Players Championship Finals 2018 Odds and Betting Tips

Betting Online Team

Darts Betting Tips

5 August, 2024

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The final of the Grand Slam of Darts last week has got everybody nicely in a lather ahead of the business end of the PDC campaign. So, here are the Players Championship Finals 2018 odds.

The encounter between Gary Anderson and Gerwyn Price in the finale of the GSOD will live long in the memory for a number of reasons. The shenanigans on stage were unlike anything we’ve seen before; as if to confirm what a divisive figure Price continues to be just type his name into social media and enjoy the polarising views his behaviour has warranted.

Either a master of the dark art of gamesmanship or a bit of a pillock – take your pick. The Welshman did a job on Anderson on Sunday to claim his first major darting title. Something tells us that if his machismo-based antics are allowed to continue, it won’t be his last.

In fairness, the Flying Scotsman did not help himself in reacting to Price’s goading; at one point he actually physically pushed the Ice Man on the oche. That was an unexpected loss of control from one of the gentlemen of the game. There can be no doubt it ultimately cost him the chance to get his hands on a trophy that has so far eluded him.

All of which sets us up rather nicely for the final weeks of 2018. We will see the premier airing of the extended World Championship format, starting in mid-December, as well as this week’s hotly anticipated Players Championships Finals.

Anderson and Price could meet in the final at Butlins Minehead come Sunday evening; who wouldn’t want to see those foes going at it once more?!

Tournament History & Format

Since 2009, all of the Tour Card holding professionals in the PDC have competed in Players Championship events, the so-called Pro Tour, throughout the year.

Ranking points are dished out based on performance; after the final meetings of the season, those who rank inside the top 64 of the standings head to Minehead for the straight knockout Finals.

There are no formal seedings, as such, with each player given their rank based on their efforts on the Pro Tour. That’s why Ian White is seeded number one this week, with Michael van Gerwen as low as three and Adrian Lewis as high as five. And so White will take on the player ranked 64 (Scott Taylor); Gary Anderson, ranked second, takes on Alan Tabern (63), and so on.

It’s a trophy that has all of the usual names etched upon it, with messrs Taylor, Van Gerwen and Anderson winning eight of the ten editions so far.

But with some rather more unexpected former champions in Kevin Painter and Paul Nicholson, and vanquished finalists including Jonny Clayton, Kim Huybrechts and Mark Webster, punters will observe that there’s a strong chance of an unheralded type breaking through the field this week.

The Field

The qualification system for the Players Championship Finals dictates that all of the best players in the world will be present this weekend in Minehead, with Raymond van Barneveld – who simply didn’t play in enough Pro Tour events to qualify – the only notable absentee.

The points-based system rewards consistency, and that’s why Ian White finds himself inked in as the number one seed.

But otherwise, it’s all of the usual suspects with MVG, Anderson, Peter Wright, Rob Cross and Michael Smith all ensconced inside the top ten.

The Pro Tour events are played behind closed doors, with no crowd and no real TV presence other than a few live streams on the official PDC website (the Finals will be broadcast on ITV4 for UK viewers). As such, big stage players like Simon Whitlock (31), Mensur Suljovic (35), and Gerwyn Price (37) struggle, and it will be interesting to see if their low seedings have any impact on how far they go into the tournament.

The Betting Favourites

Despite his relative struggles of late, Michael van Gerwen will still toe the oche as a super-short favourite at 6/5 with Ladbrokes.

We backed Mighty Mike to win the Grand Slam; while he muscled his way through to the semi-finals the Dutchman looked badly exposed there against Gary Anderson. The 12-16 scoreline is a close one on paper, but some ‘weak’ darts from MVG – i.e. those which fell way below their intended target – indicate a player perhaps lacking his customary confidence at present.

Anderson (4/1 with Royal Panda) will surely be desperate to avenge his defeat in the GSOD final. He lost his cool against Price, it’s as simple as that, and his darts suffered accordingly. A steady draw in the third quarter here keeps him away from similar boisterous characters; however, a potential quarter-final meeting with Michael Smith – who has beaten the Flying Scotsman in four of their last five encounters – will not fill Anderson’s fans with joy.

Peter Wright desperately needs to find some form ahead of his Alexandra Palace assault; at 9/1 with Betfred, Snakebite simply holds no value in an event where he will need to win six matches in the space of three days to get his hands on the trophy.

James Wade’s glorious run came to an abrupt end in the last 16 of the Grand Slam; in his 6-10 defeat to Michael Unterbuchner he was flat both in his performance level and in his demeanour. The Machine will need to recharge his battery if he is to add a third major title to his collection in the space of a month, as odds of 16/1 with Bet365 attest.