It's Week 4 of the Darts Premier League as we head to The Brighton Centre for five more exciting matches between the world's best darts players. It was another frustrating week last week, where we split our results, but we continue our streak of three "Best Bets" getting home in as many weeks, so we look to make it four from four this week. The matches this week don't offer a heap of value, so we have had to look into a few different markets, and there's really only two standout matches from an entertainment perspective with Anderson taking on Wade, and Wright and Barney closing out the evening. Let's take a look at our Darts Premier League Week 4 preview!
Premier League Darts Week 4 Betting Tips
Dave Chisnall vs Jelle Klaasen
Dave Chisnall got his first points of the season last week with a solid win over a disappointing Kim Huybrechts. We thought Chizzy might get rolled but five maximums, 41% checkouts and a 101.20 average indicates that he didn’t do a whole lot wrong. If Chizzy continues to perform like that then he will progress further this season, but we know he has struggled with consistency in recent years, so the challenge for him will be to back it up again in another winnable game against Jelle Klaasen. How can you not enjoy watching Klaasen? #jelletime He’s fast, aggressive and his unusual pathways to some checkouts do make for entertaining viewing (double 19, double 19 anyone?). Jelle does need to sometimes pull back on the creativity and look for the percentage plays at times, and I think that would help him become a better player. However with his confidence up, he’s hard to stop from any angle. Jelle has come up against the top three players in the world in his first three weeks of the Premier League this season. There’s no tougher draw in the sport than Wright, Anderson and MVG. Jelle must fancy his chances here, finally coming up against an opponent who he has a winning career record against. I think the price on Jelle to win offers some value while you may also like to consider the over 10.5 legs as a pretty safe play in what should be a competitive contest.
TIP: Jelle Klaasen to win vs Dave Chisnall - $2.87 at Bet365
TIP: Klaasen vs Chisnall over 10.5 legs - $1.61 at CrownBet
Michael van Gerwen vs Adrian Lewis
MVG has come to the party the last two weeks with some strong performances in the Premier League. Last week he looked pretty focussed in accounting for a competitive Jelle Klaasen in a 7-4 win. MVG averages over 100 in his sleep nowadays so it really takes a mighty performance to even challenge him. The Adrian Lewis of a few years ago may have done it, but the Lewis of today is too volatile to back with any confidence. Lewis started ok against James Wade last week before Wade turned it on to run away with a 7-4 win. Lewis averaged just 88 with two maximums and 36% checkouts, which is not going to win too many matches in this Premier League. While I think it’s too tricky to bet on the match result, there are a couple of other markets I am interested in. I think the line for 180s in this match is too high. MVG isn’t smashing out the maximums like he often can so far this season, and Lewis has only thrown six in his first three matches which is the second fewest in the league. The 180s line of 7.5 would require both players to fire and I just can’t see it happening, especially if MVG wins easily. I’m also happy to take on Lewis for the line on his match average which has been set at 98.5. Sure, MVG’s incredible play often lifts the average of his opponents, but Lewis has only been averaging 93 this season, and he hasn't been playing well, so I’m happy to make a small play there.
TIP: Michael van Gerwen vs Adrian Lewis under 7.5 180s - $1.80 at Bet365
TIP: Adrian Lewis average under 98.5 - $1.83 at Sportsbet
Gary Anderson vs James Wade
This looms as a cracking contest and a very important one for both players' chances of reaching the playoffs this season. James Wade is still undefeated this season with two wins and a draw to his credit and a win here against the world number two would put Wade near the top of the leader board. Wade has been excellent this season with strong wins against Huybrechts and last week against Lewis, while he should’ve also won his match with Phil Taylor which ended in a draw. Wade is known for his superb checkouts and his season average of 53% suggests he’s been on song, but it’s his scoring which has been improved this season. Wade has more ton visits than any other player in the league so far which makes him super dangerous. But can he bring that scoring form against Gary Anderson? The Scot was pretty unlucky to lose last week against a rampaging Peter Wright. Anderson averaged 106, had six maximums and 71% checkouts, yet lost the match! How does that happen?!? Wright was just on such an incredible level that it didn’t matter what Anderson did. So while it counts as a loss in the scorebook, Anderson would’ve beaten nearly everyone on the planet last week, so his form is good! I really hope this is a great match and I can see it going down to the wire. You could argue there is some value in Wade at $4.50 to win, but I’m not betting against Anderson, so I’ll go with a close match that covers the 10.5 legs line.
TIP: Gary Anderson vs James Wade over 10.5 legs - $1.67 at Ladbrokes
Phil Taylor vs Kim Huybrechts
I was really disappointed in Kim Huybrechts last week as he missed a great opportunity to get his first win of the season against Chizzy. He was well down on his previous performances, averaging just 95 last week, after putting in strong showings against Wade and Barney in his first two weeks of the season. He’ll need to lift if he wants to challenge “The Power” this week. Taylor hasn’t been at his best this season, but he knows how to grind out a win. He snagged a point against Wade and got home against Barney last week to remain undefeated his season. I can’t see him having too many problems with Huybrechts here but if Kim plays at his best then it could be another close tussle. I’m not keen on the match markets and most of the side markets are pretty even statistically. The only market I could consider is the unders on the 180s line at 5.5 as they have thrown just ten 180s between them in six matches so far this season. If you could find under 6.5 then that would be a bet. The bookies have this one just about right so happy to just sit back and watch.
TIP: No Bet
Raymond van Barneveld vs Peter Wright
What a great way to finish the night with two of the world’s most popular players going at it. What can you say about Peter Wright at the moment other than simply “WOW”? He was phenomenal in defeating Gary Anderson last week with an average of 109. To prove that was no fluke, he whitewashed MVG 4-0 in an exhibition match during the week with a staggering 133 average. Has the “Snake Bite” finally turned the corner? Let’s hope so, because if he has, then he’s going to be a true contender to win this title and hopefully many other titles this year. Despite a loss last week, Barney has shown some good form with more 180s than anyone else so far this Premier League season. If he’s going to stay in the hunt for the playoffs, he really needs to pinch a couple of upsets against the top guys, but this looks a tough ask against the white-hot form of Peter Wright. Happy to play the rush and back the confidence of Wright to continue his form at a pretty decent price. I also don't mind a nibble on the overs on the 180s market in what should hopefully be a high scoring match.
TIP: Peter Wright to win vs Raymond van Barneveld - $2.00 at Ladbrokes (BEST BET)
TIP: Wright vs van Barneveld over 6.5 180s - $1.78 at CrownBet
Multi: Klaasen/Chizzy o10.5 legs + MVG/Lewis u8.5 180s + Ando/Wade o9.5 legs + Wright/RVB o4.5 180s - $3.11 at CrownBet
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Where is the best place to bet on Darts?
A few sportsbooks provide markets for the Darts Premier League, but the best place to bet on darts is Sportsbet. They often have the most competitive odds and the largest range of markets. They are the only Australian sportsbook that provides lines for averages betting, which is a market we'll play regularly this season.
For more tips and conversation during the Darts Premier League, give a follow on Twitter to @BullsEye_Bets!
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!