Taking a few. Martin Atkins (-1.5 sets) to beat Jason Cullen- Evens Boylesports- (4/10) Over 4.5 180's- 5/6 Boylesports- (4/10) Can't really add to much to what's been mentioned about Atkins and I'm totally in sync with Russ and Kev on the handicap. Atkins has been in really good form with that run to the final in the Czech Open and is the far more experienced player here. He'll be at home on the Lakeside stage whilst his opponent might struggle a bit for nerves which should mean he won't be completely relaxed on stage. Atkins scores well and with the experience and form to his name, I don't think he'll drop more than a set in winning the opening game. Also like the look of the overs on the 180's. Atkins apparently has been hitting trebles for fun in practice and in the past he's got a decent record of hitting maximums in his games. Last year, he hit 3 180's in his opening game and 4 the year before that so Atkins could go close to covering this pretty small line on his own. Although I don't know too much about Jason Cullen, he has come through qualification for Lakeside and has beaten Scott Waites so he's clearly no mug and he can chip away at the line as well. Even it Atkins win 3-0, which is a distinct possibility IMO, 5 maximums isn't a lot in the modern game and I think both can cover the overs here. Robbie Green vs Christian Kist - Over 7.5 180's- 8/11 Boylesports- (4/10) Although this line appears to be extremely high, especially for a first round game, if these two get going on the scoring, they could easily reach double figures by the time the winning double is hit. I do fancy Kist to win this one come the end but there's enough to suggest that this match could have some legs on it given Kist's tendency to start a little sluggishly. He hasn't played a great deal of darts this year which has left him unseeded despite winning the tournament 12 months ago so he may be forgiven for starting a little slowly. The Grand Slam experience that he's had this year should mean it won't take him long to find his range and once he gets going, not many in the BDO can live with his game. His scoring is extremely heavy and he managed 4 maximums in his opening win against Jan Dekker last year and then he started hitting them for fun. Robbie Green is an extremely heavy scorer as well and he knows he will have to score at his best if he is to trouble Kist. Green hit 8 maximums in 4 sets alone in his opening game last year against Darryl Fitton and he has no trouble in peppering the lipstick. Doubles are usually where he falters but scoring wise, he should be able to hit his fair share of 180's, and with the possibility of 5 sets here, I think we have every chance of seeing a bagful of big scores in a game which features two of the heaviest scorers about. Gary Robson vs Garry Thompson- Over 5.5 180's- 5/6 Boylesports- (4/10) Again I'm taking the overs as the line looks a little low to me. I think Gary Robson will win and I hope he does given my outright but Garry Thompson should have enough about him to be competitive here. I've spoken about Robson in my outright and he has shown in the past what he can do with his scoring as he's reached double figures in a single match on a couple of occasions. Garry Thompson scores well also and he hit 4 180's in his 4 set defeat to Paul Jennings last year so Thompson can clearly score well. Both of these guys know each other inside out given they used to be pairs partners and whilst both can go missing on their doubles at times, they can both score well and I think they can chip away and hit 6 maximums in this one. Dave Prins to beat Richie George- Evens Sportingbet- (3/10) Not sure what Prins has done to be the underdog here in truth. I know his form has been absolutely awful on the Lakeside stage as he's failed to win a game and not averaged above the 80 mark but he has had arguably his best season where he reached the last 16 of the World Masters beating Martin Atkins and Darryl Fitton in the process and he's also beaten Wesley Harms this season so he's clearly playing better darts. All eyes are going to be on Richie George given who his father is and that in itself will add pressure so it'll be interesting to see how he copes with that expectation. As Kev has mentioned, he has been practicing with Colin Lloyd in practice but when up on the big stage, it's a completely different proposition. Despite having some impressive runs in the first half of the year, of late his form has been poor in truth. In fact he's not managed to win more than one game in a row since June so that might be playing on his mind as well. Prins has the experience of playing on the Lakeside stage which counts for a lot and with the pressure being on Bobby's son tomorrow, I think Prins is good value to win his first match on the big stage.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship Will do my Saturday afternoon bets in the second post but first, I've taken another 2. Another outright and a match bet which doesn't happen tomorrow. Anastasia Dobromyslova to win BDO Women's World Championship- 10/3 Sportingbet- (3/10 E/W) 1/3 1-2 My money has to be with the defending champ here. Her Lakeside record is extremely impressive no matter what you think of the Russian which is shown through her only dropping a total of 3 sets on the Lakeside stage, dropping just 1 set last year en route to the trophy. Her form is good as she comes into this week off the back of winning the Zuiderduin Masters where she beat top seed Deta Hedman and it's likely to be between those 2 again this year, like it was 12 months ago. I struggle to see her not making the final, which is why I'm taking her each way as it provides a bit of security should she fail to win in the final, but to me she's got every chance of making it 2 world titles in as many years so my backing lies with the Russian. Wesley Harms to beat Rohit David 3-0- 2/1 Ladbrokes- (3/10) Now this match isn't until Sunday evening but I can't see this price lasting in all honesty. It's a fair bit higher than other firms have it and I think Harms has more than a fair chance of whitewashing his opponent in this one. I spoke a lot about Harms in my outright so I'm not going to repeat that again but with the experience he has from last year making the semis, and also the Grand Slam, you'd be surprised if he didn't run out a comfortable winner here. His Norwegian opponent did well to qualify and put a little run together at the World Masters where he beat Martin Adams. That result may appear to be far more impressive than it is however as he only averaged around the 79 mark for that game and Harms is a good 10 points above that level. 12 months ago, Harms dropped just a set a piece to Martin Phillips and Robbie Green who are better players than his opponent this year and I think he's good value to win this one without dropping a set.

[2013 BDO World Championship]

Re: 2013 BDO World Championship GL with those mate. Hopefully this year will be as profitable as 12 months ago. :ok I'll do my outrights as well. Had an absolute shocker in the PDC so hoping for a lot better over the next couple of weeks or so. 5 players for me who've I've picked out so let's get to it. Wesley Harms to win BDO World Championship- 16/1 Coral- (1.5/10) 1/2 1-2 Harms to win 1st Quarter- 4/1 Blue Square- (2/10) First one of two which I'm agreeing with Russ on. I backed the Dutchman 12 months ago where he really shot to fame, making the semis before narrowly losing to Tony O'Shea and since then he's really kicked on. Multiple quarter finals and semis Harms has made, whilst he has won 3 titles as well. At the Grand Slam he was extremely impressive though and he really showed he can handle himself amongst the big boys. He beat Terry Jenkins in that tournament with a ton plus average whilst he averaged above 97 against Barney in the last 16. He has those high 90 averages in him these days and to be honest, if he consistently does that, someone will have to play extremely well to beat him. Only couple of real threats in his quarter come in Alan Norris and Stephen Bunting who is the top seed here. He may well have to beat both but if he plays like he did last year, added with the experience he has gained this season, he'll be an extremely hard man to stop and I'll back Sparky to go one step better than last year and make the final if not win the whole thing. Christian Kist to win BDO World Championship- 15/2 Blue Square- (1.5/10 E/W) 1/2 1-2 Kist to win 2nd Quarter- 13/8 Boylesports- (3/10) Missed out somewhat on Kist's price last year (fortunately Russ and Kev didn't) but I see no reason why he can't go well again in 2013. Granted he's got a bit of a shocker of a draw given he is unseeded, but he showed last year that the seedings don't mean a thing when you've got the game that Kist possesses. He's not played a ton of events which explains his ranking but he showed what he can do in the Grand Slam. He made the quarters there, where be beat Barney in the group stages as well as Wayne Jones, before beating Wes Newton in a thriller and then took 10 legs off Barney in the quarters. Now when you consider just how well Barneveld was playing that week, it shows how well Kist did to take 10 legs of him in a game where Barney averaged above the 100 mark. Kist in truth had very few problems in taking the title last year excluding the missed dart Hankey had to knock him out. He is an extremely heavy scorer and when he finds his range, I don't see anyone on the BDO ranks that can live with him in truth, perhaps with the exceptions of Harms, Waites and Bunting if he plays well. Whether Waites will ever win at Lakeside I'm unsure, whilst Bunting will have to cope with the number 1 seed for the tournament which is never easy. Shocker of a first round draw for Kist really, where he'll face Robbie Green but despite Green's scoring power, doubles let him down badly so I would expect Kist to edge that one. Besides that, there's not too much else and he'll probably have to beat O'Shea but he did that 12 months ago and then the last time they met as well so I'd be surprised if he didn't make the quarters at the least where hopefully he'll play Wesley Harms which could be a classic. Just think if Kist repeats his form of 12 months ago, very few can live with him and I wouldn't be in the least surprised if he makes it 2 years in a row. Gary Robson to win BDO World Championship- 50/1 Bet365- (1/10 E/W) 1/2 1-2 Robson to win 3rd Quarter- 7/1 Boylesports- (1/10) The Bottom half of the draw looks really open to me considering the likes of Bunting, Harms, O'Shea and Kist are hidden away in the top half. All eyes will be on the likes of Adams and Waites in the bottom half and Wolfie is the strong favourite to come through in this 3rd quarter. Quite what that is based on other that reputation escapes me to be honest as in reality, Adams has had a stinker of a year in 2012. He won one event at the start of the year in which he beat Harms and Bunting in the final but since then he has done very little. In fact to emphasise that, he's lost his last 5 matches which shows his poor form and I wouldn't actually put it past someone to put him out in the first couple of rounds. If he does make it to the quarters, I expect Gary Robson to beat him though. I really like Big Robbo's chances this year and he comes into Lakeside off the back of making the quarter finals in the Czech Open where he narrowly lost out to Scott Waites. His form isn't outstanding but he's been consistent nonetheless and his draw is pretty decent. He faces Garry Thompson in the first round which I fancy him to edge and if he does win that one, he should gain some confidence which is key to Robson really. He usually scores really well and has made the quarter finals here 3 times before and I feel he should have his chances to go better than that this year given how open his quarter is and I'll back him to come through it. Martin Atkins to win BDO World Championship- 50/1 Boylesports- (1/10 E/W) 1/2 1-2 Atkins to win 4th Quarter- 9/1 Bet365- (2/10) I'm not sure what this price is all about on Martin Atkins really. Granted he's in the same quarter as Scott Waites but he just doesn't seem to produce his best darts at Lakeside so there's enough to suggest that someone else can come through this final quarter. One man I do fancy is The Assassin and his form in the past few months has been superb. He comes into the World Championship off the back of making the final in the Czech Open and before that, he made at least the quarters in 5 of the 7 events he played in. In that time, he beat everyone there is to beat really with the exception of Bunting and Waites but there's no Bunting to face whilst I've spoken about the latter. Atkins had his best result here 12 months ago where he made the quarter finals before losing to Ted Hankey and if he can repeat his recent form, he could be in with a shot over the next week or so. Geert de Vos to win BDO World Championship- 66/1 Blue Square- (1/10 E/W) 1/2 1-2 de Vos to win 4th Quarter- 12/1 Boylesports- (1/10) Always like to take one major outsider in the BDO as it usually throws up some surprises Last year it was Wesley Harms and I hope Geert de Vos can turn some heads this year. The Belgian had a really good 2012 in terms of form, as he won the German Open and one other event, whilst he made the final of 2 other events as well. He's beaten the likes of Alan Norris, Martin Adams and also Ronny Huybrechts which shows he has the game to beat good players on his day. His game isn't particularly devastating as he'll struggle to average more than the mid 80's/low 90's but in the BDO, that is a competitive average. He had Christian Kist in a spot of bother last year which a lot of the players can't say so nerves shouldn't affect him. The main name in the quarter is Scott Waites as well as Martin Atkins who I've mentioned, but Waites has never really performed at Lakeside and a bit like Gary Anderson, he's a superb player but this tournament seems to do strange things to him and I'm not sure whether he'll ever win it to be honest. With the price attached to de Vos, I feel there's value in the Belgian to get past Scott Waites and potentially out of this quarter, should Atkins fail.

[2013 PDC World Darts Championship]

Re: 2013 PDC World Darts Championship Great games tonight, a joy to watch but unfortunately they have summed my tournament up completely. But for the 180 fest in the dying legs of the Wade match the 180's bet would have come in, whilst Lewis whilst playing magnificently, missed 2 darts for the match. Definitely taking that as a sign to just enjoy watching the rest of the tournament as I've never had so many near misses in a tournament as I have in this one. Just have to take it on the chin and hope for better in the BDO in a few days time. GL to everyone who has a bet in the semis and final.

[2013 PDC World Darts Championship]

Re: 2013 PDC World Darts Championship Another horrid session of darts for me last night. Been a pretty poor tournament in truth so just hoping to claw some respectability back over the remaining few days. Just these for me tonight. James Wade (-1.5 sets) to beat Wes Newton- 13/10 Boylesports- (4/10) Under 15.5 180's- 4/5 BlueSquare- (7/10) Fancy Wade to win this one as in my opinion, he's been far more impressive than Newton has. Despite the questions over Wade coming into the tournament, he's gone about his business quietly and efficiently and he's done what he's been required to do whilst his finishing has been as solid as ever. But for that impressive performance against Scott Rand, Wes Newton has been poor in truth. His game against Mark Walsh, in terms of quality was one of the worst I've seen in quite some time and he's not been playing anywhere near his best for a while now. Wade is very much a big game player and a little bit like van der Voort who Wade beat in the last round, Newton is prone to missing a fair few doubles at the minute and you just can't do that against Wade. The Machine has been practicing hard and should fancy his chances of making the semis for the second year in a row so happy to back Wade to win this, dropping no more than 3 sets. The 180's line looks huge to me as well, especially when you consider some firms have the line quite a bit lower. Wade has never been the most prolific of 180 scorers and he's failed to hit more than 5 in any game so far at Ally Pally. Newton hasn't hit more than 5 either and has struggled on the scoring front really. Even if both players add a couple to their 180 bests tonight, it still won't be enough to cover the line and I'd be extremely surprised to see more than 15 180's tonight. Adrian Lewis to beat Michael van Gerwen- 6/4 BetVictor- (4/10) Adrian Lewis (Most 180's) vs MVG- Evens Ladbrokes- (5/10) MVG is understandably the favourite given the form of these two but no way is Lewis as much as an outside as these odds suggest. We have to remember this is unknown territory for MVG and although he's been to numerous finals away from Ally Pally, he's still going to have to cope with his first quarter final on this stage as well as his injury as well which we are still not 100% about. And it's not as though he's up against a mug here. Lewis is playing for everything here given he's the defending champ for the past two years, and a bit like Taylor has done, he's gradually got better as the tournament has gone on and he did well to hold off the challenge from Painter who gave it his all. The Dutchman has been found guilty of starting a little slugglishly in the past couple of games against Peter Wright and Colin Lloyd and I just think if he does that today, he'll struggle to come back against Lewis given how good a front runner Jackpot is. In all honesty, Lewis is a good few levels above the level of opposition that MVG has beaten so far, and I'd be extremely surprised if Lewis doesn't really bring his top game tonight so MVG will have to deal with that. He's still been missing a few doubles so Lewis should get chances, especially if he brings his scoring with him tonight which I expect him to do. His H2H isn't great against Mighty Mike, but with that defeat in the Grand Prix, Lewis will be eager to put that right tonight and given I think this is a real close thing to pick a winner, I just feel the value lies with the defending champ to set up a repeat semi final showdown with James Wade. I also like the look of him to hit more 180's than MVG. Lewis will know he is going to have to up his scoring if he is to give himself a chance here so I expect him to rack up the 180's tonight. He hit 8 against Painter in just 6 sets and it was this time last year that Lewis really started to hit a ton of maximums. But for that match against Peter Wright, MVG hasn't hit a ton of 180's and he is more liable to cover than Lewis is. I expect MVG to hit a few, but Lewis' scoring is devastating at times if he can get going and he is capable of hitting 5 180's in as many legs so I think he's also good value on the 180 count tonight.

[2013 PDC World Darts Championship]

Re: 2013 PDC World Darts Championship Crappy session last night which has put me back to -3.40 but looking a lot better than it did before yesterday. Quarter finals are upon us then and I'm effectively on Whitlock to beat Barney at 9/4 tonight so hopefully he can win that one. Taking a few others as well tonight... Simon Whitlock vs Raymond van Barneveld- Highest Checkout Over 137.5- 5/6 BetVictor- (4/10) Just the one for me in this game given I'm rooting for the Aussie. Whitlock will have to improve dramatically to be honest if he is to beat Barney here but that win over Chisnall might just give him a bit of confidence and the Aussie started to score better towards the latter stages on that game so hopefully he'll pick up where he left up on that front. One bet I do like in this game is the overs on the checkout. We saw Whitlock take out that superb 152 finish yesterday to save the match really and that was one of the best finishes ever seen given the timing of it. We all know what the Aussie can do on those big finishes and the stat that he's hit at least one 100+ checkout in each of his games over the past few years is a remarkable stat and just shows how good he is with the big finishes. Barney hasn't taken out a massive checkout in the last couple of games but he missed a couple of doubles for a decent checkout against Gary Anderson and with Whitlock likely to prove a much bigger test tonight, Barney will know he'll have to hit those doubles on the combination finishes so I'd expect a finish over the line set here in the match. Andy Hamilton (+2.5 sets) to beat Phil Taylor- Evens Boylesports- (4/10) Andy Hamilton (Most 180's) vs Phil Taylor- 4/6 Ladbrokes- (5/10) Highest Checkout Over 136.5- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (4/10) I'm not sure if Hamilton has it in him to beat Taylor but I don't see why he can't push Taylor all the way and if he forgets the head to head, he should have his chances to win this one. I'm happy to just stick to the handicap though which requires Hamilton to win 3 sets and if he continues playing the way he has done, especially remaining solid on his doubles, he should have that in him here. Taylor still hasn't impressed me in the tournament and the scoreline did flatter him against Thornton despite his improving performance but the Scot missed a ton of doubles which allowed Taylor the 4-0 win. The Power is still missing doubles so he'll need to improve his performance again if he is to make the semi finals. Hamilton won't just roll over here like Taylor's opponents so far and knows he can really trouble Taylor and he should have beaten him at the Players Championship so he should be fully up for this. Whether he win the match, I don't know but I expect a strong showing from the Hammer and 3 sets should be within his grasp at the very least. Also fancy him to hit the most 180's here and I'm surprised to see the odds this high. Hamilton is an extremely heavy scorer and he's already shown that in hitting 10 maximums against Richie Burnett in just 5 sets and 4 against James Richardson in the first round as well. He didn't hit as many as one might imagine he would against Terry Jenkins but with him knowing he'll need to bring his A game tonight, I expect a lot more from the Hammer. When these two played in that Players Championship game at the start of the month, Hamilton won the 180 battle 7-4 and I think regardless of the result, he will outscore Taylor on that front tonight as well. One final bet for me in this game is the checkout and both of this are capable of taking out a sizeable finish. Both are extremely good with the combination finishes and both will know they will need to finish well given the other should punish them if given the chance. Hamilton took out a 142 against Taylor in the Players Championship, as well as hitting finishes of 130 and 138 in the tournament and with Taylor also involved, I expect a decent finish or two coming in this one so happy to back the overs.

[2013 PDC World Darts Championship]

Re: 2013 PDC World Darts Championship And a final couple for me in the final match. Pretty similar bets to the previous games in truth... Over 12.5 180's- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (4/10) Highest Checkout Over 130.5- 5/6 Boylesports- (4/10) If Lewis doesn't improve he is toast here as Painter is a few steps up from what he's beaten so far. Lewis' averages so far in the tournament have been shocking in truth but secretly, I expect him to be better tonight and he'll know he has to be. Despite not playing well, he's not been too bad on the 180 front with 5 a piece in his 2 matches and even when he's not playing well, he still does hit a fair few 180's. Painter has been scoring extremely well and that was shown by his 11 180's against Ronnie Baxter. Lewis can go close to covering this line on his own if he improves but with Painter scoring the way he is right now he is more than capable of chipping in as well so I fancy the overs on the 180 line. Also like the look of the overs on the checkout line which looks way too low to me. Both of these players are up there finishing wise when they are playing well and are amongst the best in the game with combination finishes. Painter has already taken out some big shots in the tournament whilst Lewis can take out big finishes even when he's struggling so the overs looks the right bet to me.

[2013 PDC World Darts Championship]

Re: 2013 PDC World Darts Championship Needed that session badly and it takes me back up to +7.65 for the tournament. Taking a few tonight but think it's a session to be enjoyed and watched rather than go mad with bets. Michael van Gerwen vs Colin Lloyd- Over 10.5 180's- 5/6 Boylesports- (3/10) Highest Checkout Over 130.5- 20/23 Boylesports- (3/10) Was going to back MVG initially in some form but apparently he's hurt his foot so I'm not entirely sure how fit he is for tonight. I still expect him to win but if he lets that play on his mind, Lloyd could spring a surprise here. Regardless of that, I expect a few 180's in this one as well as a decent checkout. Both players score well and MVG covered the 180's line on his own against Peter Wright and when you consider Lloyd is pretty decent himself around the lipstick, both should chip away and cover this line. As we know, MVG is extremely good on the combination finishes as well so he could quite comfortably hit a couple of finishes above the checkout whilst we all remember that 170 Colin Lloyd took out when winning the Matchplay but he is capable of taking out a big finish himself and even if MVG blows Lloyd away, I fancy both of these lines to be covered. Gary Anderson Over 8.5 180's- 4/5 BetVictor- (6/10) Highest Checkout Over 130.5- 3/4 Boylesports- (4/10) I really can't call this one to be honest and the only way I see this failing to turn into something a bit special is if Anderson misses almost all of his doubles but I don't think he will. I say that because it's a guarantee that he will score well and also that he will miss a ton of doubles so providing he hits a decent percentage, this has the potential to be an absolute cracker. They played out a superb match in the latter stages of the PL and this could go all the way as well. Anderson though hit a record breaking 19 maximums in his lucky escape against John Bowles whilst he hit 5 in the first match as well. He will miss doubles but we all know about the Scot's scoring power and I'd be extremely surprised if he didn't reach double figures again 180's wise. Again, a decent checkout shouldn't be too much to ask of the two. If this does turn into a classic filled with maximums galore, there should be a decent checkout somewhere along the line. Barney has been finishing well for some time now whilst Anderson, despite missing a ton of doubles, does hit some decent finishes and his combination finishes come out of the blue and if this match delivers, I expect at least one checkout above the 131 mark.

[2013 PDC World Darts Championship]

Re: 2013 PDC World Darts Championship Would be extremely surprised to hear of anything dodgy in that game. Whitlock hasn't scored well all tournament really so not sure there's too much to be had there.

[2013 PDC World Darts Championship]

Re: 2013 PDC World Darts Championship Hope everyone had a good Christmas and on a personal level, I hope Santa has given me a change in fortune. Few for me in the afternoon session... Simon Whitlock vs Dave Chisnall- Over 14.5 180's- 5/6 Ladbrokes- (3/10) I'm already on Whitlock outright so not bothering with handicaps or anything although I do think he will win. I do expect a fair few maximums in this one though regardless of the winner. Chisnall has scored extremely well in his 2 matches and that is underlined by the fact he hit 10 maximums in just 5 sets in the second round so Chizzy can go some way to covering this line on his own. He knows he'll have to score well here because he's always going to be second best on the finishing you feel. Simon Whitlock hasn't been anywhere near his best in truth but there were signs with his finishing against Colin Osborne that he is slowly getting better. One thing he hasn't done too much of yet is find his scoring power but I think that will change tomorrow. He knows he'll have to start playing better if he is to be a contender for the tournament and to do that, he'll need to start scoring far better than he has done so far. With Chisnall likely to be rattling in the maximums, that should bring the best out of Whitlock as well scoring wise and I'd be surprised if we don't see at least 15 180's here. James Wade (-1.5 sets) to beat Vincent van der Voort- 4/6 Boylesports- (10/10) My biggest bet of the tournament and first max bet for me so far and it comes in the shape of the handicap on James Wade. I expected the line to be a set more on the handicap and I don't expect Wade to drop more than 2 sets in winning tomorrow. There were a lot of doubts over him coming into Ally Pally but he seems fine to me and he seems pretty positive in his interviews which is a good sign. Average wise he isn't turning any heads, but his finishing is still extremely solid as you would expect with Wade, whilst his scoring hasn't been too bad either. Vincent van der Voort is playing a lot better than he has done for much of the year and you have to give credit to him for pulling through against Dean Winstanley, in a game where Deano hit tons of maximums and even a 9 darter. If he scores well, he'll have his chances because Wade isn't the heaviest scorer in the world, but the Dutchman still misses a fair few doubles and against Wade, you can't afford to do that. He is perhaps the most clinical finisher in the game and when given a chance, he'll hit far more than he'll miss. With his scoring gradually improving with every game he plays, I just think his finishing will be too much for van der Voort here and I think Wade wins this no worse than 4-2. Dave Chisnall Most 180's in Afternoon Session- 2/1 BetVictor (3/10) Like the look of Chizzy in this market. I think Whitlock will beat him tomorrow but one thing you always get with Chisnall, well two things are missed doubles and more notably, heavy scoring. So far in his 2 matches, he has hit 5 180's in 3 sets and then 10 in 5 sets which shows his scoring power. If his game with Whitlock has some legs on it tomorrow, he could well go close to matching Anderson's tally the other day but certainly doubles figures you would imagine at the worse. With Lewis and MVG in the evening session, there's not really another prominent 180 scorer in the session barring Whitlock and although I expect the Aussie to find his scoring power tomorrow, I still think Chisnall will outscore him on the maximums front and I think he is good value to hit the most in the session. Newton, Whitlock and Wade to win- 7/4 Ladbrokes- (4/10) Usually don't tend to get involved with the 'special' markets but think these 3 are a decent price combined to progress tomorrow. Newton upped his game considerably to beat Scott Rand and his all round game was almost perfect. If he scores and finishes like he did in that one, I'm unsure to how Mark Walsh will live with him. Walsh is extremely consistent but doesn't really have the ability to match Newton's game and I'd expect the man from Fleetwood to win that one. I think Whitlock will improve tomorrow in truth and providing he scores better, he should have Chisnall's number given Chizzy will miss doubles from time to time which the Aussie shouldn't do if he improves. That match could be a cracker, filled with lots of 180's but I think the Aussie will prevail in that one. And I've spoken about James Wade. He looks fine to me. Not at his best but his average at the minute should be good enough to beat van der Voort comfortably. If the Dutchman doesn't score as well as he can, he's a bit stuffed there as Wade will always be better on his doubles and that's where I see the difference being tomorrow. All in all, I fancy the 3 favourites tomorrow and at the 7/4 price, it's good enough for me to back all 3.