PDC World Championship: Luke Humphries favourite for title
PDC World Championship: Luke Humphries favourite for title
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Van Gerwen 7/2 in PDC World Championship betting odds
The PDC World Championship gets under way on December 15 as Michael Smith takes to the stage in defence of his title.
Here we run the rule over some of the favourites as well as some dark horses who could challenge at Alexandra Palace.
Luke Humphries
The 28-year-old from Newbury has enjoyed a stunning year which has catapulted him to being favourite for the PDC World Championship. ‘Cool-hand’ only won his first televised major this year at the World Grand Prix but followed it up by winning the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals in November.
Humphries is without question the form player heading into the showpiece tournament but his World Championship record will count against him. He has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace and suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Stephen Bunting in the fourth round last year.
It has been a mixed year for the normally-dominant Dutchman. The highlight was his seventh Premier League title but there have also been disappointing displays at the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix, while he looked out of sorts at last month’s Grand Slam of Darts. But few would bet against the three-time world champion lifting the trophy after Christmas and going one better than last year’s defeat in a scintillating final against Michael Smith.
Bully Boy lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time in January after a stunning performance against Van Gerwen in the final, hitting a nine-dart finish in the greatest leg in the history of the sport. Smith has struggled to live up to the billing of world champion during 2023, with the Bahrain Darts Masters his only other televised title.
He said: “I don’t want to be the former. Eventually it will happen, but I’m not ready for it to end yet. I want to be announced next year as the reigning back-to-back champion, that is what I am striving for.” The 33-year-old from St Helens has not won a tournament since June but possesses the game to thrive on the big stage.
The 22-year-old Northern Irishman lit up the World Championship last year with a string of eye-catching performances in wins over Callan Rydz and Nathan Aspinall before a spirited defeat to Jonny Clayton. Rocky has shown glimpses of being able to challenge for big tournaments but is yet to make the final at a PDC major.
He played well, however, at the Grand Slam last month – throwing away a semi-final spot after capitulating to lose 16-15 to James Wade. Rock is a raw talent but will fancy his chances of making the latter stages.
The ‘Asp’ has had a strong 2023 and re-emerged as a top contender for major tournaments. He lifted his second televised major at the World Matchplay in Blackpool – four years after his first came at the 2019 UK Open. Aspinall, 32, is a fierce competitor who thrives on the set-play format at the World Championship. He reached the semi-finals in 2019 and 2020 and the Stockport-born player, ranked sixth in the world, looks good value as an outside bet to be this year’s champion.
The experienced left-hander has won almost all there is to win in the game but a World Championship title has eluded him. Four times a semi-finalist, Wade would love to prove he can land the biggest prize at the age of 40.
‘The Machine’ has 10 televised titles under his belt, with his last coming at the 2021 UK Open. A shock early exit to Jim Williams at last year’s World Championship will still irk Wade and he also struggled at the Matchplay and World Grand Prix before finding form at the European Darts Masters – qualifying him for the Grand Slam where he made the semi-final last month. Few know how to win on the big stage more than Wade and he could contend for a first world title.
Luke Humphries – 3/1 Michael van Gerwen – 7/2 Gerwyn Price – 4/1 Michael Smith – 10/1 Gary Anderson – 14/1 Rob Cross – 14/1 Peter Wright – 20/1 Josh Rock – 25/1 Dave Chisnall – 33/1 Nathan Aspinall – 33/1 Stephen Bunting 40/1 50/1 Bar
