Bodog To Sponsor World Grand Prix
Posted on September 2nd, 2010
BODOG, the largest online betting brand in the world*, have been confirmed as the new title sponsors of the Bodog.com World Grand Prix darts championship.
The poker, casino and online betting website are the new sponsor for the £350,000 event, which will be held from October 4-10 at the Citywest Hotel Convention Centre in Dublin, Ireland.
Screened live on Sky Sports in the UK and also around the world, the Bodog.com World Grand Prix is one of the sport’s most exciting events, with the unique double-start format meaning that players have to begin and end every leg with a double.
Reigning champion Phil Taylor will be bidding to win the event for an incredible tenth time in October, with the 32-player field of competitors being confirmed in mid-September.
As part of their online gaming, darts fans will be able to place bets on the World Grand Prix via the Bodog.com website, as well as at the Citywest Hotel’s on-site betting facility.
Patrik Selin, CEO of Bodog Europe, the licensee of the Bodog brand in the UK, commented: “We have made some giant strides in establishing the Bodog brand here in the UK recently with our sponsorship with Fulham Football Club and this is another important landmark for us.
“Darts and Bodog are a perfect fit on every level.”
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Taylor Wins 9th World Grand Prix
Posted on October 12th, 2009
PHIL TAYLOR battled from two sets down to win a ninth Skybet World Grand Prix title with a 6-3 defeat of Raymond van Barneveld.
Van Barneveld stunned Taylor to edge the opening two sets of a thrilling final at the Citywest Hotel IECC, with the Dutchman taking advantage of a slow start from the Stoke great.
But Taylor battled back to level by winning six of the next seven legs, sneaked the fifth set to move 3-2 up in the game before pulling clear to take the £100,000 title.
The win maintains Taylor’s record of holding all of the PDC’s major ranking titles at present, and takes his 2009 earnings beyond £500,000.
“I’m absolutely over the moon,” said Taylor. “Raymond never gave in and it was such a tough final, but I’m delighted to win through it.
“I could have been 2-0 up but I wasn’t, and I knew I had to start hitting my trebles and my doubles better.
“Barney was hitting the right shots at the right time and putting the pressure on me. I had to put a lot of work in and dig deep to win that.”
Had averaged an impressive 99 in the double-start format across his previous four games in the tournament, but struggled to reach that standard in the early sets of the decider.
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Skybet World Grand Prix Semi Finals
Posted on October 11th, 2009
PHIL TAYLOR and Raymond van Barneveld will meet in the final of the Skybet World Grand Prix for a second successive year on Sunday night.
Taylor’s challenge for a ninth title in the double-start format continued with a stylish 5-2 semi-final win against Jenkins, where he averaged 99.76 in a strong display.
He took the first two sets in a sensational start, which included legs of ten and 11 darts, before Jenkins found his feet.
But Taylor proved too good to progress to the final, where he meets world number three and long-time rival van Barneveld on Sunday night.
“It was really hard work and I’m relieved to get through that,” said Taylor. “Terry was dead and buried after the first two sets but he came back at me and kept on fighting.
“He’s a great player but he let me in at the end and I had to finish him off.
“I’m excited to be playing Raymond again and hopefully I can keep the title. Andy Hamilton had Raymond under pressure in their semi-final and I’ve got to do the same in the final.”
Van Barneveld overcame Andy Hamilton 5-2 in their semi-final, proving the stronger in the second half of the game to reach the decider.
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Skybet World Grand Prix Quarter Finals
Posted on October 10th, 2009
PHIL TAYLOR remains on course for a ninth Skybet World Grand Prix title following a 4-0 win over Adrian Lewis on Friday night, as Raymond van Barneveld, Terry Jenkins and Andy Hamilton also progress to the semi-finals.
Taylor stormed into the last four with a straight sets win over his Stoke rival, setting up a tasty clash with in-form Terry Jenkins.
Taylor came from 2-0 down to win the first set of his quarter-final, with Lewis also missing darts for the second set as the defending champion powered to victory.
“The final scoreline is a bit misleading because I thought Adrian played well, but the only thing that mattered is that I won,” said Taylor.
Jenkins was another comfortable winner on Friday night, defeating his Citywest Hotel flat-mate Andy Smith in straight sets in front of a 3,000-plus crowd.
Irish hopes in the event were ended when Jacko Barry suffered a 4-0 loss to 2008 runner-up Raymond van Barneveld, who now meets Andy Hamilton in the semis.
Hamilton booked his spot in the last four with a 4-1 win against Kevin Painter, hitting four ton-plus finishes in coming from a set down to take victory.
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Skybet World Grand Prix Night 4
Posted on October 9th, 2009
IRELAND’S Jacko Barry delighted his home fans with a final-leg thriller against Steve Beaton to reach the quarter-finals of the Skybet World Grand Prix on Thursday.
Barry, who lives only 35 miles from the Citywest Hotel in Stamullen, won through to his first televised quarter-final in a dramatic contest, which saw Beaton come from behind to lead 2-1 only to let the advantage slip.
Barry, a truck driver by trade, will now meet five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld in the last eight on Friday night in front of a sell-out 3,000 crowd at the Citywest Hotel IECC.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Barry. “I’m absolutely delighted and I’m speechless, but I did it.
“I’ve beaten a World Champion in Steve and I get to play another now. I joined the PDC to play the likes of Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld, and to get to Ray in front of my home crowd is extra special.”
Van Barneveld also secured his place in the last eight in dramatic circumstances, defeating Wes Newton in a sudden-death leg.
Newton hit four ton-plus finishes and out-scored the five-time World Champion, whose composure in the final set took him to victory.
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Skybet World Grand Prix Night 3
Posted on October 8th, 2009
PHIL TAYLOR almost hit the first nine-darter in the history of the Skybet World Grand Prix in winning through to the quarter-finals of the event on Wednesday night.
Taylor defeated Wayne Jones 3-0 to progress to the last eight of the tournament, and missed the bullseye for a nine-darter in the process.
The attempt at a perfect leg came in what proved to be the game’s penultimate leg, opening with a 160 and then hitting a 180 before narrowly being off-target on the bull for a 161 finish – which would have earned him a £20,000 bonus and the honour of the first in a double-start format.
Taylor will now meet Adrian Lewis in Friday’s quarter-finals, with his Stoke rival and former practice partner defeating Gary Anderson 3-2 in a classic.
Lewis continued to show his newfound maturity since becoming a father in August with a high-quality display, including a 167 finish in seeing off the Scot in match that featured 16 180s.
“He’s been playing really well this week and his whole life has changed recently,” said Taylor. “He’s got responsibilities and it makes you be a lot more serious.
“It’s a game I’m looking forward to. Wayne was a really tough test for me because he got away on double 16 nearly every time, but that has set me up for the rest of the tournament.”
Terry Jenkins and Andy Smith, practice partners who are sharing an apartment during the tournament at the Citywest Hotel, will also meet in Friday’s quarter-finals following victories on Wednesday.
Jenkins defeated Mark Dudbridge 3-1 to reach the last eight for a fourth successive year, while Smith came from a set down to defeat 2004 champion Colin Lloyd 3-2.
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Skybet World Grand Prix Betting Preview
Posted on October 4th, 2009
“Dubl-In” – The Skybet Grand Prix in Dublin with it’s lightning fast opening round format and double required to open the leg, spells one thing – shocks from the off. The UK Open is known as the FA Cup of darts but in an ode to the golden days of the FA Cup, shocks are more likley to abound in the Grand Prix. With the messy format, this tournament has proven to be a bookmakers benefit for many punters in the past, the bookies love to take on those four, five and six player accumulators on short priced favourites with the giant-killing factor in their favour.
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Skybet World Grand Prix Preview
Posted on October 2nd, 2009
THE 2009 Skybet World Grand Prix begins on Monday, with 32 players battling for the £100,000 first prize at the Citywest Hotel IECC.
The unique double-start event will be played from October 5-11, with a tournament-record £350,000 in prize money on offer during the seven days, which are screened live on Sky Sports.
Defending champion Phil Taylor opens his bid for a record-extending ninth World Grand Prix title on Monday’s opening night, taking on Northern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan.
Taylor has dominated the tournament since its inception in 1998, claiming an eighth win with a 6-2 victory over Raymond van Barneveld in the final last year.
However, his three defeats have all come in the short, best-of-three set first round – against Kevin Painter in 2001, Andy Callaby in 2004 and Adrian Gray in 2007 – and Taylor admits he will need to be on form immediately at the Citywest Hotel
“It’s a format that challenges us all and I’m looking forward to it,” said Taylor, who took victory in the Virgin Atlantic South African Masters to warm up in style for the visit to Ireland.
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Tags: Draw, Preview, schedule, World Grand Prix
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Wade Ready For Dublin
Posted on September 30th, 2009
180 bets sponsored star James Wade is looking to get back to top form in the World Grand Prix in Ireland.
‘The Machine’ is battling against a freak injury which saw him injure his finger in an accident at home, however he remains confident of his chances: ‘’ I am really looking forward to the World Grand Prix as it is a true test of ability with the double start format. I was very disappointed last year to lose first round and not perform my best to retain the title I won in 2007′ commented the Aldershot based star.
After losing to Tony Eccles last year in Ireland, James fought back to secure a 100k cheque and the prize of Premier League Champion, hopwever since then he admits recent results have not beenas good as he has hoped for adding : “Since winning the Whyte & Mackay Premier League title I have not been playing my best, but recent practice has proved to be good, as my results at the Championship league of darts showed, where I was unbeaten and beat Phil on 2 occasions”.
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Dublin In For A Craicer
Posted on September 16th, 2009
The draw has been made for the 2009 SkyBet World Grand Prix and I don’t think I have ever seen so many mouth-watering ties at the first stage of a major competition. As first round draws go this looks a belter. The Dublin double-in format always creates a favourites graveyard, especially early on, but this draw has so many evenly balanced matches that it will be a betting minefield.
With just eight seeds the draw threw up some intriguing games and I’m struggling to pick the true favourite in several of them. Many in the 32 man field will look at their opening game with some trepidation and there will be scant few toasting their Irish luck with a cold Guiness.
Below I’ve picked out some highlights of what promises to be a spectacular opening couple of nights of darts on the Emerald Isle.
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Both poker and darts are highly popular pursuits. The games are available online, in fact, that there are organizations dedicated to making sure the rules of video poker and online darts are conformed. Similar to darts having the World Darts Federation, among others, and poker has the Tournament Directors Association. These rules are put into place in highly competitive tournaments, in which as many as hundreds or even thousands of people compete for cash prizes as well as prestige.
