amity

I feel your pain my dude. Evans the <insert expletive>, unbelievable! 

I like the looks of Huybrechts against Wright. Wright is not at his strongest and Huybrechts lives for encouters with very good players. His odd for +2.5 sets is boosted on BetFIRST to 1.90.
I also like the odd for Dimitri Van den Bergh to have the highest checkout. He managed to make a 164 finish in the first round and his first dart was always solid, obviously needed for a 100+ checkout. Ratajski winning this market would be a big surprise for me. odd of Dimi is 1.71 on BetFIRST.
Last one, I would want Van Barneveld to win against Price again, which he did already 3 times in a row this year. However, it still seems tricky to bet on a win this time. I would prefer asian handicap on sets however 1.46 for +2.5 sets on BetFIRST seems to short for me. Anyone another idea on this one?
 

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Win or lose, thank you very much as always. We always appreciate your opinions and predictions. Thank you for your time. Wish you all a Joyful Christmas filled with love, warmth and laughters.x

It'll even out but then I know you know that. Appreciate your insights @Fader have a good Christmas - if you're celebrating it.

Ugh, I hate to moan about luck but losing some of these bets to last leg and TWO times tonight last 3 dart 180s are driving me insane. Bad beats galore.
Atleast Clayton didn't let me down.

The last day of Darts before Santa then. Here is the line up for the afternoon session :
Dolan V Hendriks
Dobey V Kleermaker
R.Smith V Labby
Cross V S.Williams
First of all I can see no upsets today and the only person who I think has a chance of a potential upset would be Scott Williams.
Hendrix was involved in one of the most disgusting games of the tournament. Utter dross from Jamie Hughes, averaging 79 and hitting 7/37 on his doubles, Hendriks rightly went on to win that match 3-1 but somehow hit a lower average of 78 and 11/37 on doubles himself. He cannot be that bad today but despite Dolan being vulnerable today against a good opponent, I think he'll be alright against Hendriks.
Dobey should have too much for Kleermaker in the second match of the afternoon. Kleermaker won 3-0 against a poor player really and averaged 86 but Dobey will bring a completely different challenge. Kleermaker only managed 1 180 in that match and Dobey to win and hit the most 180s looks the bet there. The penultimate match has Ross Smith back on the big stage taking on Labanauskas. Smith tends to perform well at Ally Pally and I don't think that Labbys 84 average is going to scare him, here. Smith to win and hit the most 180s look another pick here.
Finally, probably the match of the afternoon as Scott Williams takes on Rob Cross. Williams can count himself unlucky really to get Cross so early in the tournament but he looked very impressive in his dismantling of Ryan Joyce. Let's not forget that Joyce himself played really well and hit a 103 average and SEVEN 180s in that match and he still lost 3-1. Williams was brilliant, hit 10 180s and hit an average of 100. The 55% on the doubles was also impressive and in the end was what was the main aspect in his win. He has to have a chance today. Cross will come into this cold, without a game yet and Williams won the last h2h 6-4. It was just a floor event but shows he can beat Rob.
Here is what I'll be going for this afternoon.
2pts Dobey to win the match, most 180s and highest checkout 13/8 paddypower
2pts R.Smith to win 3-0 evens paddypower
2pts S.Williams to beat R.Cross 2/1 paddypower
1pt 4-fold - Dolan win and most 180s, Dobey win and most 180s, R.Smith win, most 180s and highest checkout and S.Williams +1.5 set handicap 12.5/1 paddypower
 

Raonic is supposedly getting back next year!

Set and leg caps should have landed in all honesty. I didn't watch so can't speak for Meikle's performance and also that of Ashton, but it's swings and roundabouts isn't it. Sometimes a sure winner turns into a loser and others what looks like a cast iron loser turns into a winner.

Yeah, I've said it before but some guys find it really hard to play against women when they have basically never had to. O'Conner wasn't really her beat opponent to play. If she played evetts I'd fancy her. O'Connor is a quality player 

O'Connor played well. Did that thing you always hear about which is play the board not the opponent - which Evetts and Suljovic definitely didn't do.

I like Soutar today. I would make him a favourite. Here is what I'll be going for in the afternoon session
2.5pts Gawlas to beat Burnett 5/4 paddypower
2.5pts Soutar to beat Gurney evens paddypower
1pt afternoon 4-fold - Lukeman 3-0, Whitlock to win and hit the most 180s, Gawlas and Soutar 8/1 paddypower

Should have taken heed of your warning @Fader, Keegan Brown was bang up for that game, and although Hempel won, he didn’t cover the handicap.
 
Any thoughts on Souter this afternoon, a bit surprised he’s the outsider. Played well here last year, and at the Grand Slam last month. Will probably have to up his game a bit from yesterday, but he’s well capable of doing that and Gurney doesn’t seem to be in any sort of form.

The thing is, how used is she to going a set or two down. Most yet matches it seems like she just dominates from the off. That big stage does things to players and most importantly she's playing women who probably average 80-85 max on a good day. Will be an interesting meet

If you think Willie wins then he looks a good price to me as he knows this stage and was only a miscount away from possibly beating Price on it a few years back. It's such an unknown though how he'll cope with what's likely to be a partisan crowd, plus Beau can clearly play. She might be the best female player right now which is scary when you realise she's only 18. From what I've read she has a good temperament and it seems people expect her to thrive on this big stage but again who knows - she's not been here before.
Compared to Sherrock's prices in recent years you'd have to say her price is on the skinny side but then again, winning is a habit and Beau has won a silly amount of matches in a row if I've read right - something like 60 - and that breeds confidence as you'd expect. All things considered it's a difficult match to call, but my first instinct was that Willie was a nice price but having said that I'll be leaving it alone.

what's everybody's opinion on Beaus match? I want to like her chances as she has the same name as one of my dogs but I just think Willie wins it with ease. I know he has been practising mad hard for it, too.

Adding one more outright bet at bigger odds …
Michael van Gerwen to win the tournament, hit a 170 checkout and a 9-dart finish 0.5pts @ 66/1 Skybet
I’ve already set out why I think van Gerwen is the most likely winner of this event, so to add a bit more interest, I’m also going to back him to hit a 170 checkout and a 9-dart finish in the process. His record of 170 finishes in this event is incredible, hitting one in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 !!! He hasn’t hit one in the last couple of years, but it’s clearly a finish he likes to leave. The 9-darter has been a bit more elusive; he did hit one on the Ally Pally stage in the 2013 tournament, but it sounds as though van Gerwen wants to make a bit of a statement in this tournament, so this would be a good way to do it. Furthermore, this bet would have landed in the last tournament, the Players Championship Finals, when MVG hit a 170 checkout and a 9-darter against Rob Cross in the final. 

that's a lovely price. Like that bet.

bottom line with this match fixing too is that they should have lifetime bans. Not be banned for a couple years. Look at Higgins. He has gone and match fixed and got caught by a major paper and had video evidence and he gets 6 months banned. 6 months!

Here is what I'll be going for. 10pts on the outright. 9pts on quarters and 1 point split into 2 punts on the finalists.
Outrights
4pts M.Smith to win Worlds 15/2 paddypower
1pt e/w N.Aspinall to win Worlds 33/1 paddypower
1pt e/w Chisnall to win Worlds 40/1 willhill
0.5pts e/w Searle to win Worlds 66/1 bet365
0.5pts e/w R.Smith to win Worlds 66/1 paddypower
Quarter 1
2pts R.Searle to win Q1 10/1 bet365
0.5pts L.Woodhouse to win Q1 50/1 paddypower
0.5pts R.Meikle to win Q1 80/1 betvictor
Quarter 2
0.5pts C.Menzies to win Q2 66/1 betfred
Quarter 3
0.5pts e/w K.Barry to win Q3 40/1 betfred
0.5pts e/w Rowby Rodriguez to win Q3 50/1 betvictor
Quarter 4
0.5pts e/w De Decker to win Q4 100/1 betvictor
0.5pts e/w S.Williams to win Q4 50/1 betvictor
0.5pts guess on finalists - Price Vs Aspinall 66/1 paddypower
0.5pts guess on finalists - M.Smith Vs Aspinall 100/1 paddypower

 

I also like Ross Smith, no idea what you guys think of it but every time he plays I have the feeling he could be anyone. His high scoring is always putting pressure on the opponent and you need to be a green guy to not be disturbed by this I feel..  I would want to make a bet on both Smiths for the 180s each match.. It's incredible the level of both when they are flying..
 

I have lived 13 years in Shanghai (got a Masters degree in Chinese) and got many Chinese friends, sports betting there is absolutely insane, even though it is supposed to be illegal there are tons of websites (including Chinese versions of Betway or Bodog for instance) and people bet like mad.
I used to bet on Chinese football including 2nd league; some of the games I watched live and witnessed some out of the blue situations of obvious match fixing (the goal keeper pretending blantantly to miss a basic pass and score an own goal , 4 goals scored in 5 minutes with the defenders not moving , players running around stupidly ike Benny Hill videos and pretending to slip etc... ) so I have no doubt that the allegations must be true; fixing games when you are the only player deciding the outcome is so easy.
And the reason I follow snooker is one of my Chinese friends is good friend with Ronnie O'Sullivan and when he went to Shanghai in 2018 I spent several evenings with them.

Yeah, such a big match for him though. If he won that then he was looking at a real chance in that tournament. When Wilson plays O'Connor in a final you know it's wide open lol. Jealous you were there mate, would have been a good evening of Snooker, that.

nice one dave. I'm going to have a proper look at the Worlds over the weekend but probably agree that it's a tournament that MVG should win.

With a week to go until the big one, thought I'd post my thoughts and a few bets ahead of the World Championship that starts on Thursday December 15th.
 
Top 7 in the betting
 
Michael van Gerwen (11/4 Betway, 5/2 General)
Van Gerwen comes into the World Championships as favourite, and in my eyes is the most likely winner of the event. His form towards the back end of the season has been excellent, winning the Grand Prix and Players Championship Finals and reaching the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam. Earlier on in the year he also captured the Premier League and World Matchplay, and having looked a bit vulnerable for the last couple of seasons, he looks like he is on his way back to his best. His record at the World Champs is impressive, three titles (2014, 2017 & 2019) and runner-up twice (2013 & 2020) in the last ten years. The last six players to beat him at Ally Pally have had to average in excess of 100 to beat him – so you have to play very well to defeat him in this event. Van Gerwen had to withdraw from the event 12 months ago due to Covid, I reckon he takes all the beating this time around.
 
Gerwyn Price (6/1 General)
Gerwyn Price comes into Ally Pally as the second favourite and number one seed, but I’m finding it a bit difficult to read his form right now. A finalist at the Matchplay earlier on in the year, he reached the semi-finals of the Grand Prix but exited in the first round of the European Championship and Players Championship Finals. As a former winner, the ‘Iceman’ has to be respected, but I don’t think he’s playing his best right now. I suspect Price will go fairly deep in the tournament, but I don’t see him winning it this year. 
 
Michael Smith (8/1 Unibet, 15/2 General)
‘Bully Boy’ finally captured his first TV Major at the Grand Slam of Darts last month, and his second might not be too far away. Even before the Grand Slam, Smith was having a decent season, reaching the final of the UK Open and European Championships as well as winning three Players Championship events and one European Tour event. His record at the World Championship over the last four years has been feast or famine. Early exits in 2020 and 2021 are sandwiched by appearances in the final in 2019 and 2022. In last year’s final he averaged over 99 and led Peter Wright 5-4, before Wright played some spell-binding darts to reel off the final three sets. With the added confidence of his first TV major, Smith has every chance of going all the way this year.
 
Peter Wright (11/1 General)
It’s not been the best of years for Peter Wright, and that’s before we take a look at his results on the dartboard. An operation over the summer ruled him out of World Series events in Australia and New Zealand, and whilst he bounced back to win on the European Tour in September, he’s been hit by further setbacks with the health of his wife. As a result ‘Snakebite’ pulled out of the Players Championship Finals so his preparation hasn’t been ideal, and with matters off the oche rightly his priority at the moment, Wright doesn’t appeal this time around. As defending champion Wright could make the 11/1 quotes look massive come the New Year, but equally it wouldn’t be the biggest shock if he lost on the opening night and prioritised his personal life over Christmas.
 
Luke Humphries (14/1 General)
Luke Humphries comes into the World Championships as a major threat in my opinion. ‘Cool Hand Luke’ won four European Tour titles earlier in the year and has followed that up with semi-final appearances at both the Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals. His record at the World Championships is also pretty good, a quarter-finalist in three of the last four seasons – and he’s arguably playing much better coming into the tournament this time around than in previous years. Unfortunately, Humphries is in the same quarter of the draw as Michael Smith, but Humphries is up to number five in the World now, you don’t get there without performing consistently well in the big events.
 
Josh Rock (16/1 General)
I’m a big fan of Josh Rock and what he’s achieved this year, but can’t help feel the hype surrounding the young Northern Irishman has bought his price in too far, and he’s become unbackable for me now. This has been Rock’s debut season on the PDC Pro Tour and in the second half of the year he’s played some incredible darts, consistently averaging in the high 90’s. Parallels are being drawn to when Rob Cross burst onto the scene in 2017, but in that season Cross reached the final of the European Championship, two European Tour events and won four Players Championship events. In comparison Rock has won one Players Championship and didn’t progress past the second round in any of the big tournaments towards the back end of the year. There’s no doubt ‘Rocky’ has had a great debut season, but at odds of 16/1 he’s not for me this time around. (Nathan Aspinall, Rob Cross and Danny Noppert have all reached major TV finals and plenty of floor finals this year, and can be backed at twice the odds of Rock).
 
Jonny Clayton (18/1 General)
Jonny Clayton has had another decent season in the non-ranking events, but he’s disappointed in most of the big ranking events recently, losing out in the second round of the Grand Prix, European Championships and Grand Slam. In the most recent tournament, the Players Championship Finals, he made it through to the semi-finals, but his level seems to have dropped compared to the last couple of years. His record at the World Championship doesn’t inspire confidence either, having never made it to the quarter-finals in six attempts.
 
A few others at bigger prices
 
Rob Cross (33/1 General)
It’s been a bit of a mixed bag this season for Cross, disappointing in most of the big TV majors, but then last time out making the final of the Players Championship Finals. Away from the big stage, he’s reached the final of three European Tour events and picked up two titles on the floor in the Players Championship events – so there are signs Cross could do some damage at Ally Pally. He seems slightly over-priced at 33/1, but being in the same quarter as van Gerwen has dampened my enthusiasm for ‘Voltage’.
 
Nathan Aspinall (40/1 Unibet, 33/1 General)
Aspinall has had some injury concerns over the last 18 months, so it’s pretty impressive that he’s bounced back to reach two major finals this year; runner-up to van Gerwen at the Grand Prix and to Michael Smith at the Grand Slam. Aspinall has also reached five finals on the floor this season, more than any other player, winning two of them. ‘The Asp’ has also reached the semi-finals at Ally Pally in two of the last four years, so knows what it takes to go deep in this tournament. The draw could have been kinder to Aspinall, Rock or Callan Rydz in round three, and then seeded to play Clayton in round four and Wright in the quarter-finals, but I’m not ruling out another good showing from Aspinall.
 
Beau Greaves (400/1 PaddyPower)
I won’t be backing Beau Greaves, even at 400/1, but I’m hoping she can shake things up a bit at Ally Pally this year. The 18-year-old has been sensational in the PDC Women’s Series this year, she’s won the last eight events in the series to qualify for this event, a total of 52 consecutive matches. Whilst the quality of opposition clearly isn’t as good as on the main PDC Pro Tour, that takes some doing. Across those 52 matches she’s averaged 85.8, but in many of those games her average would probably have been higher if she’d have been pushed a bit more. An indication of how she can perform was seen in final of the penultimate Women’s Series event, where she beat Fallon Sherrock 5-3 and averaged close to 108. She’ll surely have the Ally Pally crowd behind her, and whilst she won’t be carrying my money, she will have my support – until she faces Michael Smith in the semi-final ?.
 
So it’s Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith to win the title. I can’t ignore the chances of Luke Humphries to have a deep run, and will take a chance on Nathan Aspinall to see off the highly fancied Josh Rock early on and reach the semi-finals.
 
Michael van Gerwen to win Outright 5 pts @ 11/4 Betway
Michael Smith to win Outright 3 pts @ 8/1 Unibet
Luke Humphries to reach Quarter-Finals 5 pts @ 6/4 PaddyPower
Nathan Aspinall to win the Third Quarter 2 pts @ 9/1 BetVictor