Darts PDC Players Championships Finals Preview

Published: 18th November 2019
Author: Joe Kizlauskas
Last Updated: 20th January 2021
Darts PDC Players Championships Finals

A Look at the Darts PDC Players Championships Finals

We are entering the busiest time of year for darts fans as tournaments of note come at us thick and fast. There may only be a few weeks of 2019 remaining, but organisers are determined to cram as much as they can into November and December.

That’s excellent news for lovers of the sport, casual followers and those who enjoy gambling. The run-up to the festive season just wouldn’t be the same for sports fans without the PDC World Championship. Other upcoming darts competitions to look forward to in the coming months are the Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championships, BDO World Championship, BDO women’s World Championship and the Premier League.

In the following article, we focus on the 2019 renewal of the Players Championship, a competition that is always popular with fans. Sponsored by Ladbrokes, this event will be held at Butlin’s Resort in Minehead, England. Play begins on 22 November with a champion crowned on 24 November. The play is crammed into just three days which means we barely get time to draw breath.

Big Prize Fund Brings Out the Best in Players

This will be the 12th renewal of the PDC Players Championship Finals and the original field will consist of the top 64 players from the 30 Players Championship events. This is a legs format style of darts and with £500,000 in prize money available, £100,000 paid to the champion, we can expect a competitive few days. The biggest and best names in the sport today will be in attendance and on the back of a gruelling Players Championship season anything can happen.

The history of this tournament is littered with upset results and big price betting shocks. That’s one of the reasons punters love this tournament and bookmakers have reacted to the increased interest by offering a flood of exciting betting markets. You can have your stake money down on the winner of the tournament outright or gamble on dozens of options available in each and every fixture. Bet game by game to build up your balance or aim for a big price payout by placing a multiple bet, such as an accumulator. Small stakes for big wins is the aim there and it also serves as a value for money bet as it gives backers an interest across many different games.

There will also be in-play betting available on both the outright betting and match betting. You can predict the outright winner at the end of each match involving one of the favourites and this market will remain in place right up until the final match. There’s also in-play betting on each fixture played during the competition. Match prices and a selection of specials are updated during the play to reflect the score. Look out for any signs of value and get your cash down before the traders suspend the market or cut the odds.

PDC Players Championship Line-Up

  1. Gerwyn Price
  2. James Wade
  3. Krzysztof Ratajski
  4. Peter Wright
  5. Glen Durrant
  6. Ian White
  7. Dave Chisnall
  8. José de Sousa
  9. Jonny Clayton
  10. Jermaine Wattimena
  11. Michael Smith
  12. Nathan Aspinall
  13. Jeffrey de Zwaan
  14. Daryl Gurney
  15. Adrian Lewis
  16. Mensur Suljović
  17. Danny Noppert
  18. Michael van Gerwen
  19. Gabriel Clemens
  20. John Henderson
  21. Joe Cullen
  22. Brendan Dolan
  23. Ron Meulenkamp
  24. Harry Ward
  25. Dimitri Van den Bergh
  26. Justin Pipe
  27. Vincent van der Voort
  28. Max Hopp
  29. Chris Dobey
  30. William O’Connor
  31. Steve Beaton
  32. Keegan Brown
  33. Andy Boulton
  34. Ricky Evans
  35. Steve West
  36. Cristo Reyes
  37. Jelle Klaasen
  38. Arron Monk
  39. Mervyn King
  40. Stephen Bunting
  41. Darius Labanauskas
  42. Rob Cross
  43. Ross Smith
  44. Kyle Anderson
  45. Ryan Joyce
  46. Mark McGeeney
  47. Luke Humphries
  48. Ryan Searle
  49. Kim Huybrechts
  50. Josh Payne
  51. Luke Woodhouse
  52. Simon Whitlock
  53. Raymond van Barneveld
  54. Martin Schindler
  55. Jamie Hughes
  56. Ryan Meikle
  57. James Richardson
  58. Matthew Edgar
  59. Devon Petersen
  60. Scott Baker
  61. James Wilson
  62. Steve Lennon
  63. Ted Evetts
  64. Mickey Mansell

The first round of matches will take place on 22 November and will be the best of 11 legs. The second and third-round matches are played to a conclusion on 23 November before getting into the quarter-finals on 24th. We then go right into the semi-finals and then the final.

History, Stats and Trends

The first outing of the PDC Players Championships took place in 2009 and a renewal has been staged every year since. The results rate the following players as the most successful at this level…

Michael van Gerwen has won four times and been runner up once, having made 10 appearances in this competition.

Phil Taylor is the second most successful player, boasting three wins and one second from nine attempts at the trophy.

Gary Anderson of Scotland has appeared 10 times and has managed just one win and one runner up in that time. Will he build on that?

Kevin Painter has played in one final from nine shots and he upset the odds to win it.

Paul Nicholson has thrown his hat into the ring five times, ending on the top step once.

Daryl Gurney of Northern Ireland also has one winner’s medal tucked away from four.

mvg v peter wright

Get the Value on Michael van Gerwen

The current outright betting is headed by Michael van Gerwen and that will come as no surprise to followers of darts or even those with a passing interest in the sport who enjoy a bet. MVG is the man of the moment in this sport and traders learned a long time ago it really doesn’t pay to take him on. In fact, opposing Mighty is often a shortcut to a losing balance. That’s the reason you’ll find him as the outright favourite in every competition he enters and that’s regardless of form.

He doesn’t always win, of course, but his stats make him a player to keep very close indeed. Is he good enough to win another Players Championships Finals gong? You better believe he is. Most of the early money has come for Michael van Gerwen living up to expectations and that’s the way it will continue until he either wins the title or is eliminated.

Betting is all about having your stake money down on the right selection but it’s also important to get them at the right price and that’s the reason you should research to ensure you bank the very best darts betting odds. Check which firms are offering the most generous odds on the favourite or the underdog you believe is capable of causing an upset. If supporting MVG you should be careful as there’s a difference of opinion in the outright market at this stage. All firms have him as the favourite, but some are tighter than others when it comes to price.

Traders at bet365 are offering Michael van Gerwen at 6/4 to win the Players Championship this month and that’s the best price available at the time of writing. You should bet with bet365 if you plan on backing MVG has most other bookies are stuck on the 11/8 mark.

Snakebite Big Price Second Favourite

Peter Wright is rated as the main danger at this stage and the flamboyant Scottish born player has been marked up as the second favourite in the outright betting list. The fact there’s a whopping 11/1 available at Betfair on Snakebite proves just how strongly the money men rate van Gerwen. Such a difference between the first two in the betting shows this should be a walk in the park for the jolly and the race is on between the others for the privilege of losing to him in the final.

As any experienced sports bettor will admit, darts doesn’t always go according to plan and big price upsets are common throughout the season. Could we see one in the Players Championships? Peter Wright certainly appears to be the value pick here as he has beaten MVG in big finals before and is capable of doing so again. You can back him at 11/1 or take the safety net that comes with an each-way bet with place terms of 1/2 the odds 1-2. That means you only need your man to reach the final to secure a return on your investment. Others that could be worth an each-way bet are Rob Cross at 12/1 with William Hill, Gerwyn Price at 16/1 with Betfair, Daryl Gurney 25/1 at Betfair and Mitchel Smith who is also 25/1 when playing at Betfair.

When placing an each-way bet it’s worth remembering you must double your stake. So, for example, a £10 each-way bet on Peter Wright will cost you £20. The reason for that is you are having £10 on him to win at 11/1 and another £10 in him to reach the final. If he wins the title you’ll be paid out on both bets but if he is a beaten finalist you’ll be paid out on the place part of the bet, ½ the odds.

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About Joe Kizlauskas

Joe is a seasoned iGaming copywriter and speaker who has been in the business since 2015. He's written more words on all elements of iGaming than he likes to remember, and he's contributed material to a number of well-known brands. Joe may be seen playing 5 a side, at the gym or playing games on his Playstation when he is not writing.