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2024 World Matchplay Darts Tips: Humphries the Smart Bet But Don’t Sleep on Van Veen

Blackpool’s Winter Gardens takes centre stage as World Matchplay Darts returns for 2024 – the 31st annual staging of the competition.

Last year's winner Nathan Aspinall hopes to challenge again but faces stiff competition from a world-class field, including 2024 BetMGM Premier League champion Luke Littler and PDC world champion Luke Humphries.

The World Matchplay is played in leg format as follows:

  • First round: First to 10
  • Second round: First to 11
  • Quarter-finals: First to 16
  • Semi-finals: First to 17
  • Final: First to 18

Matches must be won by two clear legs. A sudden-death leg is required if scores are tied after four extra legs

World Matchplay Tips & Predictions

Tip 1 – Luke Humphries to win the World Matchplay @ 3/1

It may sound like an obvious choice but we’re finding it difficult to look past world champion and BetMGM Premier League runner-up Humphries to lift the trophy in Blackpool.

Cool Hand’s consistency in major tournaments continues to be impressive - as well as being the holder of five majors, he was a finalist in another two. Though he was beaten in the Premier League final by Littler, it is entirely plausible he keeps his 12 months going here.

A first-round draw against Ricardo Pietreczko, who has lost five games in a row ahead of this one, gives Humphries a chance to get his campaign off to a solid start. With some tasty ties elsewhere in the opening fixtures, including Michael van Gerwen taking on Littler, competition for the Yorkshireman could be whittled down fairly quickly.

Tip 2 – Gian van Veen to win Quarter 4 @ 14/1

Up-and-comer Van Veen has already enjoyed plenty of success on the PDC Development Tour, coupled with an impressive sixth-round appearance at the 2024 UK Open and a run to the semi-finals of the European Championship last year.

His displays have seen him climb into the top 32 in the Order of Merit and have naturally brought around talk of a debut major title for the 22-year-old Dutchman in the not-too-distant future.

While the 100/1 for that to happen at the 2024 World Matchplay suggests it is perhaps a tournament or two too soon for him, 14/1 for Van Veen to be the winner of the fourth quarter of the draw is a different matter.

As Littler’s youth world championship rival aims to make his name on one of the biggest stages, a draw quarter containing six players he has beaten at least twice already in his fledgling pro career should hold no fear for the noted 180 merchant.

15/2 World Matchplay First Round Acca

Just as we did throughout the BetMGM Premier League Darts season, we have put together selections from the opening set of matches of the World Matchplay to form a 15/2 first-round accumulator.

Acca Leg 1 – Gian van Veen to beat Rob Cross @ 7/4

We have already mentioned Van Veen is one to watch during this tournament and he gets his World Matchplay campaign underway against 2018 world champion Rob Cross.

Cross had a fairly disappointing BetMGM Premier League campaign, finishing sixth, and suffered a second-round exit at the Masters. Recent final appearances at the Nordic and Polish Masters show improvement but 2019 Matchplay winner Voltage has a truly tricky opening tie here against the Dutch youngster.

Cross suffered a 6-0 whitewash against Michael Smith on the European Tour last time out and, with Van Veen winning three of the last five meetings between the pair, we’re going for the upset in round one at 7/4.

Acca Leg 2 – Michael Smith to beat Gary Anderson @ Evens

Fresh from winning the World Cup of Darts for England alongside Humphries, Michael Smith heads to Blackpool for the World Matchplay hoping to win the competition for the first time.

Bully Boy’s previous best was finishing runner-up in 2019. Since then his performances here have declined, with semi and quarter-final spots followed by two consecutive second-round exits.

Gary Anderson is Smith’s opponent in the first round this time with the Scotsman without a major win since 2018, the same year he last won this tournament.

An appearance in the 2020 Matchplay was the last time Anderson even got past round two in this competition and The Flying Scotsman has struggled against Smith recently into the bargain by losing all of their previous five matches.

Evens for BetMGM Premier League semi-finalist Smith to come through this one looks to be good value.

Acca Leg 3 - Michael van Gerwen to beat Luke Littler (+2.5 legs) @ 4/7

The tie of the first round pits three-time World Matchplay champion Van Gerwen against Littler once again.

Teenager Littler has enjoyed a breakthrough season of dreams and was crowned BetMGM Premier League champion back in May while also picking up multiple European Tour titles and making a final appearance on his PDC World Championship debut.

Van Gerwen, meanwhile, has endured mixed fortunes this season, combining some brilliant performances we know he is capable of with some disappointing losses and averages - in the BetMGM Premier League alone he won four nights yet also suffered defeat in the quarter-final eight times, more than any of the top four finishers.

Van Gerwen did make the last four of the Premier League and the final of the Masters but was swept aside by Humphries in the former and beaten by Bunting in the latter.

That said, of his seven Premier League meetings with Littler MVG won four including a 6-1 rout in their last match ensuring he goes into this one with a 5-4 advantage in the head-to-heads. As such, 4/7 for Van Gerwen to win with a +2.5 legs handicap makes sense.

First Round Acca

  • Gian van Veen to beat Rob Cross
  • Michael Smith to beat Gary Anderson
  • Michael van Gerwen to beat Luke Littler +2.5 legs

Priced at 15/2 with BetMGM

BetMGM Specials

As well as outright odds and individual match betting, BetMGM has several specials available throughout the 2024 World Matchplay.

Everyone loves a nine-darter and the Matchplay is going through a bit of a barren spell when it comes to perfect legs, with none here since Gerwyn Price hit one back in 2022. The Matchplay was, however, where the great Phil Taylor hit the first-ever televised nine-dart finish on British TV against Chris Mason in 2002. If you fancy a perfect leg to be hit this time around, it is 4/5 or indeed an interesting 4/1 for over 1.5 of them.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more of our odds, offers and BetMGM Specials throughout the tournament here.

Odds and player information correct at time of publication but subject to change.

Take Time to Think | BeGambleAware.org | 18+

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