Predicting a 170-Finish Feast in the 2022 World Darts Championship
Author:
Roy Brindley
The 2022 William Hill World Darts Championship gets underway this week. Except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, there will live Sky Sports televised championship action every day until two players face-off in a ￡500,000 decider on January 3rd.
Gerwyn Price is favorite to retain his William Hill World Darts Championship. ©PDC
In total, 96 players will take part in this year’s competition. 34 are English, 10 are Dutch. Wales has five representatives, there will be four participants from Australia, Germany and Scotland. In total 31 countries will be represented in the ￡2.5 million event.
As usual, games will be played using a set format. When a player wins three legs, they will register a set. Both first and second-round games are ‘best of five sets’ matches.
Third and fourth-round games are ‘best of seven sets’ matches. The quarter-finals are ‘best of nine sets’, the semi-finals are ‘best of 11 sets’ and the decider will be a ‘best of 13 set’ affair. Interestingly, the last three finals have been won by a 7-3 score-line.
Seeds, Brackets, Draws and More
64 players will take part in this year’s World Championship first round. Winners of these 32 matches will proceed to the second round where a top-32 seeded player will be waiting for them. These elite players have been parachuted directly into the second round meaning this will be their first match of the tournament.
To win a bracket of the draw and reach the semi-final stage of the competition non-seeded players will need to win five consecutive matches. Alternatively, a seeded player needs to win just four.
Identifying the winners of the four draw brackets is just one of the several betting markets sponsor William Hill is betting on. The firm is currently offering 5/4 about defending champion Gerwyn Price reaching the semi-finals from his draw in the first bracket.
Dimitri Van den Burgh is the 11/4 favorite to claim the second quarter. 2020 World Champion Peter Wright is the 2/1 market principle in the third quarter. Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen is 5/4 to book his place in the semi-finals via the fourth draw bracket.
The advice is to shop around for the top odds amongst the best darts betting sites, as prices will fluctuate before and during the competition.
The Stats Say Six-Plus 170s
The competition format means there will be a total of 95 matches. That is a lot of darts given every game will be televised live. Prior to the 2019 World Championship, the competition featured 72 players. That field size meant there were considerably fewer matches played – 63 in total.
In 2018, the final year of a 63-match format, there were a total of six 170 checkouts. The treble-20, treble-20, bullseye finish has always been a favorite with fans, and it is often the most efficient way of winning a leg.
Suffice to say, with almost fifty percent more darts played at the event 12 months later, many judges were predicting 10 or more perfect 170 finishes could be registered in the 2019 tournament. Bizarrely, only three players managed the magical finishing combination.
However, the 2020 World Championship witnessed eight successful 170 checkouts. Last year there were seven including two by the same player – Dirk van Duijvenbode.
With these stats at hand, William Hill appears to be displaying generosity in quoting ‘seven or more 170 checkouts’ at 9/4. Alternatively, the odds of 13/10 offered on there being ‘six of more 170 checkouts’ looks like a gift.
Liking the Evens About No Nine-Darter
On a similar theme, William Hill is promoting a market on a fabled nine-dart finish. Historically 61 nine-darters have been thrown in televised matches by 28 different players. This year 39 perfect legs have been achieved in PDC events.
Nevertheless, you have to favor there not being a perfect leg during the 2022 William Hill World Darts Championship.
In total there have only been 10 nine-dart legs recorded in the World Championship. The first was in 1990, the second came 19 years later!
James Wade landed the tenth nine-darter in the history of the PDC’s World Championship at Alexandra Palace last December. But that was the first perfect leg registered at the event since Gary Anderson hit one in 2016.
MVG the Key to Value
At 9/2 it is noteworthy three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen is his biggest price for outright World Championship glory in a decade.
The Dutchman has simply not been playing at his best in 2021. His loss of form is pivotal to the even-money about there not being a nine-dart leg at this year’s championship representing value.
Having registered seven televised nine-dart finishes during his career – including one at the 2013 World Championship – he is normally considered the most likely candidate for a World Championship nine-darter. This year is different.
Recommended Bets
- Seven or more 170 checkouts 9/4
- No nine-dart checkout even-money
Prices provided by 2022 World Darts Championship sponsor William Hill.
