VAN GERWEN and LEWIS value to take on Taylor with

The ladbrokes World has become a staple of the Christmas and New Year period as much as watching repeats of Only Fools and Horses and eating far too much chocolate. This year the event gets underway on Friday (13th) from the usual home of Alexandra Palace in London and the question on the lips of everybody is ’can anyone stop the march of Phil Taylor’?

Taylor has won this event 14 times previously and also has two BDO World Titles and countless Grand Slams to his name, so it is no shock to see him as short as 20/21 (YOU WIN) for the 2014 Championship. The Power won this event at the start of 2013 and since has shown no sign of slowing down winning the UK Open, the World Matchplay, the Grand Slam of Darts, the World Grand Prix, the Masters and the Championship League of Darts this year.

He also has a kind draw with Michael Smith a second round opponent, then he will face the winner of Terry Jenkins and Peter Wright with Robert Thornton and Simon Whitlock the other seeded opponents en-route to the final.

How you approach this tournament depends on what bets you have made so far. If you have followed our advice earlier this year and got Taylor on side then you should be delighted to ride it out. If your betting book is blank then it makes sense to take on Taylor as the odds do not scream on him to be backed especially as ladbrokes are running a great special offer.

The event sponsors will offer ’money back (as a free bet) on losing bets if Taylor lands his 15th PDC World Championship’. This is a great offer as it allows you an interest on the tournament while getting the powerful Taylor on your side. It means that you can back the two other members of the elite three (van Gerwen and Lewis) in the hope that one of them can see off Taylor. Mighty Mike is a 3/1 chance with ladbrokes and the Dutchman started the year on fire including victory in the Premier League though he tailed off a little in the middle. He has found form of late with a victory in the Players Championship final where he defeated Phil Taylor producing some excellent darts.

Jackpot is a two time champion who at his height is capable of as much as any player. At 6/1 (ladbrokes) it is screaming out for a bet on the talented Lewis who is in collision course for van Gerwen in the semi-finals.

The final bet I want to recommend is taking on Simon Whitlock t in what looks the most wide open of the quarters. The Australian is a fine player but not of the same level as the elite three (Taylor, Lewis, van Gerwen) and there are as many as nine or ten players behind him who could cause him problems.

I think Ian White has to be worth a little interest he has 2-2 record with his potential second round opponent Kim Huybrechts and has also a tied 3-3 record with potential last eight opponent Simon Whitlock. Odds of 14/1 (GENERAL) look fair on a player on decent form in a wide-open looking section.

BEST OF THE BETS

GOLD: M Van Gerwen to win PDC Darts, (money back as free bet if Taylor wins), 3/1 (ladbrokes)
SILVER: A Lewis to win PDC Darts (money back as free bet if Taylor wins), 6/1 (ladbrokes)
BRONZE: Ian White to win the second quarter, 14/1 (GENERAL)

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13/12/2013     © Frixo 2026