Betfair Official Blog

Darts betting and odds preview

Phil Taylor will be short odds to win back-to-back titles at the World Darts Trophy (August 31 - Sept 9). 'The Power' claimed the title last year, beating Martin Adams 7-2 and will be a popular bet amongst those who favour betting on the 13-time World Champion, wherever he plays.

Raymond van Barneveld has two victories in the tournament (2003 & 2004) and the odds of a meeting between the world's two best players will be short. Martin Adams also lost in the final in 2004 and clearly enjoys the Vechtsebanen venue and so a bet on 'Wolfie' may be worthwhile.

A bet on Taylor at the Skybet World Grand Prix tournament in Dublin (Oct 8 - 14) has reaped rewards as he has won seven of the last nine tournaments and will be short odds to make it ten. Colin Lloyd claimed the title in 2004, beating Alan Warriner in the final, who won the tournament in 2001.

Punters who fancy betting on John Part must note that the Canadian made the final in 2002 and 2003 and is always a good bet. Betting is always fun at this tournament as players must start and finish with a double and the first round is the best of three sets.

Betting on the World Masters (Nov 16-18), held at Bridlington, will not feature Taylor as it is purely a BDO event. Youngster Michael van Gerwen claimed the title in 2006 but there will be no bets on the 17-year-old this year as he has switched to the rival PDC organisation and betting opportunities will lie elsewhere.

Adams is likely to head the betting and the current BDO world champion's odds will be short and he may well finally be the bride and not the bridesmaid.

The PDC World Championship qualifiers will offer betting opportunities on players craving a shot at the big time, battling it out for the chance of glory at the new venue, Alexandra Palace.

The top 32 PDC players automatically qualify with 16 more from the Professional Dart Players Association but the remainder will have to qualify for the prestigious tournament.

Betting at the inaugural Grand Slam of Darts (Nov 17-25) will be interesting as the tournament sees a coming together of the BDO and the PDC in Wolverhampton. The elite from both boards will fight it out and a bet on the likes of Taylor and Van Barneveld will likely be at short odds as they try to prove they are still the best in the business.

As the tournament clashes with the World Masters, punters wanting a bet will be advised to note that a number of players, including Adams, have opted to remain loyal to the BDO event.

The round-robin group format means the odds on all the big names qualifying for the last 16 will be short. Expect to see odds on Wayne Mardle, Peter Manley, Roland Scholten and Colin Lloyd battling it out over the latter stages.