Darts Betting – Ultimate Guide

Welcome to Gamblers Pro’s Ultimate Guide to darts betting. Setting aside the long-running debate as to whether darts is a game or a sport, one thing is absolutely certain, darts betting is exciting and potentially rewarding for savvy punters who know their arrows.

However, even if you don’t have the knowledge base of the late, great Sid Waddell, this post is here to help. We’ll explain all you need to know, including the best dart betting websites, where to get the latest stats, and how to find the best darts betting tips.

Best Darts Betting Bookmakers

Darts may not be talked about as much as football, but virtually every bookmaker under the sun offers betting on this sport, which is a testament to popularity. What’s more, you can pick up welcome offers, such as free bets, and other promotions, which give you even more value for money when you want to place your bets on the darts.

How we chose the top darts bookmakers

You may be wondering how we chose the darts sites for you. Our team cross-examines multiple bookmakers based upon factors such as:

1. Licenced and regulated: For a darts betting site to even make it to the oche, it has to be licenced and regulated by the UKGC, MGA, GBGA or any other relevant gambling authority for your country of residence. This means that the bookies in our table are safe and trusted sites where you bet online.
2. Fair bonuses and promotions: Most online bookmakers serve up numerous bonus offers. However, some promotions deliver better value to the punter than others. We’ve checked these sites to ensure they don’t take liberties in this area. That said, you should still check the terms and conditions for yourself before claiming any offer to ensure you’re aware of the fine print.
3. Payout times: Some bookmakers will process your withdrawal request within hours, while others could take up to 7 days. We like to put a 48 hour limit on this. It shouldn’t take an online operator any longer than two days to release your winnings. Of course, that doesn’t mean you’ll get the money instantly. It depends on your chosen payment provider as to how long it takes to clear.
4. Betting markets: For the best darts betting experience, you want a wide variety of betting markets to choose from. This is an area in which these online bookmakers excel. Admittedly, some events, and matches, have more wagering options than others, but on average, these sites are among the best.
5. Mobile betting: It goes without saying these days the importance of mobile betting. More punters are now using portable devices (compared to PCs), so the bookmaker needs to offer a feature-rich mobile experience.

Popular darts betting markets

Online sportsbooks (bookmakers) have helped to evolve the gambling industry in many ways – not least by the vast number of betting markets they offer customers. This is a sample of the bets you can find:

• Outright winner: This is a bet on the tournament as a whole (not an individual match like the markets below). In the darts betting outright winner market, you name the player you think will win the title. There is often good value in these markets if you fancy an outsider to perform well.
• Match winner: It’s the classic market, and still the most popular. You simply bet on which player you think will win. Normally, this is a two-way bet (player A win or Player B win), but for Premier League darts betting it’s a three-way market because it’s possible to draw matches.
• King of the Oche: This is a combo bet. Here, you are betting on one of the two players to be the match winner, get the highest checkout, and score the most 180s. The player must all three of these things for the bet to be successful.
• Correct score: Depending on the format, the correct score market in darts betting can vary. For instance, some games are the best of 11 legs, so the winner is the first player to get six legs. Therefore, you can place correct score bets such as 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, and so on. Another format is based on winning sets, so the correct score would be the number of sets each player won.
• Handicap: This is similar to the correct score, with the exception that handicaps are given to the players. You can get leg handicaps as well as set handicaps. For smart punters, there are often better value wagers to be found in these markets.
• Nine dart finish: The holy grail of darts is the nine dart finish, and this darts betting market is a simple ‘yes’ there will be or ‘no’ there won’t be a nine darter in the match.
• Total 180s: This is an over/under betting market in which you wager whether there will be more or fewer 180s than the market number. For example, over/under 2.5 180s – under bets win if there are 0, 1, or 2 180s, over bets win if there are 3 or more 180s. This market is available for the match as a whole. Alternatively, you can bet on the individual players.
• Most 180s (Draw no bet): Quite simply you are back a certain player to score the most 180s. However, if they finish the match with the same number, the bet is void and your original stake is returned.
• Player with highest checkout: Another easy market where you bet on which player will land the highest checkout during the match. This can also be a draw no bet market.

Major darts tournaments

There are two main organisations in British darts. The Professional Darts Organisation (PDC) and the British Darts Organisation (BDO). The PDC, under chairman Barry Hearn was formed in 1992 when the world’s top players split from the BDO. From a bettor’s perspective, this results in more tournaments.

However, it’s not unfair to say that the quality between organisations and players varies greatly. The positive of this is that it offers unique betting opportunities for astute punters to take full advantage of. These are some of the main events to circle on your darts betting calendar.

PDC World Darts Championship

Since 2008, this tournament has been held at Alexandra Palace (Ally Pally), and it’s widely regarded as the flagship event in this sport. In the 2019, 96 players qualified for the main tournament. The 32 highest-ranked players, according to the PDC’s Order of Merit, get a ‘by’ and enter the tournament in round 2.

The format of these Championships means that there are thousands of PDC darts betting opportunities waiting for you.

• 1st round: 64 players – 32 matches – best of 5 sets (no tie-breaker).
• 2nd round: 64 players – 32 matches – best of 5 sets.
• 3rd round: 32 players – 16 matches – best of 7 sets.
• 4th round: 16 players – 8 matches – best of 7 sets.
• Quarter-finals: 8 players – 4 matches – best of 9 sets.
• Semi-finals: 4 players – 2 matches – best of 11 sets.
• Final: 2 players – 1 match – best of 13 sets.

In total there are 95 matches open darts World Championship betting. However, as highlighted above, you are not restricted to merely betting on the match winner. This is where your high-quality PDC darts betting tips will help you find the right markets, at the right prices.

Premier League Darts

The Premier League is run by the PDC. It is now a ten-man tournament in a round-robin league format. The players play against each other a different venues every two weeks. After completing the round-robin games, the top four players progressing to the play-off finals.

Premier League darts betting is slightly different to betting on the World Championship. Players need to be more consistent in the Premier League as the event runs for three months. Also, the round-robin format is best of 12 legs, which is rapid-fire when you consider the final of the PDC World Championship is the best of 13 set. Therefore, you want to consider these factors when thinking about your Premier League dart betting tips.

The World Matchplay

After the World Championships, the PDC World Matchplay is next biggest darts tournament. It began in 1994, and throughout its existence, it has been held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Unlike the World Championships, this tournament is played using a legs (not sets) format, with the winner needing to two clear legs for victory.

In the final, a players needs to win 18 legs. However, if the score is 18-17, the match continues until one of the players achieves the two-clear leg advantage. Phil Taylor has totally dominated this event, winning it a staggering 16 times. The next closest players are Rod Harrington and MvG, who have both won it twice.

Grand Slam of Darts

This is one of the few events on the darts circuit that involves players from the PDC and BDO, which is why it is a special tournament for the players and fans. The first Grand Slam of Darts was held in 2007, and to date, Phil Taylor holds the record of having won the title six times. Michael van Gerwen is in second place with three victories. Scott Waites, in 2010, is so far the only player from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to win the title – every other year, it has been a PDC player.

What’s intriguing about Grand Slam of Darts betting is that the players from rival organisations rarely play one another. Therefore, you have no head-to-head statistics to draw upon. However, as we will explain later, there are other ways to accumulate accurate Grand Slam of Darts betting tips.

BDO World Darts Championship

Starting in 1978, this used to be the pinnacle of darts before the top players broke away in 1994 to create the PDC. In its heyday, the world’s top players, such as Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Jocky Wilson, and Leighton Rees were the regular winners.

Despite being viewed below the PDC World Darts Championship in terms of quality, the BDO is still a respected event. For punters, BDO darts betting can throw up a few surprises because the 3-dart averages tend to be a little lower. Therefore, you should alter your method of darts betting to accommodate this, and check out alternative markets that offer good value.

Darts Betting Tips

You can search the internet looking for free darts betting tips, but you are blindly putting your faith in someone else’s belief, which may or may not be accurate. Essentially, there are no shortcuts if you want to find the best BDO or PDC darts betting tips. As the saying goes, ‘Knowledge is power in sports betting.’

Fortunately, the top online bookmakers are on hand to help. The majority now offer analytics and statistics pages which you can use as the basis of your research.

Let’s take this stats page from the PDC World Championship. There is an abundance of data and metrics that you can use to formulate accurate darts betting tips and predictions. From match summaries to set-by-set, you can see the scoring, checkouts, and maximums. Furthermore, it’s possible to review previous head-to-head meetings between the players.

Extracting the best darts betting tips

Successful bettors combine the range of betting markets with the available data to find which bets offer the best returns for the smallest amount of risk. These are some factors to consider when gathering your personal darts betting tips.

• Slow starters: Some players are historically slow starters. They prefer matches played over longer formats so they can get into their rhythm. This presents betting opportunities on the opponent taking the first few legs or sets.
• Heavy scorers: As Bobby George once said, ‘Trebles for show, doubles for dough.’ You do get players who hit a lot of 100+ scores but their doubles let them down. While this isn’t great for match result markets, it brings into play the over/under total 180s darts betting market.
• Bogey players: For whatever reason, certain players have the Midas touch over other players. The form book can go out of the window in such circumstances, and that signals value in the market. Check the head-to-head records before a match to see how they stack up.
• Slow/fast play: As mentioned playing darts is about getting in a rhythm. If you have a fast player, like van Gerwen, he prefers his opponents to play at the same tempo. However, when he is up against a grinder, it can disrupt his free-flowing style. Although, the match outcome may not change, it often has a bearing on the 3-dart averages and the number of maximums. Therefore, creating darts betting opportunities. Styles make matches, so research the players in advance.

Top PDC darts players

For two decades, Phil ‘the Power’ Taylor was the king of darts having won more than 200 professional tournaments, which included 85 major titles and 16 World Championships. However, he threw his last professional dart in 2018, so now we are in the new era. Here’s a look at the PDC’s top ten players in the world, as of July 2020.

Michael van Gerwen

Known as Mighty Mike or MvG, van Gerwen has established himself as the heir to Taylor’s throne. When searching for banker darts betting tips, MvG is seen as the best player to back.

Having hit the scene way back in 2006 when winning the World Masters as a fresh-faced teenager, he had to wait several more years before fully living-up to his potential. The title floodgates opened in 2012 with his victory in the World Grand Prix. For several years now, van Gerwen has been the sport’s most-dominant player. 

• 3 PDC World Championships
• 5 Premier League titles
• 5 World Grand Prix titles
• 2 World Matchplay titles

Peter Wright

Fondly known by his nickname Snakebite, Peter Wright is one of the most popular players on tour. He finally realised his dream in 2020 by winning the PDC World Championship, and in the process made his dart betting tips supporters plenty of cash.

Having first qualified for the BDO World Championship in 1996, it’s fair to say the Snakebite is a late bloomer with most of his notable victories coming from 2017 onwards. He is the epitome of grit, determination, and a never give up attitude.

• 1 PDC World Championship
• 1 UK Open
• 1 World Cup of Darts
• 1 Masters

Gerwyn Price

Formerly a professional rugby union player, Gerwyn Price only joined the PDC darts circuit in 2014. However, he’s managed to shoot up the ranks to third on the Order of Merit (July 2020).

Even as a relative newcomer, Price has shown immense ability in being able to deliver when the pressure is on. For this reason, he is always a solid for good PDC Darts World Championship betting tips.

• 2 Grand Slam of Darts titles
• 2 runner-up UK Open
• 2 runner-up European Championship
• 1 semi-final PDC World Championship