Darts
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Last 2 days have gone pretty well so let's hope we can carry on the momentum with another couple of winners. Today sees the culmination of R2 and the start of R3 so let's see what the matches have to offer 
Michael Smith v Brendan Dolan:
R1 - Smith bt Mensur Suljovic
Ave: 97.47
180's: 9
HC: 124
CO%: 50%
Dolan bt Nolan Arendse 3-0
Ave: 90.18
180's: 2
HC: 108
CO%: 43%
Opening match of the day sees the bully boy take on the irishman Dolan. Smith actually knuckled down well in the first match v Suljovic but I'm still not convinced about his attitude at times. Looks very sulky and at times it looks like he doesn't actually enjoy being on stage. Dolan beat the south african qualifier easily in R1 and he's a stuffy opponent who will take advantage of any slackness in Smith's play. I like the look of Smith's maxes in this match simply because I can see it going 6 sets at least and if we know one thing about Smith it's that he can hit the lipstick for fun. He had 9 in 20 legs in R1 and if we get the same again then the mark is easily achievable.
Recommendation: 2pts win Michael Smith over 6.5 maxes @ 5/6 (365)
Vincent Van Der Voort v Max Hopp:
R1 - VDV bt John Henderson 3-2
Ave: 93.39
180's: 7
HC: 157
CO%: 40%
Hopp bt Mervyn King 3-2
Ave: 96.6
180's: 10
HC: 161
CO%: 38%
Should be a decent game this between 2 quick players who can score very heavily at times. VDV was not happy with his performance in R1 but I actually thought he played pretty well. Scored heavily and doubled pretty well for him too as he is often very flaky on the finishing. Hopp had the most maxes in R1 and showed for the first time on tv why he is very highly rated. King was struggling a bit with an injury but take nothing away from young Max who punished him superbly. Again I like the maxes of Hopp here as he showed he is very capable on song and the line looks a bit lower than I anticipated.
Recommendation: 2pts win Max Hopp over 5.5 maxes @ 6/5 (365)
Raymond Van Barneveld v Jamie Caven:
R1 - Barney bt Rowby John Rodriguez 3-0
Ave: 99.93
180's: 3
HC: 170
CO%: 50%
Caven bt Jason Hogg 3-2
Ave: 80.87
180's: 5
HC: 77
CO%: 24%
Last match of afternoon sees 5 times world champ Barney take on the disappointing on tv Jamie Caven. They met last year and it was an absolute classic which Barney edged 4-3 and I'd take the same again tomorrow. Barney strolled to an opening win but was under no pressure and in my opinion he is still seriously vulnerable when it gets tough. Caven was awful in his first match though and if he plays like that again then it will be a pressure free afternoon for Ray. Can't see a bet here but I would say that something tells me Caven sometimes seems to be a better player in the afternoon (Or I could be imaging that) so he might keep it close.
Recommendation: No bet
James Wade v Stephen Bunting:
R1 - Wade bt Jamie Lewis 3-1
Ave: 97.14
180's: 4
HC: 96
CO%: 37%
Bunting bt Robert Marijanovic 3-1
Ave: 90.2
180's: 2
HC: 124
CO%: 59%
Last match of the round and on paper probably the one that most were looking forward to. Wade has been a much improved player of late and played well in his opening win. He seems to be enjoying his darts now and credits much of that to his off the board happiness. Bunting is the reigning BDO champ and he is capable of spells of darts when he is simply unplayable. However at times since coming over he has showed some inconsistency too and if he's not at his best then I think Wade will jump all over him. I think Wade is actually a fair price for the win here and will be having a small bet on him progressing.
Recommendation: 1pt win James Wade @ 4/6 (General)
Michael Van Gerwen v Terry Jenkins:
R2 - MVG bt Sascha Stein 4-1
Ave: 99.87
180's: 8
HC: 86
CO%: 38%
Jenkins bt Lawrence Ryder 4-0
Ave: 96.45
180's: 7
HC: 164
CO%: 41%
First match of the last 16 sees a mouthwatering clash which I am really looking forward to. MVG has dropped a set in both wins so far and I think the common consensus is he is more vulnerable now than he was 12 months ago. He still scores very heavily but seems much more prone to spells of legs when nothing he goes for actually lands. Jenks on the other hand has played very solidly in his 2 wins so far and never dropped a leg in R2. He also came within a whisker of another 9 dart leg and I think he will fancy the job here. There could be a lot of maxes in this but the line of over 14 looks high in case Jenks is blown away which could happen. However I'm willing to chance a small bet on a high check here as both are very capable of the big finishes.
Recommendation: 1pt win over 130.5 HC @ 5/6 (General)
Robert Thornton v Benito Van De Pas:
R2 - Thornton bt Ronnie Baxter 4-0
Ave: 93.78
180's: 7
HC: 40
CO%: 31%
Van De Pas bt Dave Chisnall 4-2
Ave: 91.44
180's: 4
HC: 127
CO%: 31%
Last match of the evening session sees Thornton take on the surprise package in young dutchman Van De Pas. Thornton was under no pressure v Baxter but did what he had to do and won easily. He's still a player who I think is impossible to figure out though as he is extremely inconsistent. He's a worthy favourite here but Benito is riding the crest of a wave and will fancy his chances of creating another upset. He has knocked out 2 seeds so far and he was very gritty in coming from behind to beat Chissy in R2 and if he can average mid 90's again then he might stand a chance. I think the prices all look right here though and I will be happy to watch and see who advances to the QF.
Recommendation: No Bet
Summary: I fancy Wade to win and a couple of players maxes tomorrow in the hope we can keep up the good run. All views and bets as always welcome and best of luck to all the regulars on here tomorrow. I might even try and stick up a winner at the horses again!
HH
Michael Smith v Brendan Dolan:
R1 - Smith bt Mensur Suljovic
Ave: 97.47
180's: 9
HC: 124
CO%: 50%
Dolan bt Nolan Arendse 3-0
Ave: 90.18
180's: 2
HC: 108
CO%: 43%
Opening match of the day sees the bully boy take on the irishman Dolan. Smith actually knuckled down well in the first match v Suljovic but I'm still not convinced about his attitude at times. Looks very sulky and at times it looks like he doesn't actually enjoy being on stage. Dolan beat the south african qualifier easily in R1 and he's a stuffy opponent who will take advantage of any slackness in Smith's play. I like the look of Smith's maxes in this match simply because I can see it going 6 sets at least and if we know one thing about Smith it's that he can hit the lipstick for fun. He had 9 in 20 legs in R1 and if we get the same again then the mark is easily achievable.
Recommendation: 2pts win Michael Smith over 6.5 maxes @ 5/6 (365)
Vincent Van Der Voort v Max Hopp:
R1 - VDV bt John Henderson 3-2
Ave: 93.39
180's: 7
HC: 157
CO%: 40%
Hopp bt Mervyn King 3-2
Ave: 96.6
180's: 10
HC: 161
CO%: 38%
Should be a decent game this between 2 quick players who can score very heavily at times. VDV was not happy with his performance in R1 but I actually thought he played pretty well. Scored heavily and doubled pretty well for him too as he is often very flaky on the finishing. Hopp had the most maxes in R1 and showed for the first time on tv why he is very highly rated. King was struggling a bit with an injury but take nothing away from young Max who punished him superbly. Again I like the maxes of Hopp here as he showed he is very capable on song and the line looks a bit lower than I anticipated.
Recommendation: 2pts win Max Hopp over 5.5 maxes @ 6/5 (365)
Raymond Van Barneveld v Jamie Caven:
R1 - Barney bt Rowby John Rodriguez 3-0
Ave: 99.93
180's: 3
HC: 170
CO%: 50%
Caven bt Jason Hogg 3-2
Ave: 80.87
180's: 5
HC: 77
CO%: 24%
Last match of afternoon sees 5 times world champ Barney take on the disappointing on tv Jamie Caven. They met last year and it was an absolute classic which Barney edged 4-3 and I'd take the same again tomorrow. Barney strolled to an opening win but was under no pressure and in my opinion he is still seriously vulnerable when it gets tough. Caven was awful in his first match though and if he plays like that again then it will be a pressure free afternoon for Ray. Can't see a bet here but I would say that something tells me Caven sometimes seems to be a better player in the afternoon (Or I could be imaging that) so he might keep it close.
Recommendation: No bet
James Wade v Stephen Bunting:
R1 - Wade bt Jamie Lewis 3-1
Ave: 97.14
180's: 4
HC: 96
CO%: 37%
Bunting bt Robert Marijanovic 3-1
Ave: 90.2
180's: 2
HC: 124
CO%: 59%
Last match of the round and on paper probably the one that most were looking forward to. Wade has been a much improved player of late and played well in his opening win. He seems to be enjoying his darts now and credits much of that to his off the board happiness. Bunting is the reigning BDO champ and he is capable of spells of darts when he is simply unplayable. However at times since coming over he has showed some inconsistency too and if he's not at his best then I think Wade will jump all over him. I think Wade is actually a fair price for the win here and will be having a small bet on him progressing.
Recommendation: 1pt win James Wade @ 4/6 (General)
Michael Van Gerwen v Terry Jenkins:
R2 - MVG bt Sascha Stein 4-1
Ave: 99.87
180's: 8
HC: 86
CO%: 38%
Jenkins bt Lawrence Ryder 4-0
Ave: 96.45
180's: 7
HC: 164
CO%: 41%
First match of the last 16 sees a mouthwatering clash which I am really looking forward to. MVG has dropped a set in both wins so far and I think the common consensus is he is more vulnerable now than he was 12 months ago. He still scores very heavily but seems much more prone to spells of legs when nothing he goes for actually lands. Jenks on the other hand has played very solidly in his 2 wins so far and never dropped a leg in R2. He also came within a whisker of another 9 dart leg and I think he will fancy the job here. There could be a lot of maxes in this but the line of over 14 looks high in case Jenks is blown away which could happen. However I'm willing to chance a small bet on a high check here as both are very capable of the big finishes.
Recommendation: 1pt win over 130.5 HC @ 5/6 (General)
Robert Thornton v Benito Van De Pas:
R2 - Thornton bt Ronnie Baxter 4-0
Ave: 93.78
180's: 7
HC: 40
CO%: 31%
Van De Pas bt Dave Chisnall 4-2
Ave: 91.44
180's: 4
HC: 127
CO%: 31%
Last match of the evening session sees Thornton take on the surprise package in young dutchman Van De Pas. Thornton was under no pressure v Baxter but did what he had to do and won easily. He's still a player who I think is impossible to figure out though as he is extremely inconsistent. He's a worthy favourite here but Benito is riding the crest of a wave and will fancy his chances of creating another upset. He has knocked out 2 seeds so far and he was very gritty in coming from behind to beat Chissy in R2 and if he can average mid 90's again then he might stand a chance. I think the prices all look right here though and I will be happy to watch and see who advances to the QF.
Recommendation: No Bet
Summary: I fancy Wade to win and a couple of players maxes tomorrow in the hope we can keep up the good run. All views and bets as always welcome and best of luck to all the regulars on here tomorrow. I might even try and stick up a winner at the horses again!
HH
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HH, good luck with the horses mate. Interesting to see you've gone for Wade.
I too fancy Wade to beat Bunting, as i did when the pair met in Sydney, and again in the Grand Slam. Bunting put in a top front running performance and it's fair to say that Wadey didn't run out of legs, he was simply beaten by the better player on the day. However, Bunting also has a habit of playing utter gash in early rounds then really turning it on against the so called better players. I have marked for him a few times and witnessed some shockers though he still found a way to get over the line. With that in mind and his more than ropey first round against a prelim qualifier he's not for me. Wadey is well and truly in the zone right now and my initial thought when the draw was made was Wade's the banker of the round. It may also be my left handed solidarity bias getting the better of me so i'll be sitting this one out and hoping both players perform at the top of their game. A cover of the h c/o spread could be worth a poke or Wade on his own. Norn Iron's Brendan Dolan v Sulker Smith is a match i will tune in and out of and maybe have some small 180's bets in play. Barney v Jabba - My affiliation to dart players sometimes gets the better of me when it comes to watching players smash it in floor comps only to see average as best performances in tv comps. This is where a meeting of minds with could eradicate my reckless abandon and belief in these players. Jabba is a classic example when it comes to this. "He's only got one eye" is a great song for cone head. I'm still waiting for the Ally Pally morons to sing him home when he's getting the better of the old nodding Dutchman. Jamie gets slated from all sides, the pros in the comms box and the armchair mob on the forum. His scoring can be blistering good but his sequence of missed doubles baffles me. Fecks up his average and costs him big time. Still, I shall be keeping the faith and cheering him all the way. He's not shy of a bob or two neither and along with the wife Debbie, has built up a tidy side line of merchandise for all ages. I guess i'm a fan of the cone. Already posted the other day - Jabba Over 4.5 180's @ 17/20. 0.5pt. Vincent v Hopp - Hopp was superb in beating Merv. He's been talked of in Germany as the next big thing, and looking at a pic posted of him on the forum the other day he was certainly huge! While he's still only 18 years of age i attribute some/if not more of his success to his height as he's another player on the darting conveyor belt who measures 6 foot plus. Mardle surprised me in the first round when he said he'd never seen Hopp play this well on the pro tour. Excuse me Wayne, but i saw enough in the pro tour events in Europe on the big stage to know he had a game in him. Mardle was probably on a jolly up at one of his business lunch exhibition events to care less about a poxy friday afternoon event streamed online and played in front of a near empty venue (though packed in the evening and weekend).Vincent will always be a hit and miss player and one i tend to avoid getting involved with as there's no way of knowing if he's on a going day. Max is way too good to be dismissed as a flash in the pan in his first round win. Sets betting for me - Over 5.5 sets @ 8/11 sporting. 1.1pts. Now only -4.24pts down on selections (was -9.6pts). The pesky first round of the worlds gets me every time, though i was unfortunate with a couple of the rags in those matches? Isn't insomnia a wonderful thing! I got diagnosed with it years ago and starting work at 6am made for some late clock ins. The shift change to permanent afternoons was a kind of blessing. On that note i will close up shop and return later in the morning. Much later i hope. Moce mada  P.S. First 9 darts (throughout the) match averages, and breaks of throw: Bunting 92.80 (way too shabby) Breaks of throw 5/7 v Wade 109.52 Breaks of throw 5/9 Hopp 106.51 Breaks of throw 4/13 v Vincent 98.00 Breaks of throw 4/11 Dolan 101.85 Breaks of throw 4/4 v Michael Smith 102.52 Breaks of throw 2/10 Barney 108.09 Breaks of throw 3/5 v Caven 93.68 (needs addressing) Breaks of throw 4/10 |
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Two cracking write ups there fella`s, never noticed these threads till last couple of days.
A total novice here but finding the matches are much more enjoyable having called in here for a few pointers, some other posters around that have had some good calls. Keep it up lads as it is good to have a decent sport section on this forum. |
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2 horse bets for me today too.
2.10 Newbury - Blaklion Got a lot of time for this horse and it's won 5 out of last 6. Only defeat came of 21f at Cheltenham and got beaten off Parlour Games but it re-opposes today with a 3lb pull and I think they will try to make the most of it's undoubted stamina today. Don't fancy the favourite of Nicky Henderson's who is stepping up in trip as this is going to be a slog in the mud at Newbury and I hope that stamina will win the day. 3.05 Leopardstown - Don Poli Someone joked on here yesterday I must have an inside feed into Gigginstown but I honestly haven't. This horse jumped beautifully on it's chase debut and beat a decent field in doing so. It relishes heavy ground and it has the assistance of man of the moment Bryan Cooper and I fully expect him to notch another big race victory today I've done 2 singles and a small double both around 5/2 just now |
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Dolan leads Smith 5-1 on the h2h record too so might be a big price for people who pay credence to those stats
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cant argue with his round one figures but I might be more confident of vdv hitting the 6 maxes than hopp hitting them. That said I'm going to double up smith and hopp as suggested and hope dolans pace doesn't have a negative affect on smiths max hitting.
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surprised they dont have wade v bunting on last tonight
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They couldn't Rob as it's the last R2 match so has to go on first
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Thanks for the racing tips HH. I made a profit on your two selections yesterday so will have another £5 on each today. I know nothing about horses, so normally avoid them, but have complete faith in you
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I'm in for the horses as well, let's go
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Also had a tiny bet on Desert Joe in the 1.05. Think it's got a race in it off it's current mark and at 6/1 it's got a sporting chance
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I'm in again! Made a little profit on the Big Bash this morning so I'm reinvesting
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I think Barney's game is in a really good place right now. I know I'm in a minority but I don't expect to see the toys come out of the pram when he gets challenged. I rate Caven but I don't think he has the consistency to put Barney off his game over 7 sets and I am taking Barney on the King of the Oche market at 13/8 (most maxes, biggest check and win). I've done that as a single and a treble with Hopp & Smith to cover their 180s and it pays just over 7/1.
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Hahahaha horses. I'm in too. Hibee's a legend. (As seen at the Darts Masters in Scotland close to the entertaining giant lol). Jumping on a good old forum bandwagon is certainly not my kind of thing but it won't hurt as a one off as it's christmas. I may have over done it by placing a gold coin on an e/w double.
29 Dec 14 / 10:34 Double(s) (EW) 1 Standard 2:10 Newbury – Win Blaklion @ Guaranteed Price (11/4) – £1.00 O/3898348/0000149/F 2 Standard 3:05 Leopardstown – Win Don Poli @ Guaranteed Price (5/2) |
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Matched betsOrder by matched date
Back (Bet For) Odds Stake Profit Desert Joe7.4 £2.45 £15.68 Ref: 44841502384Matched: 10:43 29-Dec-14 Desert Joe7.4 £1.30 £8.32 Ref: 44841502384Matched: 10:42 29-Dec-14 Desert Joe7.4 £1.25 £8.00 Ref: 44841502384Matched: 10:42 29-Dec-14 Matched betsOrder by matched date Back (Bet For) Odds Stake Profit Blaklion3.85 £5.00 £14.25 Ref: 44841499403Matched: 10:39 29-Dec-14 Matched betsOrder by matched date Back (Bet For) Odds Stake Profit Don Poli3.3 £5.00 £11.50 Ref: 44841497840Matched: 10:39 29-Dec-14 I'm in |
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Pressure is on I'll take 1 winner from the 3
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Hopp is an interesting one. I think he could make the step up.
Given the huge number of active recreational dart players in Germany it is utterly incredible that they haven`t yet produced a decent darter. Hopp HOPP |
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Smith most maxes, -2 on the maxes, and Dolan under 4.5 maxes for me. Needs little explanation this one - one's a big max hitter, the other isn't. Despite the head to head I fancy Smith to win comfortably here.
Hopp most maxes against VDV. Looked pretty fluent in the first round having hit more than anyone else. Was expecting a shorter price so am happy to take slight odds against on him repeating the dose against VDV. Initially thought Caven would be a decent outside bet to take out Barney. However I just cannot back Jabba considering how he melts when in front of the cameras. Barney was finishing very well last time up with a couple of big checks and I expect him to win the match comfortably enough. Special on Barney win, high check, and most 180s for me. |
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Fair assessment OTB
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EAT SLEEP DARTS REPEAT
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2 FOR ME TODAY SMITH MOST MAXES / HOPP TO TAKE OUT VINCE
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Just noticed at 2pm Jimmy Two Times is running
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Darts, hosses and a bit of footy later. Love the holidays. Also my bid to get Crewe into the Championship after last year's playoff heartbreak in my new game of FM15.
Shame I've got some family coming over later to ruin everything  |
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Now the nags hh? All is ok in the saddle box i hope?
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Thought first was 1:10pm. It's 2:10
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1.05 DnB, Desert Joe
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Here's Lore.
They're on the london eye and she's asks bullyboy "are you scared of heights." Priceless |
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The way his missus is staring at Lore like she's going to try and jump his bones on the London Eye
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smith has one hell of a triple chin
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BB has been told. Time to grow up - Good to see him manning up.
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Laure there is actually passable as an interviewer.
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Dr Rod "with that attitue you'll have no fans."
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Daniella
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"Sing up yer bstards woah woah." C'mon Bren. Norn Iron
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can they both lose ?
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We can only hope.
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Dolan recently said he feels he can break into the top 4 in the rankings
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God I hope not
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