DARTS analyst Andrew Francis (@ALeagueAndy) shares his verdict on the best bets from Day 1 of the 2019 PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
The start of the biggest darts competition of the year is almost here and I’ve highlighted a few selections that will hopefully get the tournament off to a profitable start.
There are only three matches on Day 1 and finding value is quite tricky, but I think these two singles and a double should get things rolling in the right direction.
Jeffrey de Zwaan v Nitin Kumar | Thursday 13th December 2018, 20:15 | Sky Sports
Jeffrey de Zwaan is heavy favourite coming into the match and there isn’t much value backing him on the straight win, or the handicap, but he should be able to get the tournament off to a flyer with a few 180s.
The line is 3.5 and I can see him beating that in a straight-set victory. It’s an even-money shot with Bet365 to get us off to a winning start and build funds throughout the tournament.
Jan Dekker v Lisa Ashton | Thursday 13th December 2018, 22:15 | Sky Sports
Jan Dekker should be winning this game with relative ease and the 2/1 (Bet365) on a 3-0 victory represents good value for Day One.
Ashton is well below Dekker in every metric and it would be a big shock for her to come through this game. I’ve got a lot of confidence in Dekker this year after his final 32 appearance in 2017 and I’ll be backing him to whitewash Ashton on her World Championship debut.
Ashton is one of the two female competitors at the event, and whilst she is by no means a bad player, she should struggle against Dekker who will be looking to make some waves in the tournament.
Martin Schindler v Cody Harris | Thursday 13th December 2018, 21:15 | Sky Sports
Martin Schindler and the aforementioned Dekker should be taking wins in the 1st Round and it’s a great way to double up and give yourself some bonus funds for the rest of the tournament by backing them both to do so at 11/10 (Bet365).
Schindler is 46th in the PDC Order of Merit whilst Dekker is at 43, with both being considerably higher than their opponents.
Schindler is more than 100 places higher than Cody Harris in the rankings and his stats are better than the Australians in every category except outshot percentage, with Harris finishing off about 3% more of his chances.
I can’t see either Schindler or Dekker losing and, whilst the odds aren’t huge, this should be a great way to double your money on the opening night.
Best Bets
Jeffrey de Zwaan v Nitin Kumar – Jeffrey de Zwaan to hit Over 3.5 180s (1/1 Bet365
Jan Dekker v Lisa Ashton – Jan Dekker to win 3-0 (2/1 Bet365)
Double – Martin Schindler Jan Dekker to win (11/10 Bet365)
