PDC Betfred World Matchplay Betting Guide

The Betfred World Matchplay darts tournament is held with high prestige. Organised by the Professional Darts Corporation, 32 players take to the oche to battle head-to-head in this knockout style tournament. The PDC darts World Matchplay is one the biggest tournament they organise, and the players can take home a share of £700000 which towers over many prize funds compared to other darts competitions. This World Matchplay darts tournament is an annual event coming up to its 29th edition in 2022, with the inaugural match in 1994. While we will have to wait a few more months for the official World Matchplay darts draw, we already see some names floating around that we will expect to see play in July. Keep reading to find out our top picks for sportsbooks, the best odds, Free Bet offers, and everything World Matchplay related right here.

Best World Matchplay Betting Sites by Category

The Sites To Go For World Matchplay Darts Betting

Below you can find out recommendations for betting sites covering four areas; the best dart betting site, the best free bet offer site, the top live darts betting site, and the site to choose for the best dart betting odds, all handpicked for this specific tournament.

Best Matchplay Darts Betting Site – Ladbrokes

Our all-round pick for Matchplay darts betting is Ladbrokes. Offering over 45 different sports and hundreds of markets, Ladbrokes have it all covered. That means whether you are looking for a major event such as the World Matchplay darts tournament, a friendly match, and everything in between you will be able to find it here. You will also find a whole range of promotions, in-play betting options, and news all on their website or app.

Best Matchplay Darts Free Bet Offer – Bet 365

At Bet365, new members to the site can claim up to €100 in Bet Credits. Their offer sees a 100% match up on a new member’s first deposit, providing the qualifying deposit is greater than €5. This is by far the most generous offer currently available for new players and is a perfect welcome to the world of darts betting.

Best Live Matchplay Darts Betting Site – Betfred

Besides being the sponsor of this event, Betfred takes our pick as the best betting site for live darts betting on this tournament. From the moment the matches begin, Betfred will create dynamic live markets to keep as close to the action as possible. For the ultimate convenience, Betfred has designed its site and app to be as user-friendly as possible, so you can make your in-play bets without detracting you away from all the important moments happening within the tournament.

Best Betting Site for Matchplay Darts Odds – Bwin

Regarding the most competitive betting odds, our choice is Bwin. Not only do they provide many betting options, but you can also find a great choice of betting combinations.

World Matchplay of Darts Odds

World Matchplay of Darts Markets

There are many darts markets available to bet on, whether it’s for a tournament or singular event. Here we cover some common betting markets that are for both beginners and experienced punters in the darts betting world.

Outright Winner

This market is the best for newcomers into the darts betting world. Simply put, all you need to do is bet on which player you think will win the entire tournament. This is similar to a Match Winner except you will bet on which player you think will win the match.

Total 180s

The maximum total a player can get in darts is 180 comprising of three darts hitting triple 20. With this bet, you must predict how many 180s will occur in a match or overall tournament.

Correct Leg Score

If you think you can predict the score between two players in a leg, this one is for you. All you need to do is determine what the score will be after a certain leg or number of legs.

Nine Dart Finish

The fewest darts needed to be thrown to checkout from 501 is nine and is quite uncommon to occur. To put this into perspective, there have only been seven nine-dart finished in the tournament to date. It’s possible to bet on either nine-dart finishes both for specific matches and an entire tournament.

Highest Checkout

When a player hits two treble 20’s and a bullseye, this will total of 170 and is the highest checkout a player can obtain. To bet on this market, all you need to do is predict which player will get the highest checkout.

Matchplay of Darts Tips

Regarding the World Matchplay darts tournament, the organisation of seeded and unseeded players means that as the tournament progresses, the later stages will generally favour the better players. Compared to shorter tournaments, the betting strategy will differ slightly as there is less of a chance for an underdog to get ahead. That being said, it’s still important to carefully consider the strengths of each player and to see how they fair in different circumstances. It’s best to keep an eye out on the players in the darting calendar leading up to the World Matchplay to build up your knowledge and expertise before jumping into the activity next July.

Some players to watch out for are Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen. Wright will have the eyes on him going into the tournament as he is the defending champion, defeating Dimitri Van den Bergh 18 – 9. Wright is a powerhouse of a player averaging 110.37 in the semi-final – the highest ever recorded average score for a World Matchplay semi-final.

Also vying for the title is Michael van Gerwen. Now ranked as the third-best player in the world, he claimed the top spot twice already in this tournament for 2015 and 2016.

Top Matchplay of Darts Free Bets Offers

The Tournament Format

It’s not possible for a tie at any point in the tournament. To ensure there is a winner, there must be two clear legs between the players. Games can be extended if necessary for a win up to a maximum of five extra legs. After this, a tie-break ‘sixth’ leg is used to determine the winner played in a sudden-death style.

First Round

The first round comprises of 16 games, leaving 16 to progress to the next stage. Here we will see the shortest matches of the tournament, with each game played as the best of 19 legs. If the match reaches 12 a piece, the final and deciding leg would be number 25. For the 16 winners in 2021, they took home £10000.

Second Round

The second round is played as the best of 21 legs. Again, the players will be halved leaving eight to progress to the quarter finals. Here, the 27th leg will be the deciding round of the match reaches 15 -15 as this round is the best of 21 legs. Last year, the prize for the winners in this round stood at £15000.

Quarter Finals

The quarter finals whittle the players down to just four. If both players score 18 – 18, then the sudden-death round occurs at the 37th leg. This is played as the best of 31 legs. All quarter finalists bagged a respectable £25000 in 2021.

Semi-Finals

The semi-finals are the best of 33 legs, which is only a small jump from the 21 legs played in the quarter finals. The legs can extend to 39 if both players reach a score of 19 – 19. Semi-finalist winners from the 28th edition of the tournament took home £50000 each.

Final

The finals are comprised of the best of 35 legs, which is the longest in the tournament. If players are still tied at 20 – 20, the game can be extended to the 41st leg where a sudden-death format would take place. In 2021, Dimitri Van den Burgh who placed second took home £70000 while Peter Wright managed to land the top prize of £150000.

The 2022 World Matchplay of Darts Fixtures

The World Matchplay darts fixtures take place over nine days usually towards the end of July. For the 29th edition of the tournament, the matches will take place between July 16th to the 24th at the iconic Winder Gardens found in Blackpool.

Matchplay of Darts Players

The top 16 players are seeded from their PDC Order of Merit ranking, which is based on the amount of prize money they have won from ranked tournaments over the last two years. As there are still some darts fixtures until the World Matchplay, it’s possible that there can be changes right up until the cut-off point which is predicted to be the 10th of July 2022. In the table below we’ll cover the top 16 at the time of writing.

Peter Wright

As mentioned before, Peter Wright is a force to be reckoned with. Topping the table in 2021’s tournament, Wright scored the highest average in the second round, semi-finals, and final scoring 105.46, 110.37, and 105.90 respectively. In 2020, Wright claimed the title of the PDC World Darts Championship, the European Championship, and the Masters.

Michael van Gerwen

This Dutch player currently has a ranking of three in the world, just slightly lower than the number one spot that he held from 2014 to 2021 when he was overtaken due to Gerwyn Price’s win in the PDC World Darts Championship. Van Gerwen still holds the record for being the youngest winner of the PDC World Championship, which he won at age 24. In PDC history, he is the second most successful player after Phil Taylor.

Dimitri Van den Bergh

Van den Bergh is a relatively young Belgian player however he has already bagged two wins at the World Youth Championships as well as winning the 2020 World Matchplay tournament from his first time competing in this event. Last year, he missed out on the number one spot, however many have their eyes on him wondering if Van den Bergh has what it takes to clinch another win.

Phil Taylor

Despite retiring from professional darts after the 2018 World Championship, it wouldn’t be possible to not mention the absolute champion that is Phil Taylor. Having won over 200 professional titles, reaching a record of 85 major titles, and another record of 16 World Championships, Taylor dominated the darts world for more than 20 years. While many are sad to see Taylor step down, this means the darts World Matchplay results are likely to be more varied with many upcoming and seasoned players now vying for the chance to claim the title.

Known as ‘The Crafty Potter’ in his early career, this nickname showed his close ties with Eric Bristow, known as ‘The Crafty Cockney’, while also expressing Taylor’s previous job in the realm of ceramics. However, as his success grew his new nickname changed to ‘The Power’ – perfectly representing what a powerhouse he was in darts.

Within the tournament, clocking in at 114.99, Taylor still holds the highest single match average. This occurred in the 2010 match between Barrie Bates. In his final against Adrian Lewis, he averaged of 111.23 which is again another record.

Previous Winners

In the last 28 World Matchplay darts finals, the overwhelming champion has been Phil Taylor with 16 wins. Taylor’s rein dominated between 2000 and 2014, with only two other championships breaking this streak in 2005 and 2007. After being beaten by Michael van Gerwen in 2016, Phil Taylor became the only person in the tournament to place both first and second. Taylor also completed a win run of 38 matches, with only losing eight in the World Matchplay event history.

Frequently Asked Questions