Place Your Bets For The European Darts Open 2016

Gary Anderson
The PDC European Tour action resumed in Dusseldorf yesterday and, although some of the earlier first round matches will have started by the time you read this, the real action gets underway tomorrow when the big boys enter play.

The tournament runs from July 29 – 31 at the Maritim Hotel in Düsseldorf, Germany, with all matches to be contested over the best of 11 legs.

Absent from the sixth event of the series will be Phil “The Power” Taylor, beaten finalist in last weekend’s Matchplay final, and fellow Stoke thrower Adrian Lewis, leaving a clear straight shot for the likes of Michael Van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, pictured above after his win in Tokyo. These all feature in a field of 48 players, including last year’s winner Robert Thornton (100/1), competing over three days of action for the £115,000 in prize money.

Darts man of the moment (indeed the past few years) Michael Van Gerwen is aiming to follow up last Sunday’s World Matchplay victory with his fourth European Tour triumph of the year, having also claimed the glory in Venray in the Netherlands, Munich and Gibraltar. Bet365, who incidentally will be streaming live coverage of the event, are laying evens for him to do exactly that.

World Champion Gary Anderson, himself having a storming 2016, is naturally the second seed and can be backed at 4/1, while fellow Scot Peter Wright is the next in the betting at 9/1, also at bet365. James Wade and Dave Chisnall are also in attendance and both are 25/1, although in the absence of England’s top two players it is hard to look beyond the first three, so we’ll go with Gary Anderson on this one as the only likely threat and challenger to the big Dutchman.

Save for Thursday’s qualifiers, the internet-streamed tournament begins for real on Friday with the first round where 32 qualifiers all face off, before the top 16 seeds enter play on Saturday in the second round, with the tournament concluding on Sunday.

The European Darts Open will be streamed worldwide through www.LIVEPDC.TV and bet365 for all subscribers.

European Open 2016 tournament schedule

All times BST

Friday July 29

First Round, Afternoon Session (12pm-4pm)

  • John Henderson v Jan Dekker
  • Ritchie Edhouse v Harry Ward
  • Wes Newton v Shaun Griffiths
  • Kim Viljanen v Martin Schindler
  • James Richardson v Daniele Petri
  • Robbie Green v Daryl Gurney
  • John Michael v Fabian Herz
  • Jonny Clayton v Andy Hamilton

First Round, Evening Session (6pm-10pm)

  • Mark Frost v Stefan Stoyke
  • Dimitri Van den Bergh v Jeffrey de Graaf
  • Holger Rettig v Steve West
  • Jamie Caven v Christian Kist
  • Andy Jenkins v Devon Petersen
  • Max Hopp v Andy Boulton
  • Cristo Reyes v Kyle Anderson
  • Gerwyn Price v Tony Newell

Saturday July 30

Second Round, Afternoon Session (12pm-4pm)

  • Terry Jenkins v Clayton/Hamilton
  • Stephen Bunting v Frost/Stoyke
  • Robert Thornton v Newton/Griffiths
  • Jelle Klaasen v Edhouse/Ward
  • Benito van de Pas v Green/Gurney
  • Mensur Suljovic v Michael/Herz
  • Ian White v A Jenkins/Petersen
  • Michael Smith v Richardson/Petri

Second Round, Evening Session (6pm-10pm)

  • Simon Whitlock v Price/Newell
  • Kim Huybrechts v Van den Bergh/de Graaf
  • Dave Chisnall v Henderson/Dekker
  • Peter Wright v Rettig/West
  • Gary Anderson v Viljanen/Schindler
  • James Wade v Hopp/Boulton
  • Michael van Gerwen v Caven/Kist
  • Alan Norris v Reyes/Anderson

Prize fund:

  • Winner: £25,000
  • Runner-up: £10,000
  • Semi-final losers: £5,000
  • Quarter-Final losers: £3,500
  • Third round losers: £2,000
  • Second round losers: £1,500
  • First round losers: £1,000

Van Gerwen Bests Taylor In World Matchplay

Michael Van Gerwen made it back-to-back Blackpool wins last weekend when he saw off the challenge of Phil Taylor to win this year’s World Matchplay title, his 12th victory of 2016.

World Matchplay
It was a brutal performance by the Dutchman who closed the game over fifteen-time Blackpool winner Taylor with an 18-10 victory at the Winter Gardens on Sunday evening, hitting two-thirds of his darts at doubles as well as 12 maximums.

Van Gerwen lost to Taylor on the Winter Gardens stage two years ago, but there never looked like there would be a repeat of the defeat even after a maximum helped Taylor take the opening leg. Van Gerwen responded immediately and closed at 70 to level and 77 to break Taylor’s throw in the third leg. Soon after, a brilliant 11-dart finish, which included two 180s, saw the Dutchman move 3-1 ahead.

Taylor struck back in the fifth leg and finished 70 on the bull, only for MVG to respond with a two-dart 93 checkout which was followed by finishes of 65, 110, tops, 63 and 76 over the next six legs to move 11-4 clear of Taylor.

Taylor won two out of the next three, and also claimed legs 11 and 12 to pull things back to 13-8 but a 13-dart finish from the Dutchman was followed by a checkout of 112 as the match swung firmly in the Van Gerwen’s favour. For what is was worth, Taylor rallied once more with a 130 finish and then took out 81 for a 12 darter to stay within touching distance at 15-10, but, with the end in sight, Van Gerwen landed double 16 to complete a brilliant triumph.

The win here means that van Gerwen becomes only the third player in history to retain the prestigious World Matchplay title, a feat shared only by the vanquished Taylor and Rod Harrington back in 1998 and 99.

Van Gerwen said: “It feels amazing to win this title again. I think I played well all through the tournament and I dominated the final – against Phil you always need to step up a bit and I did. To beat Phil is always nice because he’s a legend and I’ve got so much respect for him. He knows that and that makes it even better to win this trophy by beating him.”

Read More

Taylor’s Made For Blackpool: The Power Is A Must Bet

Phil "The Power" Taylor - darts' greatest ever
Tonight, at 19:15 UK time, the last remaining quarter-finals of the World Darts Matchplay take place as Mervyn King and Phil Taylor meet, with the latter 1/10 to make Saturday’s semi-finals. This will be immediately followed by World Champion Gary Anderson facing off against a rejuvenated Steve Beaton.

Last night, our outside betting tip for the week Phil Chisnall was eliminated courtesy of Michael Van Gerwen. Mighty Mike raced ahead but Chizzy threw admirably and more than once showed MVG that the game was far from over.

However, anytime the Dutchman felt threatened, he simply switched up a gear and furthered his lead. Ending up the 16-9 winner, he takes another step towards winning a second title at the Blackpool event.

Moments earlier, Adrian Lewis had seen off Peter Wright against a hostile, but jovial, crowd. Despite the boos raining down from the masses, the Stoke-born thrower won out 16-14 in a close match against Snakebite.

So the big three remain and could, by tomorrow, make up the last three quarters of the final four. Along with Lewis, these are the top four PDC ranked players in the world right now.

World Matchplay Darts 2016 betting tips: Phil Taylor to clinch 16th Blackpool title

Lewis’s and Van Gerwen’s semi-final on Saturday is a rematch of their now classic 2013 Matchplay semi-final shoot out which Lewis took before losing the final to Taylor. Before last night, Van Gerwen had dropped just five legs all week and with form like that, he is the clear favourite with the bookies at 4/7 across our betting room partners.

Only Adrian Lewis stands in his way as the pair meet in the first of tomorrow’s two semi-final matches. Jackpot is 10/1 at betway, but cannot afford to waste a dart if he is to make Sunday’s final.

In tonight’s last two remaining fixtures, old timer Steve Beaton (150/1 at bet365) has to overcome World Champion Gary “The Flying Scotsman” Anderson. As much as the crowd would love to see the “Bronzed Adonis” rewind the clock back even further, it is hard to look beyond Anderson who is a best price of 7/2 across the board for outright event winner.

Likewise, tonight’s other game pairs Mervyn King with Blackpool legend Phil “The Power” Taylor. King is also 150/1 at bet365 to take the crown but it is fifteen-time champion Taylor that looks too good to turn down, especially when such a talent is available at 5/1 at betway.

Since the tournament’s inception in 1994, Taylor has won 15 World Matchplay titles. This includes a run of seven in a row that began in 2008 and he is on track to add to his tally. It would be unwise to bet against him in what is sure to be an extremely tight climax to another great World Matchplay tournament.

This Weekend’s Matches

Friday July 22

Quarter-Finals

  • Mervyn King v Taylor
  • Gary Anderson v Steve Beaton

Saturday July 23

Semi-Finals

  • Adrian Lewis V Michael Van Gerwen
  • King/Taylor v Anderson/Beaton

Sunday July 24

Final

Read More

Bank On A Chisnall Checkout in Blackpool

Blackpool World Matchplay betting tips
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) Darts World Matchplay returns to Blackpool’s Winter Gardens this Saturday.

The nine-day, £450,000 tournament runs from July 16th through July 24th and sees 32 players in competition at the seaside resort. It will be televised live on Sky Sports.

The top sixteen players in the rankings all automatically qualify, while the other sixteen take their places through qualifiers.

Last year’s champion, Michael van Gerwen, beat James Wade in the 2015 final and will take centre stage on Saturday’s opening night as he faces off against qualifier Jamie Caven.

Blackpool Darts Betting Tips

No sooner had the draw been made than organisers, commentators and tipsters began speculating   on what will surely be a wide open battle.

Reigning champion Michael van Gerwen is, as ever, the obvious pick – but where’s the fun in that? St Helens’ own Dave Chisnall lies at a whopping 28/1 at Skybet. He’s the closest thing to a local lad in these parts and if he can get the crowd onside he will be a match for anyone, particularly each way.

Fifteen-time World Matchplay Champion, Phil Taylor, can be backed at 6/1 at Betway where the other second-favourite, Gary Anderson, fresh from his Tokyo win, is ranked a best price 5/1.

Taylor’s round one opponent will be Wallasey’s own Robbie Green, another qualifier, who is ranked number 56 in the world and whose career highlight so far was a second place finish in the British Darts Organisation’s world championship in 2014.

Adrian Lewis, himself a former Blackpool finalist, is 14/1 across the board to claim his first World Matchplay title, while last year’s losing semi-finalist Peter Wright is 16/1 to finally win a major. With both players and Van Gerwen all in the same half of the draw, all three will need to be throwing their best darts if they are to progress.

James Wade, the only other former event champion on the ticket, is a decent price of 22/1 and meets former semi-finalist Mervyn King first up, with the winner seeded to likely meet Raymond van Barneveld who is 28/1 at bet365.

At 100/1, Simon Whitlock is a massive each way pick, and first up meets the unfancied Michael Smith. It will take a massive upturn in fortune for Whitlock but he’s been great in the past, can still beat anyone on a good day and always represents good value.

The first three in the betting are all obvious: Michael van Gerwen 6/5 (Skybet), Gary Anderson 5/1 (Betway), and Phil Taylor. However, on a good day (or if you’re feeling brave and want to look for the long odds), Dave Chisnall can go deep here.

If you want to pick the nationality of the winner you can go with the Netherlands at 21/20 at bet365, England at 2/1 with Skybet and Scotland 100/30 with Betway.

Each nine-dart finish achieved during the World Matchplay will see the event sponsors make a £5,000 donation to Parkinson’s UK, the official charity partner of the Professional Darts Corporation. This has happened six times in tournament history and three times this year alone.

Tourney Structure

Regarded as the second biggest PDC tournament, the World Matchplay began in 1994 and is played in a legs format. The first round concludes on Monday evening, before the second round sees the players in the top half of the draw play on Tuesday and the bottom halfers on Wednesday. This precedes the quarter-finals, which are split across Thursday and Friday before the tournament reaches its climax next weekend.

Saturday July 16

  • Vincent van der Voort v Kyle Anderson
  • Robert Thornton v Josh Payne
  • Michael van Gerwen v Jamie Caven
  • Dave Chisnall v Benito van de Pas

Sunday July 17

Afternoon

  • Stephen Bunting v Mensur Suljovic
  • Kim Huybrechts v Gerwyn Price
  • Terry Jenkins v Justin Pipe
  • Ian White v Daryl Gurney

Evening

  • James Wade v Mervyn King
  • Adrian Lewis v Mark Webster
  • Gary Anderson v Alan Norris
  • Peter Wright v Joe Cullen

Monday July 18

  • Jelle Klaasen v Steve Beaton
  • Raymond van Barneveld v Brendan Dolan
  • Phil Taylor v Robbie Green
  • Michael Smith v Simon Whitlock

Second round

Tuesday July 19

  • Thornton/Payne v Chisnall/van de Pas
  • Wright/Cullen v White/Gurney
  • van Gerwen/Caven v van der Voort/K Anderson
  • Lewis/Webster v Huybrechts/Price

Wednesday July 20

  • Wade/King v van Barneveld/Dolan
  • Smith/Whitlock v Klaasen/Beaton
  • Taylor/Green v Bunting/Suljovic
  • G Anderson/Norris v Jenkins/Pipe

Quarter-Finals

Thursday July 21

  • Wright/Cullen/White/Gurney v Lewis/Webster/Huybrechts/Price
  • van Gerwen/Caven/van der Voort/K Anderson v Thornton/Payne/Chisnall/van de Pas

Friday July 22

  • Wade/King/van Barneveld/Dolan v Taylor/Green/Bunting/Suljovic
  • G Anderson/Norris/Jenkins/Pipe v Smith/Whitlock/Klaasen/Beaton

Semi-Finals

Saturday July 23

Final

Sunday July 24

Tokyo Masters

In last weekend’s Tokyo Masters, Gary Anderson claimed a World Series title for the third time this year. The Scot beat Michael van Gerwen 8-6 in the final on Thursday and adds his latest win to his triumphs in both Dubai and Auckland.

Wednesday’s opening round match against Japanese qualifier Seigo Asada proved, unsurprisingly, to be no trouble at all for Anderson, who then saw off Raymond van Barneveld and Adrian Lewis to seal his spot in the final. Van Gerwen, though, struggled against Dave Chisnall in the quarter-finals, before a comfortable 8-3 win over James Wade on his way to meet Anderson.

Van Gerwen began the stronger of two and immediately landed a 180 and a 100 checkout, gifting him the first leg. Anderson though took two out the next three sets to bring the game even. The next two legs also went Anderson’s way, before Van Gerwen fought back and claimed a third after which Anderson cruised home to victory.

Read More