We’ve barely drawn breath from the Darts Grand Prix and yet we are already off to Dortmund for the 2022 European Championship.
Rob Cross is the defending champion from a thrilling 2021 edition where he edged past the ever-dangerous Michael van Gerwen in the final, but has been handed a nightmare opening round fixture against James Wade.
Michael van Gerwen (5/1 with bet365), Gerwyn Price (7/1 with William Hill) and Peter Wright (7/1 with bet365) are the three favourites coming into this tournament, but at 11/1 with bet365, many will be backing the chances of Michael Smith to land his maiden TV PDC title.
Play gets underway on Thursday evening, so let’s take a look at some of the best opening round tips:
8.30pm - Nathan Aspinall to beat Josh Rock at 10/11 with bet365
Aspinall and Rock are both priced the same for this opening round fixture, which raises one or two eyebrows.
Sure, Josh Rock has impressed in a recent climb up the PDC rankings, but to put the 21-year-old alongside Aspinall seems a little presumptuous – opening up real value in backing the “Asp”.
Aspinall is fresh off a final loss at the World Grand Prix and is in fine form. A 10/11 shout to beat the inexperienced Northern Irishman on the big stage is value underlined.
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European Championship - Day 1 Tips
The more experienced Nathan Aspinall looks the better value bet
At 10/11 a £10 bet would return £19.09
European Darts Championship 2022
October 27, 2022
8:30 pm GMT+1
9pm - Michael Smith to beat Karel Sedlacek -2.5 handicap at 5/6 with bet365
“When will Michael Smith win a TV major?” is one of the hottest questions in world darts.
“Bully Boy” is a seven-time runner-up at majors, continuing to fall at the final hurdle, but looks re-born – to some degree – in 2022.
Smith has been handed a reasonable opening round tie in Czech player Karel Sedlacek, ranked 84 in the world, and the St. Helens player should fly through to round two.
A handicap of 2.5 in a race to six opens up results of 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 and 6-3 and he is more than capable in sweeping “Evil Charlie” aside.
European Championship - Day 1 Tips
Michael Smith should beat Karel Sedlacek with a bit to spare
At 5/6 a £10 bet would return £18.33
European Darts Championship 2022
October 27, 2022
9:00 pm GMT+1
9.30pm - Vincent van der Voort Most 180s vs Damon Heta at 3/1 with William Hill
Damon Heta is turning into a real danger in televised majors and is certainly worth an outside look in the outright markets.
But if we are talking pure power; pure ‘red bit’; pure maximum hitting, the Dutchman VVdV is well in the conversation.
Race to six matches can be over in a heartbeat, and despite van der Voort losing 6-2 to Heta at the weekend’s Players Championship, we think that 3/1 for the hart-hitting Dutchman to notch up the most 180s provides value.
- Over 4.5 cards
Edit
James Tavernier to score
Coupling that with the match win for the “Dutch Destroyer” can boost your odds significantly, but let’s just stick to the 3/1 pick for now.
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European Championship - Day 1 Tips
Vincent van der Voort can hit the most maximums at a big 3/1
At 3/1 a £10 bet would return £40
European Darts Championship 2022
October 27, 2022
9:30 pm GMT+1
* Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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