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PDC World Darts Championship 2021 Preview and Top Winner Tips

There are a number of traditional sports events that happen around Christmas. The Mosconi Cup used to be played right on Christmas, rather than earlier in December, there’s the Boxing Day football fixture list and the King George VI race at Kempton at the famous Boxing Day meet. However, for me, the event that signifies Christmas is here more than any other is the start of the PDC World Darts Championship, the 2021 version of which gets underway on the 15th December 2020.

Last year, it was the colourful Scotsman Peter Wright who claimed his inaugural world title with a 7-3 win over pre-tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen in the final. Both those players are amongst the favourites once again this year, albeit at longer odds than usual, after what has been something of an unusual season in the PDC, with a number of players landing breakthrough wins at major events in the last 12 months or so.

If you are keen to enjoy a few wagers on the darts over the coming weeks, such as a bet on who will win the tournament outright or maybe you are a fan of the many different In Play bets available on each of the matches being contested at the event, then you will need to be a member of a site that offers extensive coverage of the PDC World Championship. The place to start to receive exactly that is with the current bet365 Sport New Customer Bonus offer.

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One thing to note about the PDC World Darts Championship is that it is growing an audience around the world. It is already hugely popular in the Netherlands and Germany and in addition the Far East and North America are also areas of the world where darts popularity is sky-rocketing. So if you are based in a US state, like Pennsylvania, that allows sports betting and fancy a bet on the darts, what are your options?

Well a great place to start is with the latest BetRivers Promo Code. This offers native Pennsylvanians a great deal when signing up at the BetRivers Sportsbook and Casino site where they can enjoy a wide range of different gambling options. The same site also operates in Indiana too, only here you need to use the latest BetRivers Affiliate Code “HOOSIERBONUS” when signing up to claim a deal only available to natives of the state.

One other option in many other states that allow sports betting is the latest DraftKings Online Sportsbook. This site offers a good value deal for new customers, as well as a wealth of betting options for sporting events all over the world.

Let’s now take a look at the tournament that starts on Tuesday 15th December and which will progress through until the Champion is crowned after the final on the 3rd January 2021.

PDC World Darts Championship 2021

A total of 96 players will be competing at the tournament. The top 32 ranked players in the PDC across the course of the season have been handed one of the top 32 seed spots and they will have an automatic bye through the First Round games and will begin their quest to win the title in the Second Round.

The remaining 64 players will battle it out across 32 First Round games. These will be played from the 15th to the 20th December. Selected second Round matches will be played concurrently from the 15th to the 20th with one second round match each session until the 20th December. Then from the 21st to the 23rd, the remaining Second Round matches will be completed before the three-day Christmas break.

The action resumes on the 27th December with the Third Round and from then on there will be darts action every day over the remainder of the tournament until the final on the 3rd January 2021 when the new 2021 PDC World Darts Champion will be crowned.

As players progress through the tournament, the number of sets played in a ‘best of’ format will increase as follows:

  • First & Second Rounds – Best of 5 Sets
  • Third and Fourth Rounds – Best of 7 Sets
  • Quarterfinals – Best of 9 Sets
  • Semifinals – Best of 11 Sets
  • Final – Best of 13 Sets

The Seeds

It is likely that the winner of this year’s tournament will come from the seeded players and the 32 that have been allocated a seeding for the event, and thus a place in the second round, are outlined below together with their odds to win the tournament outright.

PDC World Darts Championship – The Top 32 Seeds & Tournament Odds

  1. Michael van Gerwen (Holland) – 12/5 favourite
  2. Peter Wright (Scotland) – 6/1
  3. Gerwyn Price (Wales) – 5/1
  4. Michael Smith (England) – 12/1
  5. Rob Cross (England) – 55/1
  6. Nathan Aspinall (England) – 22/1
  7. James Wade (England) – 33/1
  8. Dave Chisnall (England) – 50/1
  9. Dmitri Van den Bergh (Belgium) – 18/1
  10. Ian White (England) – 80/1
  11. Daryl Gurney (Northern Ireland) – 100/1
  12. Glen Durrant (England) – 33/1
  13. Gary Anderson (Scotland) – 33/1
  14. Jose de Sousa (Portugal) – 16/1
  15. Krzysztof Ratajski (Poland) – 40/1
  16. Joe Cullen (England) – 80/1
  17. Johnny Clayton (Wales) – 100/1
  18. Simon Whitlock (Australia) – 50/1
  19. Mervyn King (England) – 100/1
  20. Mensur Suljovic (Austria) – 80/1
  21. Adrian Lewis (England) – 125/1
  22. Chris Dobey (England) – 150/1
  23. Jeffrey de Zwaan (Holland) – 100/1
  24. Jermaine Wattamena (Holland) – 200/1
  25. Danny Noppert (Holland) – 200/1
  26. Stephen Bunting (England) – 300/1
  27. Vincent van der Voort (Holland) – 250/1
  28. Jamie Hughes (England) – 250/1
  29. Devon Petersen (South Africa) – 33/1
  30. Brendan Dolan (Northern Ireland) – 300/1
  31. Gabriel Clemens (Germany) – 100/1
  32. Ricky Evans (England) – 300/1

Are there any players of note in the unseeded section of the draw?

Yes, there are a number of players that could go deep in the tournament this year and this includes the likes of veterans like Steve Beaton, Andy Boulton, John Henderson and Andy Hamilton. There are also a talented crop of younger players coming through with the likes of Callan Rydz, Luke Woodhouse, Luke Humphries, Keane Barry, Jamie Lewis, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Deta Hedman all worth a closer look. We also have two female competitors in Lisa Ashton and Toru Suzuki competing in the main event although the women’s star of last year, Fallon Sherrock, didn’t qualify this time around.

Who should I back to win the 2021 PDC World Darts Championship?

In truth, the smart money bets should be on the likes of van Gerwen, Wright or Price. All three of these players have proven their quality over the course of a number of seasons and all of them, bar Price, have previously won this title (and many feel Price is due a victory). You can also add the likes of Michael Smith, James Wade and Gary Anderson to this list as I expect all of these players to go deep in the tournament.

However my selection to win the tournament is Belgian youngster Dmitri van den Bergh. He has twice reached the quarterfinals here, in 2018 and 2020, and after winning the World Matchplay earlier this year to land his first Major title, he has proven he can beat the best in the biggest events. At 18/1, I think he is a great value bet as an outright winner bet.

That said, if you are looking for some value on the each way market (bet365 offer an each way payout of ½ the odds if you back a player to win each way and they reach the final but lose) then one option to consider is Glen Durrant. The former 3-time BDO Champion has had a very solid season in the PDC, catching the eye in the Premier League, and the longer format games do tend to suit his methodical style of play. At 33/1 he is a very good outside bet.

Ian John

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