Darts has never been more popular and that means there are plenty of betting opportunities.
There are essentially three types of professional tournaments.
Firstly, there are the big events, such as the World Championship, World Matchplay and the UK Open, which are broadcast on television.
Then, away from the majors, there are the Pro Tour tournaments, which are played on multiple boards, and make up the bread and butter of the sport. These keep players busy during the gaps between the big competitions and help to form rankings.
The final variety is the Premier League, which is a one-off, as it’s played over a league format culminating in a final showdown at the O2 Arena in London.
There are many ways to place a wager on these events with outright betting an obvious starting point.
Outright Betting
This is essentially picking the winner, and runner-up for each-way purposes, of any given event. Most tournaments are fixed-draw, meaning you can plot each player’s route to the title and evaluate their chances of winning in relation to their price.
This is often an opportunity to hunt for big-price winners as some lesser ranked players will start tournaments at 66-1, 100-1, 200-1, 500-1 or at even bigger odds. Obviously, higher-ranked players win more often, and that is usually reflected in the betting.
Seeding often plays a huge role in the outcomes of tournaments as the top seed will always be housed in the opposite half of the draw to the second seed and so on. This is when it can pay to place an each-way bet, meaning if your player makes the final you will get paid out, even if they don’t lift the trophy.
Match Betting
Match betting is self explanatory in the respect you are trying to pick the winner of a two-man contest. Unlike football and other sports there is no draw in darts betting, apart from in the league phase of the Premier League, and that is often to the punters benefit.
The darts tour is fiercely competitive and that means there are plenty of close matches, in terms of the betting, but there are also short-price favourites and the opportunity for upsets.
Other Markets
When a match looks too one-sided, which can be the case at the start of tournaments, there are plenty of other betting markets to consider.
You can bet on who will hit the most 180s in a match, the total number of maximums by both players in a contest, which player will score the highest checkout and even how high that finishing effort will be. Bookmakers will often offer the tie in many of these markets, which would win if two players hit five 180s each in their match, and that is worth keeping an eye on.
Another way to get involved is via handicap betting. This gives a start to a lesser rated player and forces their more fancied rival to give up legs or sets. Handicap betting is an interesting way to bet because essentially the bookmaker has already done the hard work for you by setting the start each player will receive, you just have to decide which side of the line to play.