World Grand Prix QF Preview and Tipster Update
Posted on October 7th, 2011
We’ve given up trying to predict this tournament, except to say that Phil Taylor will win it. So put you money elsewhere..!
Two of Brendan Dolan (250/1), John Henderson (125/1), Mark Hylton (125/1) and Richie Burnett (150/1) will definitely be in the semis and outside of that quartet did anybody else honestly predict that?
Only three seeds survive and two of those (Phil Taylor and Mark Webster) play each other. James Wade is the other and he tackles Andy Smith (100/1).
The unpredictability this week is highlighted by our Beat the Tipster competition where everybody is struggling to call it right. The average points per match is currently 1.5. Usually the average is close to or above 2. To put it into perspective the 2011 World Matchplay averaged 1.9 and three previous World Grands Prix have averaged 2.0, 2.3 & 2.5. Proof that this week has not gone as the majority expected. Only two players are averaging over 2 points per game so Craig Jackson & Petri Rasmus are rightly leading the way in the race for our fantastic Bulls prizes.
There are some odds and head to heads below for you to see if you can have a better go at working it all out than us. Good luck! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Betting, Preview, World Grand Prix
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PartyPoker.net World Grand Prix Round Two Preview
Posted on October 5th, 2011
Three debutantes have made it through to round two but can they go any further? Vincent van der Voort finally won a match on the Dublin stage at the fifth attempt but can he win his second?
Mark Webster contained his debut nerves and overcame Andy Hamilton to set up a Last 16 meeting with Alan Tabern. The Saint hasn’t had a great 2011 so Webby (1/3) will be confident of reaching the quarter finals and a 4-1 head to head record in the Welshman’s favour would seem to back this up. You can get 11/4 on Tabern if you fancy the upset though.
Mark Hylton has had a fine year and has progressed well since going full time. He takes on Simon Whitlock on Thursday in what will be the first meeting between the two. Odds of 3/1 for Hylton are mightily tempting with Whitlock the rightful favourite but a measly 2/7.
Tags: Betting, Preview, World Grand Prix
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Bolton Goes Darts Mad – Friday at the UK Open
Posted on June 4th, 2011
A fan’s eye view of the FA Cup of Darts
- Third round tips: Burnett to beat Lloyd, Gilding to beat Hamilton, Hylton to beat Jenkins, Ovens to beat Painter, Murnan to beat Dudbridge.
Our predicament before leaving for the Reebok was whether to drive and not drink or drink and get a taxi. Still on the fence as we ordered the first beers it took just half a pint to make the decision and book the taxi so we could embark on a thoroughly enjoyable evening of beers and arrers.
We found the Darts Corner team in good spirits following the exploits of one of their own and tagged on to watch Joe Murnan take out Mark Dudbridge in a nail biting final leg decider. After being 8-4 up Murnan was cruising to the victory but in the words of Bolton Steve he contracted “over the finishing line syndrome” and saw Flash pull it back to eight all. Then it was Dudbridge’s turn to contract the dreaded syndrome as he stuttered in the decider, falling to the local favourite.
Tags: Betting, Review, UK Open
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Bolton Goes Darts Mad – Thursday at the UK Open
Posted on June 3rd, 2011
A fan’s eye view of the FA Cup of Darts
Setting the scene
Bolton Wanderers FC have bittersweet memories of the FA Cup this year having reached the semi final stage before being thumped 5-0 by Stoke.
With the nets taken down for the summer Bolton’s home, The Reebok Stadium, opens its doors to 172 players and a legion of noisy darts fans as the tournament known as the FA Cup of Darts rolls into town.
The UK Open descends on Bolton every June and the open draw format makes it the most unpredictable, and hence, most exciting major on the PDC calendar.
For an indication of the unpredictability of this event a look at Phil Taylor’s record and the finalists of recent years is telling. Played eight, won four makes it Taylor’s worst major PDC event in terms of success; although he’s hit a few 9-darters at The Reebok.
The eight losing finalists since the first staging in 2003 are an unlikely roll call – Shayne Burgess, John Part, Mark Walsh, Barrie Bates, Vincent van der Voort, Gary Mawson, Colin Osborne and (still finding his PDC feet at the time) Gary Anderson. For most it was their first and, to date last, major final.
The nature of the open draw can be cruel or kind; sometimes giving players a comfortable route through the field, and often pairing together a couple of guys who would much rather not meet so early. The round one clash between Jelle Klaasen and Colin Lloyd is this year’s best example.
Tags: Betting, Preview, Review, UK Open
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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.
