Premier League Darts is well underway and 2018’s edition looks to be extremely competitive. Michael van Gerwen is usually the red hot favourite to win any tournament he’s in and although he is the favourite again here, it is not as clear cut as in previous years. There are plenty of new faces in this year’s Premier League, which has made it one of the most unpredictable competitions in recent memory.
As well as the excitement of watching the best players of in the world, there are a great number of offers listed by bookmakers too. With these offers, you will find guides and advice on how to make an expected profit with a subscription to one of the top matched betting sites such as OddsMonkey or Matched Bets.
Normal betting for this tournament is interesting too, as there are so many players that can potentially win the title. Let’s take a look at the players who could lift the trophy at the O2 Arena in London on 17th May.
Premier League Darts Betting Odds
Michael van Gerwen
Best Odds – 4/6
After losing his World Championship crown to Rob Cross, the Green Machine will feel like he has a lot to prove and winning the Premier League yet again will be a big statement of intent. He never wants to lose a single tournament and he’s looking to put down a marker to state he is still the undoubted number one.
He has started the 2018 Premier League season well, but it’s not a perfect record. Racking up wins against Rob Cross, Gary Anderson and Daryl Gurney, MVG fell to defeat against Peter Wright in a week two shock in Cardiff. He’s certainly the favourite when it comes to the crunch though, and it will be incredibly tough to beat him in the play offs.
Rob Cross
Best Odds – 13/2
The fairytale World Championship win at Ally Pally for relative newcomer Rob Cross still doesn’t seem real to some. Beating the legendary Phil Taylor in the final almost seemed too good to be true, but it did happen. This is the first Premier League season for the former electrician known as ‘Voltage’, and he started poorly.
Starting the season with back to back defeats against Michael van Gerwen and Simon Whitlock, things looked bleak. However, he has turned things around completely. Cross then beat Peter Wright and Raymond van Barneveld in the next few weeks, which has put him back as 2nd favourite.
Gary Anderson
Best Odds – 8/1
The Flying Scotsman is on a high at the moment, having just won the UK Open at the weekend. It was a strange tournament, as the terrible weather near Minehead meant that the tournament had to be played behind closed doors because of safety issues. The weather caused week 5 of the Premier League to be cancelled in Exeter the day before, with those fixtures still to be rearranged.
Anderson is a former back-to-back World Champion and is one of the greatest players ever. If he hits form in this Premier League he will cause a lot of problems for his opponents. That said, he’s only won one of four matches so far, struggling with a back injury early on.
Peter Wright
Best Odds – 17/2
Peter Wright’s Premier League season so far can be described as a ‘mixed bag’. He’s had two draws, a disappointing loss to Rob Cross and a stunning victory over World number one Michael van Gerwen. Ever the entertainer, Snakebite ups his game for the big occasion and seems right at home in front of the big crowds.
Wright was unlucky not to win the Premier League last year, blowing several match darts against MVG in the final at the O2 arena. If he reaches the final again, he may well take his chance this time around.
Michael Smith
Best Odds – 16/1
It may be shocking to see, but Bully Boy Michael Smith is the man to beat in the Premier League at the moment. He sits at the top of the League, with four wins from four. Gary Anderson, Daryl Gurney, Mensur Suljovic and Simon Whitlock have all fallen victim to Smith.
If he keeps up the excellent form, he could cause a big upset.
Raymond van Barneveld
Best Odds – 40/1
Barney has always been a dangerous player, though he has not won the number of titles he would have hoped in the last few years. He’s won one match so far, which was against Mensur Suljovic in Cardiff in week two.
If he is able to scratch and claw his way to finals night, he will be a dangerous competitor.
Simon Whitlock
Best Odds – 50/1
Michael Smith being top of the league is a shock, but Simon Whitlock being third is arguably an even bigger shock. The Australian was a bit of a surprise pick for this season’s Premier League but he has shown that he certainly deserved a place.
Whitlock has had surprise wins against Mensur Suljovic, Rob Cross and Raymond van Barneveld.
Daryl Gurney
Best Odds – 100/1
Last year’s World Grand Prix winner Daryl Gurney is taking part in his first ever Premier League, but it has turned into a bit of a nightmare so far. He’s currently bottom of the league, with only two points from four matches.
Yet to find a win, he needs to start picking up points quickly in order to avoid elimination on Judgement Night.
Mensur Suljovic
Best Odds – 150/1
Considering his success in recent years, Mensur Suljovic has been a little bit of a disappointment in the Premier League so far. It took until night 4 in Berlin for The Gentle to pick up his first win, which was a 7-3 win over Gerwyn Price.
If he avoids early elimination, he could still be a threat.
Gerwyn Price
Best Odds – 300/1
The Welshman has scraped a few draws but has admitted himself he has not been playing to his full potential so far. If he is able to turn things around then he may avoid elimination, but he is unlikely to trouble the top four at this point.
That being said, there is a long way to go and the league table is sure to change a number of times in the next few weeks.
Matched Betting Darts Offers
So far throughout the Premier League Darts season, there have been some excellent offers listed by certain bookmakers. A lot of these offers could be used to make an expected cash profit thanks to matched betting techniques.
Previous tournaments, such as the recent World Darts Championship, showed that bookmakers enjoy listing offers for darts. It is a really popular sport with online punters as a match can start and finish in the space of half an hour, meaning that you can get your bets settled quickly. Some examples of previous darts offers that have been listed for the Premier League so far include;
- Betway – Lose 7-5 You Win: This is an excellent offer that could see you winning both your back bet with Betway and your lay bet on the betting exchange if things go your way. This would give you a large payout and is well worth trying. Simply back a player to win and if they lose by a scoreline of 7-5, Betway will pay you out as a winner anyway even though they have lost. A valuable offer that could see you win big.
- Betfred – Bet and Get: For the Premier League Darts’ opening few weeks, Betfred decided to offer the chance to earn a £10 free bet when you placed three £10 bets on that Thursday’s darts matches. This offer had an expected profit value of £5 when matched betting and could be a great earner if offered again each week. With 5 matches each time, an offer such as this would be perfect.
- Boylesports – Double Winnings: Opt-in to the promotion, then place a £20 pre-match bet on a Premier League Darts match. If your bet is a winner and the last checkout of the match is 100 or more, Boylesports will double your winnings. The double winnings are paid as free bets, but the free bets can be turned into cash through matched betting.
- Paddy Power – Refund If Match Is A Draw: When you placed a £10 bet on any Premier League Darts match and the match ended as a 6-6 draw with your bet losing, Paddy Power gave you a refund as a free bet. As it applied to Correct Score markets, backing anything other than 6-6 would see you hit the refund if it was a draw.
Some of these offers will be listed every single week, while others may be offered once in a while. The best way to know whether a specific offer is on for that week is to have a premium membership with one of the top matched betting sites such as Matched Bets or OddsMonkey, who list all good matched betting offers. Having a membership to one of these sites will help maximise your potential profits from matched betting.