Sporting Life
Michael van Gerwen is the defending World Grand Prix champion (Picture: Lawrence Lustig/PDC)
Michael van Gerwen is the defending World Grand Prix champion (Picture: Lawrence Lustig/PDC)

World Grand Prix 2020: Free darts betting tips, preview and predictions for the Sky Sports major featuring MVG, Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright

By Chris Hammer
Darts
Tue October 06, 2020 · 4y ago

The double-start Boylesports World Grand Prix gets under way this week and our darts tipster Chris Hammer previews the televised major with his best bets.

Recommended bets: World Grand Prix

  • 1pt each-way Krzysztof Ratajski to win the World Grand Prix at 50/1
  • 1pt Glen Durrant to win the World Grand Prix at 18/1
  • 1pt Chris Dobey to win the first quarter at 10/1
  • 1pt Glen Durrant to win the third quarter at 5/1
  • Click here for all of Sky Bet's World Grand Prix odds

For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record

It's turned into a cliche to say how "wide open" elite darts has become in recent times but Devon Petersen's maiden - and well-deserved - PDC title at the recent German Darts Championship meant we've now seen 13 different tournament winners out of 24 while there have also been 10 runners-up who haven't yet tasted success in 2020.

Obviously it would usually be Michael van Gerwen being the most prolific title winner but he's 'only' collected four compared to Gerwyn Price's five, with both of these tallies including one TV event apiece.

Although the Iceman's success at last month's World Series of Darts Finals may not count in purists' eyes as a true 'major', he performed brilliantly in front of a crowd to increase his winning streak to 17 matches, which included three PDC titles and 10 averages of 100+. It eventually took a resurgent Petersen - from 5-1 down no-less - to stop him in his tracks in Germany.

Price and world champion Peter Wright are both 5/1 behind five-time winner MVG, who is widely regarded as a vulnerable favourite in light of his inconsistencies since the resumption, but would you really be that surprised if all three have gone by the quarter-final stage - as happened at the World Matchplay?

The double-start nature of the Boylesports World Grand Prix is hyped up to be a big leveller in any normal year - but a change of venue, no fans and the ever-growing belief of players down the rankings possibly makes this renewal one of the toughest to call ever.

I'll try to pick a winner from each quarter and then roll the dice with a potential champion...

Quarter One

  • (1) Michael van Gerwen v Krzysztof Ratajski
  • Jose De Sousa v Devon Petersen
  • (8) James Wade v Mervyn King
  • Adrian Lewis v Chris Dobey

Sky Bet odds to win quarter: MVG 6/5, Wade 13/2, Petersen 6/1, Ratajski 9/1, Dobey 9/1, De Sousa 11/1, Lewis 12/1, King 18/1

There's never an easy quarter in a major event these days but darts fans and pundits alike were unanimously branding this one the "quarter of death" as soon as the draw was made.

Unsurprisingly the bookies priced this section up as the favourite in the winning quarter market although on the flip side you could argue that whoever does make it through to the semi-finals will be potentially more mentally and physically drained than their fellow survivors.

Michael van Gerwen is never fazed by any challenge no matter what people say about his own worrying form or the dangerousness of his opponents, and it could feasibly be regarded as a blessing for him to have such a tough draw to ensure he comes out all guns blazing from the off.

Out of all his countless career achievements so far at the age of just 31, I'd say one of the finest is the fact he's managed to win this particular tournament as many as five times since the Dublin crowd roared him onto to the first of his 54 PDC televised crowns against Mervyn King back in 2012, especially when you consider the lottery-like features of its double-start format, best-of-three set opening round and the fact only eight players rather than 16 are seeded.

From the Archive | Van Gerwen v King | 2012 World Grand Prix Final

In the three years he hasn't won it during this period, MVG was runner-up to Robert Thornton in an epic 2015 final that went to a deciding set, lost 3-2 in the 2013 quarter-finals against Dave Chisnall, and was stunned by John Henderson in a huge first-round upset in 2017.

To only suffer one result like the latter speaks volumes but he obviously arrives in Coventry with more question marks over his form, fear factor and confidence than ever before.

Personally I think the darting world is being too knee-jerk and melodramatic over a perceived lack of fortunes and dominance in a year which has been obviously been very turbulent for the planet, let alone sport and darts. Routines, game plans, family issues, practice regimes, travel and everything else have been disrupted to the point that even the 2016 MVG would have lost his rhythm.

More importantly, let's give credit to everyone else for raising their games significantly, closing the gap and putting extra pressure on him in match situations and refusing to give him anywhere near as many easy rides as in the past. The defending champion inadvertently - and inevitably - dragged the standard up and that's why saying he's in crisis is the wrong way to look at it.

Nevertheless, despite saying all that, I'm not going to back him.

Click on the image to read our night one preview and acca

His opponent Krzysztof Ratajski, who lost to fellow debutant Glen Durrant in the first round 12 months ago, was pushed out to a massive 40/1 to win his first televised title in the wake of this draw and that immediately catches the eye.

I may be accused of being like a dog with a bone in regards to the Polish Eagle having tipped him in three events this year but his stock has continued to rise in 2020 and he recently reached his 10th PDC final in the space of 24 months, where he lost to Gerwyn Price.

At last weekend's German Darts Championship he averaged a spectacular 107 during a 6-2 win over Joe Cullen en route to the quarter-finals, only to be outgunned by eventual champion Devon Petersen.

The seven-time event winner was impressive in the behind-closed-doors setting of the World Matchplay, where he lost 16-13 to Michael Smith in the last eight, so he'll be relishing the chance to finally beat MVG at the fifth attempt.

If prize money wasn't a factor and you were told you'd be in MVG's quarter of any tournament, you've probably got a better chance of beating him in the shortest possible format and that's another advantage Ratajski has. Should he win this contest, then his 40/1 odds will be slashed by at least half.

Much has been made of Petersen's incredible rise to world-beater level this season - from both a results and performance perspective - and his current world ranking of 42 is incredibly misleading now that he's got a huge opportunity to rake in big prize money from both the World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts, which he's never previously qualified for, as well as the Europeans, Players Championship Finals and World Championship.

If he carries on playing like he could be pushing towards the top 16 before too long. However, this is his debut and that's even more of a factor when it's double-start.

As Paul Nicholson explained in his World Grand Prix-themed column this week, it's a completely different pressure trying to hit a double at the start of legs than at the end, so any checkout percentage stats from this year do lack reliability as far as getting away is concerned. Experience is key in this event more than perhaps any other.

Petersen and De Sousa are both two of the most powerful scorers on the planet right now but that will count for a lot less than it does in any other tournament if they're slow to hit that first double. Nicholson did add that De Sousa has experience playing this format - even if it's not in this tournament - so this is a really difficult game to call.

In the bottom half of this section I'm going for Chris Dobey at 10/1 to win the quarter.

Hollywood, who hails from the north east where double-start is played more prevalently at a local level compared to other darting hotbeds around the country, brilliantly reached the semi-final on his debut 12 months ago after beating Ricky Evans, Gary Anderson and Ian White before coming up short against MVG.

He may still be searching for his first PDC title of any kind and hasn't exactly performed to his very best since the restart despite his lockdown practice and impressive performances on the online darts scene, but this tournament gave him real belief last year ahead of a very positive winter, in which he also reached the last four of the Players Championship Finals. He'll draw confidence from that.

What Adrian Lewis has in experience, he badly lacks in form so it's fair to say this is an ideal opportunity for Dobey to hit the ground running ahead of a second-round showdown with James Wade and Mervyn King, who both obviously have a wealth of double start pedigree. It's worth mentioning that Nicholson believes King is a real contender for at least the semi-finals.

At this point, if it's all gone to my plan, Dobey will act as my back up option in a quarter-final tie with Ratajski.

Prediction: Ratajski or Dobey to win the quarter

Quarter Two

  • (4) Michael Smith v Dimitri Van den Bergh
  • Mensur Suljovic v Dirk van Duijvenbode
  • (5) Rob Cross v Gary Anderson
  • Danny Noppert v Ryan Searle

Sky Bet odds to win quarter: Anderson 11/4, Smith 3/1, Cross 5/1, Suljovic 6/1, Van den Bergh 8/1, Noppert 10/1, Searle 14/1, Van Duijvenbode 18/1

The betting suggests Michael Smith will once again play his old mentor Gary Anderson for a place in the semi-finals and I'm struggling to argue with the feasibility of that scenario.

We've not seen much of the Flying Scotsman recently as he opted to miss the Autumn Series in Germany and the World Series of Darts Finals in Austria but we can safely assume he'll have been preparing in his own effective way for a major that he's yet to win.

Anderson would dearly wish to add the Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts to his glittering CV and deep down he'll know time is running out to get the job done. He has a pretty strong record in this event having reached the 2016 final, 2014 semis and a pair of quarter-final runs, but most crucially he showed during the Premier League restart that he still has the hunger and ability to challenge for top prizes.

It says it all that he was able to reach the World Matchplay final - beating Smith along the way - despite not being happy with any of his performances and then made significant improvements in a short space of time to reach the Premier League play-offs.

Rob Cross will feel as though he got the worst draw possible but at least he's beginning to restore his lost confidence after reaching the final of the World Series of Darts a fortnight ago. Anderson should win though and you'd expect him to then see off either Danny Noppert or Ryan Searle.

His World Matchplay conqueror Dimitri Van den Bergh, who opens up against Smith, is competing in just his second World Grand Prix after falling at the first hurdle to Mervyn King 12 months ago on debut while he hasn't shown too much form since winning his maiden major title in Milton Keynes. Then again, he arrived there on the back of little to no form as well!

Smith has plenty of double-start experience in the bank now having competed in this event seven times but worryingly he's only won two matches - and has struggled with his finishing of late.

By contrast Mensur Suljovic has a great record with three semi-final runs out of five but he lost in the first round in the other two - including last year - and hasn't been operating at the levels we know he can so far in 2020.

I'd lean towards Bully Boy in this top section of the quarter but Anderson would be my choice to reach the last four.

Prediction: Anderson to win the quarter

Quarter Three

  • (2) Peter Wright v Ryan Joyce
  • Dave Chisnall v Glen Durrant
  • (7) Daryl Gurney v Joe Cullen
  • Jonny Clayton v Ian White

Sky Bet odds to win quarter: Wright 11/8, Durrant 4/1, Gurney 6/1, White 8/1, Chisnall 17/2, Clayton 11/1, Cullen 11/1, Joyce 28/1

World champion Peter Wright is obviously favourite to get through this quarter and will also be a popular selection to win this title for the first time in his career.

The 2018 runner-up has won four titles since achieving his career dream at the Ally Pally as he continually strives to defy the ageing process and leave no stone unturned in pursuit of reaching new levels in this sport.

However, while some will say he's got one of the softest possible first-round draws based on form, he could be in for yet another taxing affair with potential second-round opponent Glen Durrant, who reached the semi-finals on debut before losing out to the player he meets in the opening round in Coventry.

As mentioned in the section about Dobey, Duzza will have more experience of double-start darts at local level than most other players while his renowned mental strength is clearly a bigger advantage than usual in this format which can see much weaker players melt under the pressure of getting away.

Durrant did of course beat Wright in the World Matchplay and then ground out a draw in their Premier League encounter that helped him go on and top the regular season table against the odds - although he did lose their last encounter 6-0 in an Autumn Series event.

The three-time BDO world champion is perhaps being slightly underrated again after going off the boil since his history-making regular season high and if he's to get back on track he'll need to be as clinical as ever to see off Chizzy, who looked as though he's coming back into form at last weekend's European Tour event.

Durrant is tempting at 18/1 to go the distance, while the 4/1 available on him reaching the semi-finals also holds appeal despite Snakebite's presence.

To do that he'd probably also have to get past Daryl Gurney, who obviously knows what it's like to win this event having done so in 2017 and also reached the semi-finals 12 months later.

Gurney may have only shown glimpses of his SuperChin strength this year, but his experiences should hold him in good stead against those in the bottom half of this section.

Joe Cullen has only won a single match in his four previous World Grand Prix appearances, Jonny Clayton has lost both of his first-round matches and Ian White has won just six in eight editions and never gone beyond the quarter-finals.

Cullen and Clayton have both produced some superb performances of late, with both reaching PDC finals since September, but Diamond has not been at his usual levels since the restart.

Prediction: Durrant to win the quarter

Quarter Four

  • (3) Gerwyn Price v Jermaine Wattimena
  • Brendan Dolan v Kim Huybrechts
  • (6) Nathan Aspinall v Gabriel Clemens
  • Jamie Hughes v Stephen Bunting

Sky Bet odds to win quarter: Price 6/5, Aspinall 9/4, Clemens 11/1, Bunting 12/1, Hughes 12/1, Huybrechts 22/1, Dolan 22/1, Wattimena 25/1

You can't help but look at this quarter and view it as a two-horse race and that's also reflected in the odds, but this is perhaps a good time to direct you to Paul Nicholson's preview as he claims Jermaine Wattimena could upset the apple cart at 25/1.

That might take a leap of faith for many darts fans but if you can't do it in an event like the World Grand Prix, then when can you?

Regular readers will know I tipped up Price at 6/1 to maintain his hot streak at the World Series of Darts Finals, where he produced a superb comeback against Rob Cross to claim his third career TV title, but 5/1 is perhaps too short for this kind of event.

The two-time Grand Slam of Darts winner may look unbeatable when he gets going but his efforts to make it 18 match wins in a row last weekend were ended by Devon Petersen despite leading 5-1, reminding us that anything can happen in this game.

I think there'll be some support for Gabriel Clemens at the price of 11/1 given how highly his potential is regarded although he did have a pretty poor Autumn Series to the say the least with just two match wins across five days, while he averaged just 83 in an early exit to Daryl Gurney in the recent German Darts Championship.

Nathan Aspinall, by contrast, has enjoyed a superb year and his most recent efforts to add to his 2020 tally of two titles have generally been thwarted by opponents producing some stunning performances against him in the latter stages.

Not least when Gerwyn Price edged him in last-leg decider of a World Series quarter-final thriller in which he averaged over 103.

The pair will probably meet again in a blockbuster of a quarter-final which will be hard enough to call then, let alone now. Still, Aspinall adapted quickly to double-start darts on his debut by reaching the last eight, where he lost to Chizzy, and rates the value call.

Prediction: Aspinall to win the quarter

Odds correct as of 1925 BST on 5/10/20

World Grand Prix: Draw, schedule, outright odds & past winners

  • (1) Michael van Gerwen v Krzysztof Ratajski
  • Jose De Sousa v Devon Petersen
  • (8) James Wade v Mervyn King
  • Adrian Lewis v Chris Dobey
  • (4) Michael Smith v Dimitri Van den Bergh
  • Mensur Suljovic v Dirk van Duijvenbode
  • (5) Rob Cross v Gary Anderson
  • Danny Noppert v Ryan Searle
  • (2) Peter Wright v Ryan Joyce
  • Dave Chisnall v Glen Durrant
  • (7) Daryl Gurney v Joe Cullen
  • Jonny Clayton v Ian White
  • (3) Gerwyn Price v Jermaine Wattimena
  • Brendan Dolan v Kim Huybrechts
  • (6) Nathan Aspinall v Gabriel Clemens
  • Jamie Hughes v Stephen Bunting

World Grand Prix: Daily schedule

Tuesday October 6 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
First Round (Best of three sets)

  • Adrian Lewis v Chris Dobey
  • Danny Noppert v Ryan Searle
  • Mensur Suljovic v Dirk van Duijvenbode
  • Jose De Sousa v Devon Petersen
  • James Wade v Mervyn King
  • Rob Cross v Gary Anderson
  • Michael van Gerwen v Krzysztof Ratajski
  • Michael Smith v Dimitri Van den Bergh

Wednesday October 7 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
First Round (Best of three sets)

  • Brendan Dolan v Kim Huybrechts
  • Jamie Hughes v Stephen Bunting
  • Jonny Clayton v Ian White
  • Dave Chisnall v Glen Durrant
  • Daryl Gurney v Joe Cullen
  • Peter Wright v Ryan Joyce
  • Gerwyn Price v Jermaine Wattimena
  • Nathan Aspinall v Gabriel Clemens

Thursday October 8 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Second Round (Best of five sets)

  • Four second-round matches

Friday October 9 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Second Round (Best of five sets)

  • Four second-round matches

Saturday October 10 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Quarter-Finals (Best of five sets)

  • Four quarter-finals

Sunday October 11 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Semi-Finals (Best of seven sets)

  • Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 2
  • Winner QF 3 v Winner QF 4

Monday October 12 (8pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Final (Best of nine sets)

  • Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2

What TV channel is the World Grand Prix on?

This is one of the majors broadcast live on Sky Sports, whose coverage begins at 1900 BST every night.

World Grand Prix: Sky Bet odds

  • Michael van Gerwen - 10/3
  • Peter Wright - 5/1
  • Gerwyn Price - 5/1
  • Nathan Aspinall - 10/1
  • Gary Anderson - 14/1
  • Glen Durrant - 18/1
  • Michael Smith - 18/1
  • Devon Petersen - 25/1
  • Rob Cross - 28/1
  • Daryl Gurney - 33/1
  • Krzysztof Ratajski - 40/1
  • James Wade - 40/1
  • Mensur Suljovic - 40/1
  • Chris Dobey - 50/1
  • Dave Chisnall - 50/1
  • Ian White - 50/1
  • Jose De Sousa - 50/1
  • Dimitri Van den Bergh - 66/1
  • Gabriel Clemens - 66/1
  • Jeffrey de Zwaan - 50/1
  • Jonny Clayton - 66/1
  • Adrian Lewis - 80/1
  • Danny Noppert - 80/1
  • Joe Cullen - 80/1
  • Jamie Hughes - 100/1
  • Stephen Bunting - 100/1
  • Mervyn King - 125/1
  • Ryan Searle - 125/1
  • Dirk van Duijvenbode - 200/1
  • Ryan Joyce - 250/1
  • Jermaine Wattimena - 250/1
  • Brendan Dolan - 250/1
  • Kim Huybrechts - 250/1

Click here for all Sky Bet's World Grand Prix odds

World Grand Prix: Seedings and qualifiers

The world's top 16 players qualified by right alongside 16 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Order of Merit to compete in Coventry.Only the top eight from the Order of Merit have been seeded, with the other eight joining the 16 ProTour qualifiers in the otherwise random draw.Order Or Merit

  1. Michael van Gerwen £1,530,000
  2. Peter Wright £914,500
  3. Gerwyn Price £805,500
  4. Michael Smith £557,500
  5. Rob Cross £546,000
  6. Nathan Aspinall £486,750
  7. Daryl Gurney £448,250
  8. James Wade £432,750
  9. Gary Anderson £388,250
  10. Dave Chisnall £375,250
  11. Dimitri Van den Bergh £339,250
  12. Ian White £332,250
  13. Glen Durrant £306,250
  14. Krzysztof Ratajski £287,500
  15. Mensur Suljovic £282,500
  16. Adrian Lewis £249,750

ProTour Qualifiers (Money earned over past 12 months of Pro Tour events)

  1. Devon Petersen £48,000
  2. Danny Noppert £42,250
  3. Jose De Sousa £36,000
  4. Brendan Dolan £31,500
  5. Joe Cullen £28,250
  6. Jonny Clayton £26,500
  7. Ryan Searle £23,500
  8. Jermaine Wattimena £23,500
  9. Gabriel Clemens £22,500
  10. Mervyn King £22,000
  11. Stephen Bunting £21,250
  12. Ryan Joyce £21,000
  13. Jamie Hughes £20,000
  14. Dirk van Duijvenbode £19,000
  15. Chris Dobey £18,500
  16. Kim Huybrechts £17,750

World Grand Prix Prize Money

  • Winner: £100,000
  • Runner-Up: £45,000
  • Semi-Final: £23,500
  • Quarter-Final: £15,000
  • Second Round: £8,500
  • First Round: £5,000
  • Total Prize Fund: £400,000

Tournament Format

  • All Sets are the best of five legs. There will be no tie-break in any set.
  • All legs must begin and end with a double, meaning that a player must hit a double before he can begin scoring in each leg.
  • First Round - Best of three sets
  • Second Round - Best of five sets
  • Quarter-Finals - Best of five sets
  • Semi-Finals - Best of seven sets
  • Final - Best of nine sets

World Grand Prix Past Finals

World Grand Prix Most Titles

  • Phil Taylor - 11
  • Michael van Gerwen - 5
  • James Wade - 2
  • Daryl Gurney - 1
  • Colin Lloyd - 1
  • Alan Warriner - 1
  • Robert Thornton - 1

Related links

Responsible gambling

We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

Sky Bet's responsible gambling tools are detailed here and if you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.

Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.