There’s a lot to get through this week so we’ll briefly update the outright betting before bringing you the pick of the odds from Rotterdam.
Outright Market
Michael Van Gerwen continues to pull clear at the top of the table and after his 7-1 demolition of Simon Whitlock last time out, MVG remains at best odds of 1/2 to win the title in 2018, this time with Unibet and William Hill. Rob Cross continues to impress and after edging past Michael Smith in Sheffield, ‘Voltage’ is on offer at a top price of 5/1 with 10Bet and Sport Pesa.
Third favourite is Gary Anderson who beat Peter Wright comfortably and may just be peaking after a slow start to the tournament. Anderson is available at a best of 13/2 with William Hill before the prices really start to drift.
Michael Smith lost narrowly to Cross last week but it’s been a positive campaign for Bully Boy and he will attract some interest at his best odds of 14/1 with Ladbrokes and BetBright. Daryl Gurney has enjoyed a productive couple of weeks and following his most recent win over Raymond Van Barneveld, he is quoted at 33/1 with William Hill.
Peter Wright played twice last week and after defeat by 7-2 to Gary Anderson, Snakebite recovered to beat Barney by the same scoreline. Wright is quoted at 60/1 with 10Bet and Sport Pesa for the title and the same bookmakers conclude the outright betting with 80/1 on both Van Barneveld and Simon Whitlock.
Wednesday
Wednesday night’s schedule in Rotterdam gives us the following games:
Michael Smith v Gary Anderson
Rob Cross v Daryl Gurney
Raymond Van Barneveld v Simon Whitlock
Peter Wright v Michael Van Gerwen
Rob Cross v Gary Anderson
Wright vs Van Gerwen is a repeat of last year’s Premier League final but based on current form, MVG looks an obvious pick at best odds of 3/8 with MarathonBet. Form should also see Cross take the points against Gurney and the World Champion’s best price of 10/11 with Betway offers a little more value.
The rest of the games could be very tight with no clear favourite as far as we are concerned. Our first confirmed tip therefore comes from the opening game of the night where Michael Smith is the outsider at 5/2 with Unibet. Anderson is odds on at a top price of 19/20 with SportingBet while the draw can be picked up at a best of 7/2 with Betway.
Anderson is the better player but, while he’s been extremely successful in tournament play outside of the Premier League, this has been a very mixed event for the Flying Scotsman. If form dictates the winner, Smith would give a generous profit in this week’s opener.
Of the remaining two games, we’ll look at Whitlock v Barney where the two strugglers are battling to stay in touch with the leading pack. Odds against prices are available on all three outcomes here with RVB favourite at 13/10 with MarathonBet while Wizard Whitlock is at 9/5 with Unibet and the draw at 10/3.
Barney lost both his games last week but he should get some inspiration in front of a passionate crowd. Check out YouTube to see just what kind of reception Van Barneveld gets in Rotterdam and maybe you’ll agree that he can’t fail to be lifted to the win.
Thursday
Thursday night’s schedule is as follows:
Simon Whitlock v Michael Smith
Daryl Gurney v Gary Anderson
Rob Cross v Peter Wright
Michael Van Gerwen v Raymond Van Barneveld
Daryl Gurney v Simon Whitlock
You can, of course, wait until Wednesday night’s results come through in order to get a better idea of form but the following prices will obviously alter and we may not see quite so much value.
The Dutch crowd will be rewarded as fellow countrymen Michael Van Gerwen and Raymond Van Barneveld go head to head but this time it should be MVG who responds to a noisy arena. Once again, you can take a small profit on Mighty Mike at best odds of 1/3 with SportingBet but there are better options as we move through the remainder of the card.
Cross versus Wright is perhaps another obvious one but the reigning PDC World Champion has quite a reasonable best price of 13/15 with SportingBet as he prepares to face an out of form opponent. The first pick, however, is from the first match of the evening as Michael Smith faces Simon Whitlock. If he does lose to Van Barneveld on Wednesday as we predict, Whitlock should find it tough to respond as he loses touch with the league leaders and Smith carries a reasonable odds on price of 10/11 with Sky Bet.
There are a number of options for our final tip of the week but we’ll go back to the all-Dutch tie between Van Gerwen and Van Barneveld. Van Gerwen has proved that he can be beaten but on the whole he has been dominant in this competition and seems the most likely overall winner.
Barney should get a lift from a victory on Wednesday night but overall form suggests a comfortable night for his opponent so we’re going for a correct score of 7-2 in favour of Van Gerwen which is listed at a top price of 7/2 with Coral and Ladbrokes.
A number of bookmakers have yet to offer prices for Thursday night’s schedule so you can always wait until the morning of these matches but these are our confirmed tips at this early stage. Patterns are emerging as the play offs loom so, on the whole, we are going with form here but have tried to pick the best value prices on what will hopefully prove to be a profitable couple of days in Rotterdam.
Best Bets:
Wednesday April 18:
- Michael Smith to beat Gary Anderson at 5/2 with Unibet
- Raymond Van Barneveld to beat Simon Whitlock at 13/10 with MarathonBet
Thursday April 19:
- Michael Smith to beat Simon Whitlock at 10/11 with Sky Bet
- Michael Van Gerwen to beat Raymond Van Barneveld by a Correct Score of 7-2 at 7/2 with Coral