2019 World Grand-Prix Preview and Tips

TXMarkets darts expert James Punt may have missed the outright winner in Gibraltar, but he tipped plenty of winners during the tournament. Among them included a 1 point recommended bet on Price to win 6-0 in the 2nd round at 7.00. This week the focus switches to the World Grand Prix in Dublin. James Punt has previewed the tournament for the TXMarkets blog, check out his outright winner 2019 World Grand-Prix Tips below. Daily match previews will be available each day on our mobile app…

2019 World Grand-Prix Tips

The World Grand Prix is unique in that its format requires players to start and finish with a double. That simple fact makes this tournament a bit more open. Players can get stuck not just finishing a leg but starting it as well. Any troubles on the doubles are magnified, doubled if you like. Apart from that it is much like any other major apart from the fact that it is a set scoring format. That can see the player winning the match despite winning more legs.

In the last ten years the tournament has seen five different winners, but it has not been successfully defended since 2009 (Phil Taylor).

We have 32 players, the top 16 from the world rankings and 16 from the pro tour OOM not already qualified from the world rankings.

2019 World Grand-Prix Tips: The Seeds

Michael van Gerwen

Odds:  2.75

World Grand Prix Record: R1/-/W/QF/W/RU/W/1R/W

A four-time winner of this event, this was his first PDC major and he is the defending champion. He remains the world number 1 but his stranglehold on the game is weakening. There are 10 big tournaments throughout the year, the big money events. In 2014 he won three of them, in 2015 six, 2016 eight, 2017 six and in 2018 three. He has already won three in 2019 and lost two.

With the retirement of Phil Taylor, the demise of Raymond van Barneveld and career limiting injuries to Gary Anderson, you might have thought that Van Gerwen would be winning more of the big titles, not fewer. His problem is the strength in depth of the pool of players on the scene now. There are more players capable of beating him. These new faces may not be able to dominate in the way that Taylor and MVG have done, but they can beat him. No more easy early round matches for Van Gerwen, he has to work for every win and that is making winning tournaments harder for him. His recent run of not winning a European Tour title since May is a case in point. Six events where he has found someone better than him on the day.

His odds of winning tournaments are drifting but still too short.

Rob Cross

Odds:  11.00

World Grand Prix Record: 1R/1R

After his meteoric rise up the rankings in 2017 and 2018, Cross was seen as MVG’s big rival for the future, but it hasn’t turned out that way. The reason is the same as it is for Van Gerwen, the strength in depth of the other players. Cross won the World Championship in 2018, this year’s World Matchplay and been runner up in the UK Open and Premier League so he is doing little wrong but no wins on the euro tour nor any players championship tell you that he is losing too many matches. He has yet to progress beyond the 1st round here in two attempts. He is a player who hasn’t had a plan and he has got flustered by missing his opening doubles and panicked. This year, he says he is better prepared.

He remains a very strong scorer if a little dodgy on the doubles at times. He is a definite contender but odds of 11.00 are on the short side.

Daryl Gurney

Odds: 19.00

World Grand Prix Record: 1R/QF/W/SF

The 2017 champion has enjoyed his visits to the Citywest Hotel. He was a quarter finalist in 2016, won in 2017 and was a semi-finalist last year. It is not quite a home event for Daryl, and he has never had a lot of support from the southern Irish crowd. That hasn’t stopped him winning a load of cash in the event.

Perhaps the fact that he comes here with a plan helps. He knows what his favourite double is, 16, and he starts on that and switches over to treble 19 for his opening throw. The majority of players will go for double tops, even if it isn’t their strongest double. If they start to miss it, where do they go? Or do they just keep banging away on a locked door? It is so important to get that opening double in and get scoring, hopefully stealing a march on your opponent.

If Gurney is hitting that double 16 early, then he is likely to have another good run. He is in very good recent form and he has reached the semi-finals of the premier League and the World Matchplay already this season. He must be on anybody’s shortlist.

Gary Anderson

Odds: 11.00

World Grand Prix Record: 2R/QF/1R/1R/QF/SF/2R/RU/-/QF

The clock is ticking on Anderson’s career. He is only 48 years old, but his back is about 97. He has had problems with his elbows this year as well and he cannot commit to the same schedule of tournaments and practice regimes as ‘the youngsters’.

Anderson had most of the first half of the year off, withdrew from the Premier League at short notice and didn’t really return to action until June. After losing the semi-final of the World Championship in December, he played just eight matches before the World Cup of Darts which he went on to win with Peter Wright.

anderson Out Of Form

Any suggestion that he was back as a result of that win have disappeared. He has played just 28 matches since the world cup in June and lost 12. He admits that he needs to up his work rate and playing as little as he does means he can’t play his best.

The problem is that if he plays a lot, travels a lot and practices a lot he risks his injury problems flaring up. Anderson has never won this title so while I am sure he would like to; I am not convinced he is in the kind of form required to compete for a major.

Michael Smith

Odds: 26.00

World Grand Prix Record: 1R/-/1R/2R/1R/1R/1R

Smith has never won one of the big ten, but he has come close this year with his runners up spot in the World Championship and World Matchplay. He was also a UK Open semi-finalist and while he has scar tissue from his near misses his world ranking has never been higher. The talent is there, but the temperament? That is still open to question. His recent form has been disappointing, and he has had a very poor season on the Euro Tour. His odds do not reflect his talent but do reflect his achievements. Only once has he gone beyond the first round in this event and never beyond the second.

Gerwyn Price

Odds: 17.00

World Grand Prix Record: 1R/1R/2R/QF

Another in-form player who must be on the short list. Price won his first major title last year, won his first euro tour title last year and has backed that up with a semi-final in this year’s UK Open, defended his euro tour title and won two players championships. He is a prolific hitter of double tops and if he can get going early on his favourite double then he will be hard to beat. Price reached the quarter finals here last year, the first time he had gone beyond the second round.

Peter Wright

Odds: 11.00

World Grand Prix Record: 1R/-/1R/2R/1R/1R/QF/RU

Wright is another player who took a long time before he had a good run in this event. He went out in the first or second round for five years before a quarter final in 2017 and he was the runner up last year.  For all his time at the top end of the sport, Wright has won just one major title. He has made nine major finals, but his 2017 UK Open win remains his only TV title. His odds of 11.00 do seem short given that fact and at 49 years of age isn’t going to get any better.

James Wade

Odds: 29.00

World Grand Prix Record: 1R/QF/W/1R/1R/W/SF/1R/SF/RU/1R/1R/1R/1R

A player in great recent form and a past two-time winner of this event. It is true that Wades best form was some time ago. He won seven major titles between 2007 and 2011 but he won his first major for seven years when he won the European Championship last year. He made the semi-final of the Premier League this year and the quarter final of the World Matchplay.

Wade has won five players championship events in 2019 and he is in excellent recent form. His strength has always been his finishing and if he can start on the doubles in the way he finishes then he will be a contender. He professes that double 20 is his favourite double (although he looks better on tens) and his odds look generous.

2019 World Grand-Prix Tips: Notable Unseeded Players

Mensur Suljovic

Odds: 26.00

World Grand Prix Record: SF/1R/SF/SF

Suljovic biggest asset is his doubling and he has played this event by starting on his favourite double 14. It has worked well for him as he has reached the semi-final three times from four. His recent form is very good with a Euro Tour title and a player’s championship win in the last month.

Given his tournament and recent form he must be considered as a possible winner.

Ian White

Odds: 34.00

World Grand Prix Record: 2R/1R/1R/QF/1R/1R/2R

One of the best floor players in darts, White has never really brought his best game to the big stages. He has won three Euro Tour events, two of them this year, but he has never gone beyond the quarter final stage of any TV event. His recent form is very good, but does he really believe that he can win a big one?

Dave Chisnall

Odds: 41.00

World Grand Prix Record: 1R/2R/RU/1R/2R/SF/2R/QF

Much the same can be said about Dave Chisnall. Four times the bridesmaid in TV events, Chisnall has never landed a big one in his long career. He is in good recent form and has won on the Euro Tour and won three player’s championship titles this year. A very dangerous opponent but can he keep it going all the way to the end? History suggests not.

Nathan Aspinall

Odds: 26.00

World Grand Prix Record: Debut

One of the new kids on the block, Aspinall has already won a major title this year, landing a 126.00 tip for us in the UK Open. He has gone on and won his first World Series event at the US Darts Masters. He was runner up in a recent player’s championship event and reached the semi-final of last weekend’s Gibraltar Darts Trophy, beating MVG in the 3rd round and not for the first time.

Aspinall continues to grow in confidence and will win more big titles but this is his debut and players do tend to struggle with the unusual format on debut. With that in mind, his odds look a little short.

Krzysztof Ratajski

Odds: 81.00

World Grand Prix Record: 1R

Poland’s number 1 is enjoying a great season. He won last week’s Gibraltar Darts Trophy, his first stage win and he has won two player’s championship events this year, making it six PDC titles in total. Ratajski has a good temperament and he is being underrated by the bookies at 81.00. He has played here just the once, losing in last year’s first round

Glen Durrant

Odds: 26.00

World Grand Prix Record: Debut

Durrant has made a great impression in his PDC debut season. He has won two player’s championships and reached the semi-final of the World Matchplay. He is still relatively inexperienced in the big PDC majors but he thrived in Blackpool in the World Matchplay so he can handle the crowds who are generally on his side in any case. The format will not be such a culture shock to him as the darts leagues in the North East do play a double in format so it will not be unfamiliar to him. The odds for a debutant are on the short side however.

2019 World Grand Prix – The Draw

The top quarter looks very tough. We have MVG as the number1 seed but he has his work cut out to make the quarters. He faces the very dangerous Jamie ‘Yozzer’ Hughes in the first match. The first round is a best of three sets. Snooze and you lose. He must get the upper hand quickly or he could be in trouble.

He lost to John Henderson in the first round two years ago and it must be said that he has looked a little out of sorts recently. Yes, he won two World Series events down under but since his return to the regular tour he has lost two Euro Tour finals, a player’s championship quarter final and he was dumped out of the Gibraltar Darts Trophy by Aspinall in the third round.

We also have James Wade in the top quarter, another tournament specialist in great form. MVG may well face Jeffery de Zwann in the second round and The Swan has beaten MVG in two previous majors. Even John Henderson could still be around to trip up Van Gerwen for a second time.  From that quarter, James Wade makes the most appeal at 29.00.

Second Quarter Looks Wide Open

The second quarter looks much more open. Ian White is the form player in the section and all the others have big question marks over their form. Cullen, Anderson, Whitlock, Evans and Dobey have been losing too many matches to fancy them. Michael Smith’s form hasn’t been great either but Keegan Brown could be something of a dark horse as a result but he can’t be fancied to go all the way.

The third quarter is as tough as the top quarter. We have Rob Cross and Mensur Suljovic meeting in the first round and in this format you have to give Suljovic a good chance of getting through but he then faces the winner between Glen Durrant and Ratajski. That is a very tough section. Peter Wright is also in the third quarter but he faces Max Hopp and the winner of Wattimena vs. Adrian Lewis. That looks like a decent draw for Wright.

Bottom Quarter Looks Tricky

The bottom quarter is another tough one. Gerwyn Price faces Dave Chisnall in the first round. Daryl Gurney faces Danny Noppert in the first round and while he has a very good H2H record over the Dutchman (5-0), Noppert remains a dangerous opponent. Nathan Aspinall is lurking down at the very bottom of the draw but how will he cope on debut against the experienced Vincent van der Voort? Probably very well as VvdV doesn’t have a great record here nor is he in great form.

The draw doesn’t really help narrow it down. Peter Wright looks to have the best draw but despite reaching the final last year, his tournament record isn’t great nor is his recent form that great. Ian White has the best-looking draw. That second quarter looks to be full of players not in their best form but is that decent draw wasted on a player with a poor stage and event record?

2019 World Grand-Prix Tips – Double Troubles For MVG

Whoever wins is very likely to have win it the hard way. Good recent form and good tournament form look to be the best guide. MVG obviously has the best record but he is defending a title he has failed to defend three times before and his most recent form is short of his best.

Odds of 2.87 are big by his standards but that is because of his form. He is still hitting big numbers, but this is more than just averaging a ton plus. It’s about hitting doubles, lots of them and he has come up short a few times recently. His draw is tough and there must be better value around.

Mensur Suljovic has a tough opening match but should he be the outsider in that match? Cross is the higher ranked player but is only 7-6 in their H2H’s. Cross has lost both his first round matches here and if he does have a weakness, it can be that he goes AWOL on his doubles now and then. In this format, tournament specialist Suljovic looks the better value.

2019 World Grand-Prix Tips: Gurney Likes It At Citywest

Daryl Gurney likes this event and has been looking like his very best form isn’t far away. His experience will be a big plus against Noppert and Aspinall should the debutant win his first-round match.

James Wade has a game made for this event and that is reflected in his tournament record. He is winning plenty of matches and despite being in a tough quarter his odds are good. He has a great H2H record over John Henderson (7-1) while the winner of King vs. Van der Bergh will not relish facing The Machine.

Gary Anderson has a good draw, he has never lost to Keegan Brown and neither Ricky Evans nor Chris Dobey is in good form. I can see Anderson reaching the quarter finals and very possibly the semi-final. However, he has only ever reached one final here and with so much rust in his game, a fragile body and odds of just 11.00, he isn’t great value. Michael Smith has the talent to get through that quarter but the weakness in his game, in big matches, doubles. What is this event all about? Doubles.

2019 World Grand-Prix Tips –  The Wizard Could Work His Magic

Could we see a dark horse getting through that quarter? Simon Whitlock perhaps? He isn’t in great form but he reached the quarter finals in 2013 and 2016 and the final in 2017. He is a grinder and takes any chances given and he could get a few.

There are two players championship’s to be played this Friday and Saturday so there is the risk that someone will play their way into hot form. Suljovic was a semi-finalist and winner of these events in 2017 and went on to reach the Grand Prix semi-final. However, Max Hopp and Danny Noppert won one last year and both then went out in the first round of the Grand Prix, as did Rob Cross in 2017. I’ll take the chance of going in before then.

Outright Tips: 2019 World Grand-Prix 

2019 World Grand-Prix Tips: 1 point e/w Daryl Gurney to win @ 19.00 with SpreadEx

World Grand-Prix Tips 2019: 1 point e/w James Wade to win @ 29.00 with SpreadEx

2019 World Grand-Prix Tips: 1 point e/w Mensur Suljovic @ 26.00 with Ladbrokes, Coral

Quarter Betting Tip

2019 World Grand-Prix Tips: 1 point Simon Whitlock to win the second quarter @ 15.00 with Ladbrokes, Coral.

 

-JamesPunt