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.com World Grand Prix – Night Four Round-Up
Posted on October 7th, 2011
PHIL TAYLOR brushed off the challenge of Paul Nicholson to sweep into the quarter-finals of the PartyPoker.com World Grand Prix on Thursday night, as Mark Webster, Mark Hylton and Richie Burnett also won through to the last eight.
World number one Taylor continued his bid for a tenth victory in the double-start format with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Nicholson, who failed to live up to the pre-match hype as he took on the Stoke great.
Taylor dropped just three legs in the game, and hit key finishes of 105, 120 and 147 in setting up a quarter-final with Mark Webster on Friday night.
“I’m really pleased with the win and it’s another indication that my game’s in good shape at the moment,” said Taylor. “Paul didn’t play as well as he can. He’s making a name for himself at the moment and he’s a very good player, but he’s not as consistent enough yet.”
Webster, who defeated Taylor in the quarter-finals of the World Championship in January, set up a repeat of that clash with a strong 3-1 defeat of Alan Tabern. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: darts, Dublin, Mark Hylton, Mark Webster, PartyPoker.net, Paul Nicholson, PDC, Phil Taylor, Results, 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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PDC World Grand Prix Night 2 DartsMad Review
Posted on October 5th, 2011
Dennis Ovens and Jamie Caven kicked of night two of the first round action in the 2011 World Grand Prix, with both players seeking to improve their unenviable records in the tournament. Ovens made early inroads against the throw, held comfortably in the next taking out tops with Jabba way back on 213, before Caven hit back with a 140 and 180 to take the third leg. The Heat held to take the first set 3-1. Out shots of 170 and 115 from Caven took the second set to a deciding leg, but Ovens did enough to take the straight sets win.
Mark ‘Mile High’ Hylton allowed a rock steady Mark Walsh to take the first set to nil. He fared better in the next picking up a leg with a 106 out shot, nicked another scrappy leg but Walsh he hit back with a 121 checkout of his own. Mile High took the deciding leg to force the third set. Cue a change of fortune and a great comeback as Hylton put his ungainly looking throw to good use, emerging a 2-1 winner against a bitterly disappointed Walsh.
Dave Chisnall started just as bright as his yellow shirt, getting in on 160’s and hitting maximums as Alan Tabern struggled to find his both his rhythm and the doubles. With accurate doubles and heavy scoring Chisnall swiftly took the first set, however he was equally quick to go off the boil. Missing 13 match darts to open the door for Tabern to fulfil a mighty comeback and take the game 2-1 in a deciding leg.
Despite acheiving a considerably higher 3 dart average, Mark Webster lost the opening set to Andy Hamilton who was deadly on the doubles. Webster redressed the balance in taking the second set which included a 124 bull out shot under pressure from the Hammer. Webster then raced away and took the final set 3-0 for a sweet 2-1 victory.
Gary Anderson wasted no time in taking the first set off Richie Burnett, and at one point threatened to hit a 9 darter, but the 8th dart fell short of the treble 17. Burnett found his range in the second to take the game to a deciding set. Anderson opened with another missed 9 dart opportunity but his all too familiar double trouble plagued him yet again. That’s not to take anything away from Burnett, who zoned in on the lipstick and hit his doubles for a memorable 2-1 victory, continuing his recent resurgence in form.
The short format, set play and double in afforded Peter Wright a good opportunity to put Phil Taylor out of a TV major. After throwing away the first leg, he redeemed himself with a 115 checkout to draw level, followed up with a 101 to take the lead and then proceeded to take the set 3-1. Taylor though was never going to lie down, and the match went to a deciding set. Wright held his nerve to break Taylor in the first leg, but Taylor broke and held to go within 1 leg of victory, finishing with a glorious 164 outshot to do just that. 2-1 to the Power, but a great effort from Snakebite who continues to improve and impress.
As Dublin approached the witching hour, the beard to be feared - Simon Whitlock baited the raging Bull, producing a fairly comfortable 2-1 victory in sending Terry Jenkins home. The midnight matchup between Paul Nicholson and Ronnie Baxter was a one sided affair. Baxter was unable to produce any Asset management skills, and it was Nicholson who rocketed away with the first set. Baxter hit back in the second but The Asset held his nerve to take the deciding leg and the 2-0 win.
Tags: Dublin, PartPoker.net, PDC Darts, Peter Wright, Phil Taylor, Richie Burnett, World Grand Prix
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PartyPoker.net World Grand Prix Betting Preview
Posted on October 1st, 2011
At the eleventh hour PartyPoker were confirmed as title sponsors for the 2011 World Grand Prix. In this age of austerity are the PDC struggling to find sponsors for their major events? It appears so but with PartyPoker in place everything is set for the usual tumultuous week of darts on the Emerald Isle.
In Dublin it is double in and double out so a player encountering double trouble can find themselves floundering as their opponent steams away. Whitewashes are not unknown.
It is also not unknown for the early couple of rounds to be littered with big name casualties. Round one is a favourite’s graveyard so it’s a great opportunity to take the bookies on and get some return on your hard earned cash.
We have lots of help for you on the site in our bulging Dartabase - analyse the Head2Head records of all the first round match ups, pour over the players’ stats including their recent form, have a look at recent results, see how a player has performed in major tournaments and in the World Grand Prix. With all this help available you have a good chance of bashing the bookies so what does it throw up for us?
Tags: Betting Preview, World Grand Prix
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2011 World Grand Prix Schedule
Posted on September 26th, 2011
The draw for the 2011 World Grand Prix was made on Sunday evening and as usual it has thrown up some intriguing ties. The schedule of play has been determined & detailed below.
With the short format and double in to start, the WGP ranks alongside the UK Open as the tournament of shocks. Round one is often a favourite’s graveyard but this year there are many matches where it is difficult to pinpoint exactly who the favourite is.
Try picking the winner from Mark Webster v Andy Hamilton, Vincent van der Voort v Kevin Painter, Justin Pipe v John Henderson, Jamie Caven v Denis Ovens, Mark Hylton v Mark Walsh.
Even the one sided games look like real banana skins – Phil Taylor will have his work cut out over the short format against Peter Wright. Adrian Lewis meets the man nobody wants in round one, John Part, Raymond van Barneveld would have liked an easier match up than Mervyn King, defending champion James Wade won’t relish tackling Steve Brown first up, Simon Whitlock has a stinker of a draw against Terry Jenkins, and Gary Anderson has pulled out Sunday’s Nuland winner, Richie Burnett. There are no easy games in darts these days.
Tags: schedule, World Grand Prix
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World Grand Prix 2011 Draw
Posted on September 25th, 2011
JAMES WADE will open the defence of his World Grand Prix title on Monday October 3 in Dublin against Steve Brown, while Phil Taylor will open his bid for a tenth win in the double-start event against Peter Wright.
Wade picked up a second World Grand Prix victory last October, defeating Adrian Lewis in the final at the New Citywest Convention Centre.
The left-hander has drawn Bristol’s Steve Brown in the cut-throat best-of-three set first round in the World Grand Prix, which begins on Monday October 3.
World Champion Lewis will also be in action on the opening night when he faces Canada’s John Part, the two-time World Grand Prix finalist and three-time World Champion who hit a nine-darter in the World Matchplay in July.
Tags: Draw, World Grand Prix
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Burnett back with a bang in Holland
Posted on September 25th, 2011
BURNETT ENDS BARREN SPELL WITH AMAZING DUTCH WIN
RICHIE BURNETT ended a ten-year gap without a ranking title with victory over Dave Chisnall in Sunday’s Players Championship final in Holland – and dramatically booked himself a spot in the World Grand Prix in the process!
The Welsh ace went into Sunday’s PDC ProTour event, the last before the cut-off for World Grand Prix qualifiers, knowing that only a £6,000 win would see him move high enough in the Players Championship Order of Merit to earn a Dublin return.
However, he swept through the 131-player field in Nuland to snatch the title, his first since the 2001 Witch City Open in Boston.
Having dropped only five legs in wins over Jerry Hendriks, Dave Smith and Denis Ovens, he then overcame Paul Nicholson 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.
There, he edged out Kevin Painter 6-5 after his opponent missed three darts to win the deciding leg, before picking up a 6-2 win in an all-Welsh semi-final with fellow former World Champion Mark Webster.
Tags: PDPA Players Championship, Richie Burnett, World Grand Prix
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World Grand Prix Becomes Wade’s 5th Major Title
Posted on October 11th, 2010
JAMES WADE claimed his fifth major title with a 6-3 victory over Adrian Lewis in the final of the Bodog.com World Grand Prix.
The left-hander from Aldershot picked up his second Dublin title, following up his 2007 triumph with a confident defeat of Lewis, who knocked out reigning champion Phil Taylor in the semis but failed to repeat the feat against Wade.
While the first four sets were shared, Wade crucially took the next two for a 4-2 lead and, after Lewis won the seventh, he took two more sets of his own to wrap up the victory.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Wade, who also leaps above Raymond van Barneveld to become world number two once again. “To be called champion again is a great feeling for me.
“I’ve not been playing well at times this year and I probably didn’t this week but I was good enough to win the tournament, and that’s all that matters to me.
“I’ve doubted myself but this will give me a lot of belief because I know I can improve still so to win a major title and know I’ve got improvement left in me is a big thing.”
Tags: Results, Review, World Grand Prix
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World Grand Prix Semi Finals Review
Posted on October 10th, 2010
LEWIS KNOCKS OUT TAYLOR TO SET UP FINAL WITH WADE
ADRIAN LEWIS stunned Phil Taylor with his first-ever televised win over the reigning Bodog.com World Grand Prix champion, booking his place in the final with a dramatic deciding-leg win at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin.
Lewis emerged in 2004 as a practice partner of the Stoke legend, and produced his finest performance yet on the big stage to win through to face James Wade in Sunday’s final.
The 25-year-old trailed Taylor 4-2 before taking six legs out of seven to force a decider, which he won in a sudden-death leg after the reigning champion twice missed match darts.
Taylor had edged out Gary Anderson 4-3 in the quarter-finals on Friday night, but narrowly missed out in his bid to claim a tenth World Grand Prix title following a superb contest.
“I’ve known Phil a long time and he knows how I can play but I’ve finally done it on stage against him,” said Lewis. “He’s the best player who’s lived but people don’t realise how tough it is to play him.
“It’s always going to be a battle and I was up for the battle tonight. I played well and deserved to win, and it’s my time to shine.
Tags: Results, Review, World Grand Prix
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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.
