*** World Darts Championship - Day 1 ***

Agree with this. A lot are overplaying the impact of Lewis having a kid recently. I think he'll steamroller young Vos who tends to exit floor tournaments at the last 128 stage more often than not.

Welge the most likely odds against poke to oblige but wouldn't say so with a any degree of confidence

I'll be trying a double on Welge and Stompe, Nicholson really hasn't gone on as I expected

No better way of commencing the World Darts Championships season than with another stellar Hibee preview.  A mouthwatering selection of betting opportunities indeed.

Fingers crossed we will even see the Darts Forum renewing itself during the next month.

Good luck one and all.

Morning Hib, hope you cleaned up in Nevada.

And then after you'd finished doing the rooms, maybe you made it down to the tables for a few rounds of 'Go Johnny Go Go Go Go' against the top pros?

Oh wow, that must have been tasty. What was the Vegas betting line on that one?

Cheers Hib. It's heartwarming to learn that the masterminds of the Sinaloa Cartel have decided to launder drug money by backing 2/1 shots at 11/8 in Vegas, rather than the normal route of depositing it at the Nevada branch of the Heinous Shambolic Banking Corporation.

Thornton 3-1
Welge 4-1
Nicho 3-0
Lewis 3-0
Painter 3-1

Dont really see too many good games tonight Steppy if I'm totally honest

Ive never been so pleased to see a thread ever.
Welcome back Happy.

One bet for me tonight... Nicho -1.5 on the Hcap.

Stompy looks like he has totally gone at the game to me.

Good luck

I've backed Anderson, Pipe, Thornton, Winstanley & Kellett mate. Really think Anderson has a serious chance at 18/1

Scott Rand too as a lively outsider

Sometimes death can just inspire. I'm sure it was ben crenshaw who won the masters after a death of someone close to him and for some bizarre reason it just happens.

I agree I like watching him play too and hope he goes well this tourney

Over the past decade, the popularity of darts has grown at an exponential rate, becoming the second-most watched sport on Sky Sports, behind football. The 'arrers offers a multitude of betting opportunities, but where to start? Let Betting.Betfair darts tipster Jaymes Monte guide you through


1. Analyse the form

Darts is very much a confidence game and - perhaps more so than any other sport - a run of solid recent form should be a significant indicator in guiding your betting.

Away from the glare of competition, most of the players at the top of the sport are of very similar ability. The divisions occur in how well players can translate their play from the practice board to the competition board. And confidence is one of the biggest factors in successfully achieving that.

It should also be considered how well a player can translate form in weekend tournaments, away from the cameras, to the main stage with thousands watching.

Mark Walsh and Justin Pipe are prime examples of players who have dominated 'floor tournaments' (non-televised events) for extended periods of their career but have not been able to successfully land a major title in front of the cameras.


2. Analyse the draw

There was a time not so long ago when being drawn on the opposite side of a tournament schedule to Phil Taylor was the very first thing to look for when considering backing someone other than The Power in the outright markets.

Now, with so many players raising their game to challenge Taylor, the tournament draw requires even more scrutiny.

Take the 2012 Grand Slam of Darts as a prime example. Form players Michael van Gerwen and Simon Whitlock were drawn in the same half of the schedule as Phil Taylor and 2010 winner Scott Waites. Leaving the bottom half of the draw wide open and allowing Raymond van Barneveld to win his first Major title for five years.

It's certainly not the be all and end all, but a favourable draw can be a significant factor in who lifts the trophy come the end of the week. Make that your first point of reference before deciding whom to back for a title.


3. Betting In-Play

If you're going to bet In-Play on the darts then you either need to be quick or do your trading in the advertisement breaks.

A leg or even a match can swing in favour of one player or the other within the space of a few seconds.

Three missed darts at a double, a 180 or a big checkout can turn the betting on its head, so if you want to trade during the action you need to be quick and do so with conviction.


4. Know your players

Unlike some sports - football, rugby, boxing, for example - a big lead in a darts match does not allow a player to sit back and see out the game.

There's no equivalent of taking the ball into the corner to waste a bit of time in darts, you've got to hit that winning double to get over the line, and for some players a winning double can prove problematic.

When playing with such fine margins, tension can play a big part, so make a note - mentally or physically - of players who become a little nervy when the winning line approaches, and be prepared to lay them at short prices.

Equally, some players can be naturally slow starters in matches, before picking up the pace when they get into a rhythm. If you fancy a player to win a match, but know he can be a slow starter then you could get a much bigger price betting In-Play than you would pre-match.

I tend to agree with HH that this isn't much of a betting night but nevertheless, I see Thornton is a 5/4 shot to win 3-0 against Caris and that's been matched as low as 2.12 on here - that's a lay for me as Thornton (despite playing the best darts of his career over the last 6 months) is not always one to rely on and Magnus can easily win a set!

Caris played well against Beaton last year for virtually three sets, before imploding when the verminous crowd were on his back.
On all known form this is a win for Thornton but the Swede is a steady performer and I reckon he can hold his throw at some stage, at least three times on the trot.

I hate to back odds-on which is in effect what I'm doing in laying Thornton, but that's easily the bet of the night for me

Just like Keith Elliot's theory in golf that a player would often win after becoming a dad (The nappy factor) Might be something in it but might have won regardless who knows?

The nappy factor instinctively makes a bit more sense to me. Just because it's a positive thing in people's lives I suppose.

It was in the Racing Post but must have been available somewhere else as it was mentioned on an outright thread I think Navel

HH, your followers will be rather disappointed with your "no bets" tonight

I'm steering clear myself, and though some big hitters may think there's value in backing thornton and lewis in running for a quick green out, it's a dodgy strategy.

I'm looking forward to the prelim matches, best of 7 legs is a coin flip espesh as never know the pressure one player may feel to another.

Good luck all

Is the Paul Lim who's qualified the Paul Lim of the first televised 9 darter fame