2022 PDC World Championship Preview

The 2022 PDC World Championship kicks off at Alexandra Palace on the evening of December 15th. Ninety-six players from thirty countries will participate. We have had two players withdraw so far, but fingers crossed, that is all. There will be a full crowd in attendance, but there must be some real concern that this will be the case for the entire duration of the tournament.

The first round is played between the top 32 players on the PDC Pro tour OOM (not already qualified) and the thirty-two international qualifiers, Women’s series qualifiers, PDPA qualifiers and the PDC UK and European Development and Challenge Tour OOM winners.

In the second round, the top 32 seeds from the PDC OOM take on the first-round winners. The first two rounds are a best of five sets format.

2022 PDC World Championship: Big Pot

The prize money totals £2.5 million with first round losers getting £7500 all the way up to £500000 for the champion. It is by far the most important tournament of the year in terms of ranking prizemoney and a good run here can make a big difference to a player’s ranking.

That brings its own pressure as players will have any prize money earned two years ago, coming off their ranking. It won’t make a huge difference for the top players such as Price, Van Gerwen and Wright, but Darius Labanauskas is defending £50k, as is Glen Durrant, and an early exit would see those two taking a big hit. There are a few others who will be watching their live ranking closely, such as Stephen Bunting, Steve Beaton, Simon Whitlock, Chris Dobey and Adrian Lewis.

2022 PDC World Championship: The History

Even though there has been 28 previous PDC World Championships, we have had just ten different winners. Phil Taylor has won fourteen, Michael van Gerwen three, John Part, Gary Anderson and Adrian Lewis have won twice and one each for Denis Priestly, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Peter Wright, and Gerwyn Price.

Having once just being a matter of who was coming second to Taylor, we have seen seven different winners in the last ten years, and four different winners in the last four years, including three first time winners.

Not so long ago the list of possible winners could be counted on the fingers of one hand but nowadays, we must consider more players as potential winners, while at the same time realising that we should not expect a real shock. The nature of the tournament with its longer format matches, means the cream rises to the top and we have not really seen any great surprises.

Many will cite Rob Cross’ win in 2018 as a shock, but he went into the tournament as the fifth or sixth favourite around the 15.00 mark. It was his first major title, which is unusual, but he was one of the form players going into the tournament.

We will have look at the top 32 seeded players, from where the winner will come from, and see who is hot and who is not, with recent form from their last ten matches, tournament record and odds.

2022 PDC World Championship: The Players

1. Gerwyn Price 8-2  1/1/1/3/2/SF/W 5.00

The defending champion picked up his fifth major title and his third Grand Slam title just a few weeks ago. His win rate in 2021 is a fraction under 80% and his seasonal average is 99.3. Obviously on the short list. He has a decent draw, although he has Jonny Clayton as a possible quarter final opponent.

2. Peter Wright 9-1  1/3/1/2/RU/QF/QF/SF/2/2/W/3 8.00

Snakebite had the perfect warm up for this event by winning the Players Championship finals, the last event before the World Championship. That was his second major title of the year and he also won four players championship qualifiers.

It must be said that that it wasn’t a hugely impressive win and despite winning one and being runner up in the last two majors, it hasn’t been vintage Peter Wright. However, a win is a win, and he makes the shortlist. He is one of the players who knows he can win this.

3. Michael van Gerwen 7-3  1/2/2/1/3/RU/W/SF/3/W/SF/W/RU/QF  5.50

MVG is no longer the favourite going into the big events, but he must be on the short list. He remains one of the heaviest scorers, averaging 99.3 but his win rate has dropped to 74%, down from 84% when he last won the title in 2019. This is his problem, while he is still playing to a very high level, as good as anyone else, he isn’t winning as many matches as he used to.

His confidence is not what it was, and his opponents no longer see him as invincible. He has not won a major title for over a year now and being the 5.50 second favourite flatters him a little.

4. James Wade 6-4  1/1/3/QF/SF/QF/2/SF/SF/QF/2/QF/QF/1/4/3/3 41.00

Huge odds for a player who has won nine majors over his long career. This is one that has evaded his grasp and indeed he has never made a final despite many good runs. He has been playing well recently and his draw looks fairly good.

He does tend to put in a duff performance during a tournament which may explain the lack of a final appearance. Another good run would be no surprise, but actually winning the whole thing? Maybe not, but the odds are decent.

5. Dimitri van den Bergh 4-6  2/1/QF/3/QF/4  19.00

Van den Bergh is a major winner and has the game to compete at this level. However, losing six of his last ten matches coming into the biggest tournament of the year is a serious concern. He had to miss the Grand Slam after failing a covid 19 test and his scoring in recent matches was well off his seasonal average of 97.2. He will face the winner of the Martin Schindler vs. Florian Hempel match and Van den Bergh will need to be up to speed from his very first dart.

6. Gary Anderson 6-4  2/RU/QF/3/3/W/W/RU/QF/SF/4/RU  41.00

Big odds about a tournament specialist. A two-time winner and three time runner up, including last year. This is the only one that really matters for Anderson and his world ranking is built around performing in the biggest tournament of the year.

He is able to raise his game here every year so I would tend to ignore his most recent form as he will surpass it. However, his win rate in 2021 is just 53.5%, down from 68.6% last year and his last major title came back in 2018. His draw isn’t the best and odds of 41.00 look about right.

7. Jose De Sousa 6-4  1/1/1/3  34.00

The popular Portuguese star doesn’t have much in the way of Ally Pally pedigree and comes here not in the best of form. He is one of the heaviest scorers in the game, his annual average is 97.8, but his tournament average in the Players Championship finals was 93.2.

The Special One’s game is built around hitting a lot of 180’s and that part of his game has tailed off in recent months. His best form was in the first half of this year. Hard to fancy.

8. Jonny Clayton 8-2  2/1/2/3/3  8.00

The best player of 2021 and as such he must be on anyone’s short list. The Ferret is averaging 98.5 and winning 77% of his matches. He has picked up six titles including the Premier League and the World Grand Prix and established himself in the top three or four players in the world. Winning the World Championship would be a fitting conclusion to an amazing year and set him up for more in 2022.

He reached the semi-finals of the Players Championship finals last time out, but he was far from his best with three sub 90 averages. That does put a bit of a dampener on his chances but also highlights that his B game is very useful.

9. Michael Smith 7-3  1/1/3/3/QF/3/2/RU/2/2 26.00

There are two schools of thought when it comes to Michael Smith. That he is too good a player not to win a World Championship and this could be his year, or he can’t win a televised major and the World Championship is hardly where is likely to start doing so. I am in the latter category. His talent marks him out as a possible contender, and he is priced accordingly.

However, the reality is that if you have been backing Smith in the majors, you will be skint. I do like his draw, and he should be able to sleepwalk to only his third fourth round match at Ally Pally. It is at that point when things get very tough, and all that scar tissue comes to the fore. Poor value.

10. Nathan Aspinall 6-4  SF/SF/3 29.00

The Asp must be seen as a bit of an outsider, but he is on my shortlist. He hasn’t had a great season, not won a title of any description, and let his game drift a bit in the middle of the year. He got a slap from his missus, told to get his finger out and he got back to work, and the results are good. Ten of his last fourteen matches have seen ton plus averages.

His Ally Pally record is very good with back-to-back semi-finals in his first two visits. He missed the crowds last year and hopefully that extra buzz will be enough for him to find his A game, in which case he can go deep. If we are to get another new name on the trophy, it could be Aspinall.

11. Rob Cross 6-4  W/4/2/2 29.00

The 2018 champion arrested his drop down the rankings by winning the European Championship in October. He didn’t play his best that weekend but was able to take advantage of some disappointing opponents and lifting the trophy put a rocket under his confidence. He flowed up that win with a pro tour title, two more semi-finals and the quarter final of the Grand Slam.

The big rush from winning another major may have waned a little in recent weeks and he just hasn’t been quite on it, but his prospects are better than they have been for a while. His checkout % in the last couple of months is second to none. He is in a tough part of the draw and his odds are only fair.

12. Krzysztof Ratajski 7-3  1/1/3/QF 51.00

The Polish Eagle has improved his stage craft in 2021, reaching four quarter finals and two semi-finals on TV. However, he has gone out early in the last three ranked majors. His scoring at the Grand Slam and Players Championship finals was well short of his seasonal average of 97.0 and it is hard to fancy a player who has gone off the boil just before the big event. His draw is decent but the way he played at the Players Championship makes him vulnerable to an early exit.

13. Joe Cullen 6-4  1/1/1/1/1/1/2/1/2/2/4 67.00

A player with a terrible record at Ally Pally but he did get the monkey off his back last year by winning two matches. Hardly earth shattering but he admitted it was a big deal after years of not needing to book a hotel room. Cullen has picked up another two pro tour titles in 2021 but stage glory is still proving elusive outside of the Euro Tour.

He has never reached a major final and made just one semi-final this season. For that reason, he is hard to fancy to go all the way, but he is playing well enough to win a few matches and have a good run.

14. Dave Chisnall 5-5  3/3/1/2/3/QF/1/QF/3/SF 81.00

A bit like Michael Smith and Joe Cullen, Chizzy just hasn’t cut it on TV. He has lost five TV finals and eleven semi-finals. He has won a stack of money, but titles have proven to be elusive. His most recent form has been inconsistent, blowing hot and cold. He has lost six of his last ten televised matches and has a tough looking draw.

15. Ryan Searle 6-4  4/3/4  51.00

Heavy Metal came within a whisker of winning his first major at the recent Players Championship final, just losing out to Peter Wright in the deciding leg. He is second only to Jonny Clayton as the most improved player of 2021 and despite not having won a major title before, he can be described as possible contender, such is his scoring power.

Searle wasn’t at his best in the Players Championship finals, very lucky to get through the first two rounds, but he upped his game against Cross and Gurney before being very ordinary in the semi-final and final. He showed that he could do the right thing at the right time, and he is building a good B game.

16. Stephen Bunting 6-4  QF/2/1/1/2/4/SF  101.00

Defending fourth round prizemoney and sitting at 16 in the world rankings. That might prey on his mind as that top 16 ranking is important. Bunting has had a good season, starting with a World Championship semi-final, reaching the Grand Prix semi-final and winning a pro tour title. His confidence is better than for a long time, but he does falter at the business end of big tournaments and his doubling needs to improve.

17. Dirk van Duijvenbode 5-5  1/QF  101.00

Only winning five of his last ten matches doesn’t sound great but four of them went to a deciding leg and half saw him average over 100. Dirk is one of the heavier scorers on tour and hits more 180’s per leg than anyone. He needs to improve his checkout rate to really move up to the elite level, but the rest of his game is right up there.

Being drawn in the first quarter is tough and a fourth round defeat to Gerwyn Price looks very likely, given a 1-12 H2H record against the Welshman. That said, his stats in recent months are not far off Price’s. A dark horse with a bad draw.

18. Danny Noppert 7-3  2/3/3  101.00

Noppert is going through a spell of very good form and playing as well as he ever has. He reached the World Grand Prix semi-final and the European Championships quarter final, losing a deciding leg to Nathan Aspinall. He looks more confident and his scoring, checked out rate and 180 hitting in the last two or three months has been up with the very best.

As a negative, he is not a prolific tournament winner, whether as a BDO or PDC player. He is going to be hard to beat and could have good run. A third round match with Ryan Searle would be cracker, and it is Noppert who has the 5-0 H2H record. A dark horse.

19. Luke Humphries  7-3  1/QF/QF/1  67.00

Humphries has won seven of his last ten matches but it is hard to get a firm grip on his form. In the first six months of the year Humphries was in great form. He was runner up at the UK Open and a three time runner up on the pro tour. In the second half of the year there was just one pro tour quarter final and a euro tour semi-final but not much else.

Cool Hand Luke has reached two quarter finals from just four visits to Ally Pally, which is a positive, but losing to Paul Lim in the first round last year was poor. He is due to meet Dave Chisnall in the third round and likely MVG in the fourth and he has poor H2H records against both.

20. Simon Whitlock  4-6  3/RU/3/SF/QF/SF/1/1/2/2/2/4/3  251.00

You should never write off The Wizard, but he has lost six of his last ten matches and his annual win rate is down to 50.6%. He is scheduled to meet Joe Cullen in the third round, but he has a decent 7-3 H2H record against Cullen who doesn’t have a great record in this event. Whitlock’s draw is not the worst, and he may have a longer run than his form suggests but his odds for the tournament reflect his chances.

21. Merv King  4-6  2/SF/2/2/2/1/3/1/2/2/1/3/3/3/4  101.00

King’s run to the fourth round last year was his best performance here since 2008 and he has been playing well for a while now. He has lost six of his last ten and of those ten there were four sub 90 averages and a 115. The King is lacking the consistency required to have a long run, but on his day, he is still top class.

22. Daryl Gurney  7-3  2/1/2QF/2/3/3/QF  101.00

Superchin has been showing signs of a return to form in the last few months, but everything hasn’t quite clicked at the same time. He was a quarter finalist at the recent players championship, pipped at the very death by Ryan Searle as Daryl sat on 40 to win the match. That match was a good as Searle played all weekend. Gurney started 2021 with a World Championship quarter final, losing a deciding leg to Gerwyn Price, and ended with a losing quarter final in a deciding leg against Searle.

There were three pro tour quarter final defeats and looking at the draw, another quarter final defeat is not out of the question. He has a tough draw but his path to a possible quarter final is far from impossible. This will be the first time in a few years were Superchin arrives with nobody having great expectations of him being a possible winner. The pressure is off to a large extent and ironically, having a disappointing season might just have put him in the right place to have a decent run.

23. Brendan Dolan  6-4  1/2/2/1/2/2/2/1/2/1/QF/2/3  126.00

It has been a good season for The History maker, rising up the rankings and challenging Daryl Gurney for the Northern Irish number one spot. He has been one of the most consistent players on the pro tour and his return to form started here last year when he started to play a little quicker and his game improved markedly. He comes here on the back of a semi-final place at the Players Championship finals, his best run in a major since 2012.

24. Glen Durrant  1-9  QF/4  751.00

Still ranked twenty fourth in the world but Duzza isn’t on the radar. The form based FDI rankings have Durrant at 318th and that is a more accurate reflection of his form. He has never been close to being the player he was before he caught Covid 19. He won two matches here last year and reached the fourth round. That was followed by a quarter final in PC3 and there were signs of life in his game. Then came the Premier League and nine straight defeats. That seemed to empty him of all hope.

Since his last PL match in April, Durrant has only played 22 matches and won just four. He was struggling to get his averages into the 80’s and he pulled out of the penultimate Super Series after two whitewashed defeats. We haven’t seen him since late October, and he is only playing exhibitions. He realised there was no point playing competitively. Unless he has suddenly found his game, he will lose his opening match vs. O’Connor or Lauby Junior.

25. Gabriel Clemens  6-4  2/1/4  151.00

The German Giant is struggling for consistency. In his last ten matches there have been four sub 90 averages, but he beat Peter Wright in a Grand Slam group match, averaging 98. If he wins his first match, he should face Jonny Clayton in the third round and that should be that.

26. Mensur Suljovic  5-5  2/2/1/3/1/1/1/3/2/3/2/2/3  201.00

The Gentle is not in good form, losing five of his last ten matches and he has a very poor tournament record. His form is all over the place with a sub 80 average in his last match but four ton plus averages in his last ten. He has won 46% of his world championship matches and only one in the last three years. Home in time for Christmas.

27. Ian White  3-7  1/1/QF/2/1/3/2/2/2/2  201.00

Another player in poor form and with poor tournament form. His scoring is still quite decent, but he just struggles to win matches. His win rate in 2021 is just 49% despite averaging 94.6. White’s confidence is low and with a tournament record which says played 19 and won 8, he isn’t likely to get very far this year either.

28. Devon Petersen  1-9  1/2/3/1/1/4/1/4  751.00

Petersen is giving Duzza a run for his money in terms of his form regressing in 2021. He won a euro tour event last September, a 67.00 winner for us, reached the European Championship semi-final and made the fourth round here last year. The year started well enough, and he took Price to a deciding leg in the UK Open quarter final.

However, since mid-March, he has not hit a ton plus average. His 2021 win rate is just 43% and his average 90. One win in his last eleven matches shows that he is still on the way down. That win was against Darren Webster, a player who has fallen out of the top 64 and lost his tour card.

29. Vincent van der Voort  4-6  2/3/2/QF/2/3/2/QF/3/1/3/3/2/4  301.00

Vincent was a bit pissed off here last year. He hated the lockdown bubble and would have been happier to lose his first match and go home, but he won two and had to spend Christmas in a London hotel, making dinner on a hot plate. Van der Voort has only won four of his last six, but he reached the quarter final of the Players Championship finals at the end of last month.

He played well to beat Andy Boulton and Danny Noppert but fell in a heap against Jonny Clayton, averaging 82. There are too many poor performances to think he can reach his third World Championship quarter final, but he has only ever lost his opening match once in fourteen appearances here.

30. Chris Dobey  4-6  2/1/4/4/3 

The mercurial Chris Dobey. Why doesn’t he win more? His game is top class, but it has taken six years on the pro tour before he won his first title. That was PC18 in July and he added a second in early November. Is he now ready to take the next step and win a major? Or will it be another long wait? Perhaps the latter.

Despite his recent scoring, checkout rate and 180’s per leg being right up with the elite players, Dobey has won just 1 of his last 7 matches. He reached two major semi-finals in 2019 but nothing of note since. In the 2021 ranked majors he has played 8 and won 3 matches.

He is one of those players who just doesn’t win as many matches as he should. Dobey could have a good run this year, but he probably won’t. He is due to meet MVG in the third round and his H2H record vs. Van Gerwen is 0-9.

31. Damon Heta 7-3  2/1  126.00

You could say much the same thing about Damon Heta but he is a relative newcomer. The Heat is in decent form, winning seven of his last ten matches and while his scoring isn’t quite at the elite level it is not far off. He hits a lot of 180’s and he has a good all round game. As a result, I expected him to have won more than a World Series event and one pro tour title.

His game is better than that. Perhaps he struggles against many of the big-name players. He lost two players championship finals this year, one vs. Clayton and the other vs. Price. He also lost a semi-final to MVG. Heta maybe just lacks a bit of confidence when he faces the big boys. He is due to meet peter Wright in the third round and that is where he could come up short again, but Heta has the game to cause anyone problems.

32. Kim Huybrechts  6-4  QF/1/2/3/1/3/1/3/4/3

The Hurricane is still just about hanging in the top 32 and is in reasonable form, certainly better than he has been for four or five years. There are plenty of big scores and his A game is very good. The consistency isn’t there however and it is hard to see him having a long run, especially if he makes the third round and a match vs. Gerwyn Price. That would be a potential banana skin for Price, but it is hard to see Huybrechts not having a duff match at some point.

2022 PDC World Championship: Notable Pro Tour OOM qualifiers

These players all start at the first round stage and that one extra match makes it all the more difficult to have a long run.

Callan Rydz 6-4 2/2  201.00

A great talent and beginning to mature. He has improved year on year and has won two pro tour events in 2021. That marks him out as a potential winner of bigger events, but it may be a few years before he is ready to contend in the biggest one of them all. He has won six of his last ten senior matches, is capable of hitting very big averages and he is worth keeping an eye on.

Ross Smith  6-4  1/2/1/2  201.00

Another player who picked up his first pro tour title in 2021 and was runner up in PC27 in late October. A very heavy scorer when he has his A game, and he will be a very dangerous opponent, but he has yet to make it beyond the second round. He might just do it this year. Since the start of October, Smith has the ninth best average, the seventh best checkout rate and is fourth for 180’s per leg. If he wasn’t in such a tough part of the draw, Smith would be dark horse material, but he should be worth following in the early rounds.

Raymond van Barneveld  6-4  W/3/RU/SF/QF/1/SF/3/SF/SF/SF/QF/2/1 151.00

A tournament specialist, but surely past his best. His comeback season has seen him win a pro tour title very early in the season but not much else. He still plays to a good level and a return to this stage with all his success on it might fire him up. Barney is due to face Rob Cross in the second round and that would be interesting. He won’t go all the way but winning a few matches is well within his abilities.

Ryan Joyce  7-3  QF/1/2  251.00

The 2019 quarter finalist is in decent form, winning seven of his last ten, some in fine style but there has been some poor stuff there as well. He has a decent first round draw against Roman Benecký and then Merv King, so he could win a couple of matches in an open section of the draw. His recent checkout rate is top class.

Other Qualifiers of note

Fallon Sherrock

Queen of the Palace, reached the third round in the 2020 World Championship, beating Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic before losing to Chris Dobey. Since then, she has made a few more headlines for herself against the men. She reached the final of the Danish Darts Masters after thrashing a local qualifier and getting a bye into the semi-final after Gerwyn Price withdrew. Sherrock then pulled off a great comeback to beat Dimitri van den Bergh 11-10 and then gave MVG a scare in the final but losing 7-11 in the end.

Sherrock then played in the Grand Slam of Darts, beat Gabriel Clemens and Mike de Decker to progress to the knockout phase beating Mensur Suljovic again. She was fully competitive in the quarter final against Peter Wright, losing 13-16. There is no doubt that Sherrock can up her game on the big stages and having the entire crowd on her side is a massive help. She is the favourite to win her first-round match against Steve Beaton.

Martin Schindler

Schindler is one of the most improved players of 2021. He had been slipping down the rankings and in danger of drifting out of the game. However, he has got his head down and upped his annual average by over 5 points. His win rate is 68% and his seasonal average a healthy 94.75. His consistency is still lacking but his A game is back, and he will be a dangerous opponent. He has a tricky opening match vs. another very good German player, Florian Hempel, with the winner taking on Dimitri van den Bergh and that will be tough for Dimitri.

2022 PDC World Championship: The Draw

First Quarter

The first quarter looks likely to be played out between Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton. Michael Smith will be hoping to spoil the Welsh party, but his tournament record is only fair for a player of his ability. Dirk van Duijvenbode is the dark horse. He was a quarter finalist last year and he has been scoring well recently, hitting a lot of maximums. However, he is drawn to face Price in the fourth round, and he doesn’t have good record vs. the Iceman.

Price is the 2.25 favourite to progress to the semi-final, Clayton 3.75. Their H2H record in 2021 is 3-2 to Price and he is the one with positive mental associations of the venue and event. Clayton has had a fantastic year and is very much in contention not only for the quarter, but the whole tournament.

Second Quarter

There are none of the big beasts in this quarter and that leaves Dimitri van den Bergh as the 4.00 favourite. Having lost six of his last ten, he doesn’t look great value. James Wade is the 5.50 second favourite and he has a decent draw until the fourth round where he should face Joe Cullen.

The Rockstar has a dire Ally Pally record, but he did reach the fourth-round last year and was unlucky not to progress. Cullen has a decent record against Wade, winning four of their last five matches. Ratajski is in the bottom half of the quarter, but his recent form is a bit shaky. His draw is good

This quarter looks to be the most open and Cullen looks the value call here. In past years he was a player to be opposed at all costs, but he won a couple of matches last year and he said it felt more like winning a tournament.

Hopefully the negative mental associations with the Palace on the Hill are now gone and he can just get on with his games in a more positive mood. He has relatively good form with Wade, Ratajski, van den Bergh, yet he is a longer price than those three. He has won two pro tour titles in 2021 and was runner up in the final event a month ago.

2022 PDC World Championship Tip: 1 point Joe Cullen to win the second quarter @ 8.00 with Betvictor

2022 PDC World Championship Third Quarter

Peter Wright is the 3.10 favourite. He comes here having won nine of his last ten matches, winning the Players Championship finals and being runner up in the Grand Slam of Darts. He did that without being at his best. Clearly if he finds his A game then he is a championship contender. He can win big matches when not in top gear, but he has failed to get beyond the third round in three of the last four World Championships.

There is no shortage of contenders in the quarter. Ryan Searle is much improved and has already reached the fourth round here twice. De Sousa isn’t in top form, Danny Noppert is a dark horse but the one I like to make the semi-final is Nathan Aspinall. He has reached the semi-final twice from his three World Championships and he is playing well. The draw gives him a great chance to make the quarter final and his record vs. Wright is good, if that were to be the quarter final.

2022 PDC World Championship Tip: 1 point Nathan Aspinall to win the third quarter @ 7.00 with Skybet

Fourth Quarter

The bookmakers make MVG the 2.25 favourite and he has only failed to make the semi-final twice in the last eight years. His scoring remains top class, but he is a less confident player these days and he has lost the fear factor. He has a good looking draw but there are threats from Chisnall or Humphries who have both ended MVG’s hopes of a major in 2021.

Gary Anderson has made the semi-final in five of the last seven years and despite his less than stellar form these days, he can’t be ignored. Rob Cross is the second favourite at 8.00. His form is returning but he may have a tricky opening match vs. Barney.

The Dutchman has played Cross twice in 2021 and won both. If Cross survives that he should face Daryl Gurney who showed a return to form in the Players Championship finals recently, and Cross would not relish facing Gary Anderson, a player whom he really struggles against.

It looks most likely that MVG reaches the quarter final but who he would face is a bit harder to say. Cross beat Van Gerwen in the recent European Championship final, Anderson has lost 13 of his last 15 matches vs. MVG. Daryl Gurney might be more of a threat to MVG being 7-7 over their last 14 and 2-2 in 2021.

MVG is the most likely to make the semi-final but represents little value at short odds these days.

2022 PDC World Championship: outright betting

Just as Gerwyn Price deserved to win the 2020 World Championship after picking up six titles during the year, so this year Jonny Clayton is following a similar path. The Ferret has won six titles, four of them major televised events, including the Premier League. He knows how to win big events and he ticks all the boxes.

2022 PDC World Championship Tip: 2 point Jonny Clayton to win the World Championship @ 8.00 generally available

Nathan Aspinall is winless in 2021 but he is a major winner and an elite level player. His tournament record is very good, and his recent form sees his game in great shape. His draw is decent and with the return of the crowd (fingers crossed about that) that might be the x-factor which lights his rocket.

2022 PDC World Championship Tip: 1 point Nathan Aspinall to win the World Championship @ 29.00 generally available

2022 PDC World Championship: Side Markets

Apart from the myriad request-a-bets, there are remarkably few side markets. This is the world Championships for goodness sake. The player to have the most 180’s is an obvious one, but I can find just one firm pricing the market and they are only accepting pocket money on it.

For a player to have the most 180’s in the whole tournament we want a player who is hitting a lot of maximums and has a decent prospect of a long run. Looking at 180’s hit per leg since the start of October, Dirk van Duijvenbode is hitting them at just under 42%, the best by some way. Chris Dobey is next best at 39% but they both have tough draws and a good run will be hard to achieve. Third best is Nathan Aspinall on 38% and as explained earlier, I expect a good run from Aspinall. However, having put three eggs in his basket, he’ll probably fall at the first fence, but needs must.

2022 PDC World Championship Tip: 1 point Nathan Aspinall to hit the most tournament 180’s @ 20.00 with Betfair, Paddy Power

-JamesPunt