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PDC Betting: The Boxing Day matches digested

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David Croft runs through the festive fixtures at Alexandra Palace...

Right then, after a few days off for Christmas it's back to the action at Ally Pally this afternoon as the PDC World Darts Championship continues.

So far Phil Taylor has looked anything but a 13-time world champion whilst Barney as expected had little problem disposing of Anthony Forde without dropping a set. The Power can count himself a little lucky to still be in the hunt having survived match darts against him, but hopefully the time spent back home will have done him the world of good, if not then the [2.74] to lay him in the Betfair winners market, needs to be taken.

Phil is back on the oche on Thursday 27th December, so in the meantime here are three second round matches that I've picked to have a punt on.

First up the 2004 runner-up Kevin Painter against Chris Mason, a man who has been at the top level of world darts for some time now without ever truly realising his potential. That said he's a dangerous opponent, especially in the short early stages of a tournament so could ask a question or two of Painter. Looking through the predictions of a handful of correspondents on the Superstars of Darts website it seems that the fans in the main fancy Painter who is the odds-on favourite with Betfair at [1.63], and with an average from the first round of 10 points more than Mason, he's the man with the form. Mason though is good to win at least two sets so I'll take the price of [5.4] for Painter to win 4 sets to 2.

Next up is Vincent van der Voort, the man who beat the 2006 Lakeside Champion Yelle Klassen in the first round against Adrian 'Jackpot' Lewis. Proving that averages don't always tell the whole story, Vincent threw only an 86.94 against Klassen's 90.27 to take their match in the final leg of the final set. The fast throwing Dutchman did however hit 12 180s so there was little wrong with his scoring, only his doubles and that to me is where Lewis could nick this one. I've said it in the past that the speed of Van der Voort is both a powerful weapon and a weakness. In no time at all an opponent can find himself a long way behind, but when it gets down to the business end, often Vincent by throwing too quickly can miss the double by a long way. I see Lewis; the [1.32] shot to win a close game 4 sets to 3 and Betfair punters can back this scoreline at [6.4]

James Wade was just 12-years-old when Steve Beaton won the Embassy World Title but after a stellar year during which the Hampshire youngster has won both the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix I can see him showing more of his class against the 'Bronze Adonis' later today. The Betfair price reflects the confidence punters have in Wade with his price a very short [1.12] against Beaton's [9.6]. Steve had a poor first round match but punished his opponent's mistakes. He might not get much chance to do that this afternoon but the price of [7.4] for Wade to win by four sets to two is worth backing as I can see Beaton raising his game enough to make a match of it.

One thing I will be watching is how the big boys cope with the surroundings now they've had one match to acclimatise. Some have looked decidedly uncomfortable so far, which is understandable given that Ally Pally is far removed from the sticky carpet intimacy of the Circus Tavern. And if they shows signs of struggling from here on in, they may be worth opposing in the later rounds, so watch closely because the championship from here gets serious for players and punters alike.