2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting Preview

James Punt has already posted his outright winner preview, check that out here. His 2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting preview and tips are below.

2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting

In a tournament where the eventual finalists are so very often ranked in the top 10, it has to be said that there are a lot of the top 10 players who are not in good form, or just in plain poor form. Is this going to open up the tournament? Maybe allow for another surprise Major winner, or at least a surprise semi-finalist?

It is worth having a look at each quarter and see if it is possible to predict any form players who might just win their quarter and reach a semi-final. There are recent precedents for ‘surprise’ quarter winners, and we have become used to surprise Major winners in recent years, with the likes of Andrew Gilding, Ross Smith, Ritchie Edhouse and Mike de Decker. That suggests we need to have a look, but still be aware that the cream does rise to the top in the biggest Major of all.

We had the unseeded Scott Williams last year, and Luke Littler, who was a 67.00 shot, both making the semi-finals, and in Littler’s case, the runner up. In 2023 we had Gabriel Clemens reaching the semi-finals as the 25th seed. Stephen Bunting was the 26th seed when making the semi-finals in 2021 and Nathan Aspinall was unseeded when making the semi-finalist in 2019, as was Jamie Lewis in 2018.

2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting: First Quarter

Our outright pick, Luke Humphries is the 1.84 favourite to win this quarter. He has only done it once before, but he has reached four quarter finals. His recent form is good, after a bit of a blip while his son was ill during the Grand Slam. He will be hard to beat.

Mike de Decker, the World Grand Prix winner, beat Humphries in that final, so he knows he can beat Humphries in a big TV match. He has won six of his last ten matches and is in decent form but has never gone beyond the second round at Ally Pally. He is the 7.50 second favourite.

Another player to have beaten Humphries in a Major this year is Jermaine Wattimena. He dumped Humphries out of the European Championships, on his way to the final. He backed that up with a quarter final at the Grand Slam and he is having his best season since 2019, when he reached 23 in the world rankings. Wattimena is 41.00 in a place and I can see him bettering his previous best of making the third round here.

Semi Finalist

Stephen Bunting made the semi-final here in 2021, one of five ranking Major semi-finals he has reached. He has lost four of his last six matches, but he is still playing well. Bunting is 10.00 to win the quarter. Bunting is looking for a good run to press his claims for a Premier League spot.

Dirk van Duijvenbode was a quarter finalist in the European Championship, and a semi-finalist in the Players Championship finals a couple of weeks ago. He is still not fully recovered from his shoulder injury and cannot yet put in as much practice as he used to, but he is getting closer to his best.

Dirk was a quarter finalist in 2021. He lost to Humphries in the Players Championships semi-final and he has a tough route just to have any chance of revenge. Dirk is a 19.00 shot to win the quarter.

I will stick with Humphries as the most likely to win the quarter, but If I was to have a small alternative bet, it would have to be on Jermaine Wattimena. At 41.00 he does make some appeal, certainly compared to the other alternatives. Unfortunately, he is only 41.00 with one rather restrictive bookmaker, and the next best odds are just 26.00.

2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting Tip: 0.5 point Jermaine Wattimena to win the first quarter @ 41.00 with Skybet

2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting: Second Quarter

Much like the first quarter, the second is dominated by one player, in this case Luke Littler. The tournament favourite is just 1.67 to win the quarter. He is in great form, winning nine of his last ten matches. What is more terrifying for his opponents is that in his last eighteen matches, he has hit seventeen ton plus averages.

His only sub 100, was 95.39 against Andrew Gilding in the European Championship, and he lost that 4-6. It is hard to see him fail to progress to the semi-finals, but there are a few players in his quarter who could, maybe, take advantage if he has an off night.

Madhouse

Ritchie Edhouse has gone form journeyman pro, to Major champion in 2024. He won the European Championship in October and he has played some very good darts during the season. One occasion was just a couple of weeks ago when Edhouse averaged 105.35 in the Players Championship finals, but he lost that match 2-6 to Luke Littler.

They should meet in the third round, but has Littler marked Edhouse’s card already? Edhouse is a 26.00 shot to reach the semi-final, which would be a huge improvement on his previous best of a second round exit in 2020 and 2022.

Noppert

Danny Noppert is a money farmer, rather than a tournament winner. He has reached six ranking Major semi-finals, but only won one. His latest was in the European Championship in October where he lost 10-11 to Wattimena.

On the Pro Tour, Noppert won one title in 2024, lost three semi-finals and six quarter finals. On the Euro Tour he lost a semi-final and four quarter finals. He just tends to have a lot of good runs, and wins good money, but struggles at the business end.

His best results in the World Championship are four third round defeats. He may well make the fourth round, but he would than meet Littler in all probability, and he is 0-3 with The Nuke. Their last match was just a couple of weeks ago, and Littler won that 10-3 in the Players Championship finals. Noppert is a 23.00 shot.

Heavy Metal

Ryan Searle is not in top form and is due to meet Noppert, against whom he is 2-6, and if he won that, Littler with whom he is 0-2. Rob Cross is a former winner here in 2018, but he has lost five of his last ten matches, including a 0-6 thrashing by Littler. He made the semi-final last year and he has the game, but he is 2-8 vs. Littler and he would have to play him at some point.

Gian van Veen, the new Youth World Champion, joins a list that includes Michael Smith, Dimitri van den Bergh (x2), Luke Humphries, Josh Rock and Luke Littler. It does not guarantee that you will progress to great things, but it is a big hint that you might.

He is a great talent, still learning the ropes, but he can punch. He has reached a ranking Major semi-final already, the 2023 European Championship and was a quarter finalist in this year’s Grand Slam.

Van Veen has won six of his last ten matches, and he has been playing nicely most of the time, losing despite hitting some big numbers. Maybe he can do what Littler did last year and win the Youth World Championship and follow it up with a great run in the big one? He is only 10.00 to win the quarter, and much as I am a fan, that’s a bit short.

Smash

Martin Lukeman is lurking down in the very bottom corner of the draw. He plays the Indian qualifier Nitin Kumar in the first round and should meet Andrew Gilding in the second. He has struggled against Gilding in the past but he is in better form.

Lukeman would likely face Aspinall or Menzies, and he has never beaten either. I would not rule out a good run for Smash, but he has a hard draw, and he is another player who has been thumped by Littler.

Littler has given all of the main threats in this quarter some severe beatings, and he is very hard to oppose.

2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting Tip: 3 points Luke Littler to win the Second Quarter @ 1.67 with Hills, Betvictor, Betfair, Unibet

We now move unto the bottom half of the draw. The ‘Lukeular Free Zone’, and where things are more interesting.

2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting: Third Quarter

Arguably the most interesting quarter of the tournament for punters. Many of the fancied runners are not in good form, including the favourite, Michael Smith.

Bully Boy is the 6.00 favourite, and I struggle to see why. He has lost five of his last ten matches, his seasonal win rate is 60%, down from the 67% when he won the title two years ago. He has not reached a ranking Major final since that World Championship win, and his record in 2024, sees just one Major semi-final.

That was at the World Matchplay in the summer, and since then he lost in the first round of the Grand Prix, won one match at the European Championship, failed to get out of the group stage at the Grand Slam, and was out in the second round of the Players Championship finals a couple of weeks ago.

No Swagger

There is just no swagger about his game, his head is going down too easily and he is just a bit negative. Smith was quoted as saying he would retire if he dropped out of the top 64. He is the world number two right now, and retirement is being mentioned! The reason why? He is defending £500,000, he knows he is far from his best and that he could find himself taking a big tumble down the rankings.

He failed to defend a chunk of money at the Grand Slam, but this is a whole different level. Smith will very likely face Kevin Doets in his opening match, the same player that took him to a deciding set in 2023. There could well be a different ending this time round.

Heavy Scoring Dobey

Chris Dobey has reached the quarter for the last two years. He is one of the heaviest scorers in the game and now feels comfortable on the biggest stage of all. He is also one of the game’s greatest underachievers.

By his own admission, he has bottled some big games, Including a 4-5 loss to Rob Cross in last year’s quarter final. Dobey was 4-0 up and lost five sets in a row. There is no doubt in my mind that he should be winning more titles. He has lost two ranking Major semi-finals and no less than eight quarter finals. That is a lot of scar tissue.

After making the quarter final here last year and majorly blowing his chance of a semi-final, he has had a pretty rubbish season in the Majors. He won just one match in the UK Open, one match at the Matchplay, lost to Joe Cullen in the first round of the Grand Prix, lost in the first round of the European Championships and the Players Championship finals. That was a dreadful 1-6 loss to Aspinall.

Floor Winner

Dobey won three titles on the floor, was runner up in two more and reached two Euro Tour semi-finals, but he has bombed in the big ones. He has the fourth best 12 month scoring average of 97.41 and a win rate of 67%. There is a lot to like about his game, but is his head in the right place in the ranking Majors?

He has lost five of his last ten matches and he is hard to back, but he has huge potential. He is the 6.50 second favourite, and I can see why, but he looks a bit short. If his head is in the right place, he can do it. If he is dwelling on that Cross match last year, he won’t.

Josh Rock

Josh Rock is something of a Chris Dobey mini-me. He has a 2024 win on the Euro Tour, has a win on the Pro Tour and two more runners up spots, but his Major form has been very poor. He won one match at the UK Open, but lost in the first round of the Matchplay, Grand Prix, European Championship, went out in the group stage at the Grand Slam, and won just one match at the Players Championship finals.

On the plus side, he is actually playing well on the whole, and if he could be more efficient on the outer ring, he might realise his ambitions. Rock is 10.00 to win the quarter and he is not without a chance, but his Major form is a big red flag.

The Ferret

Jonny Clayton is another conundrum. He keeps on looking like that he is on the way back to his best, and then goes off the boil. His seasonal win rate is a healthy 65%, he has won a Players Championship event, was a runner up on the Euro Tour, but outside of a quarter final at the Grand Prix, his Major form is very ordinary.

He was runner up in the final Players Championship event of the season, but failed to qualify for the Grand Slam and went out in the first round of the Players Championship finals. He was a beast on the big stages between 2020 and mid-2023, but since the death of his father, he has not been the same player. The Ferret is defending quarter final prize money from two years ago, and that is more pressure.

Gurney

Daryl Gurney is a two time quarter finalist here, but his ranking Major form has been poor in recent years. He has made just one quarter final in the last three years. He seems to have found a comfort zone of keeping his place in the top 32, but not threatening to get back to deep runs and tournament wins.

Gerwyn Price is another top player with too many question marks against him. Seven years of reaching Major finals and winning five, including this one, has come to a grinding halt in 2024.

Not so much as a quarter final to his name in 2024, no Euro Tour wins, no Players Championship wins and lots of talk about retirement. He has some health issue that hasn’t helped, but he seems to lack any motivation.

Joe Cullen has had issues off the oche and has had a wretched season. He says things are looking up but he has been out of form for a long time, his seasonal average is only 90.34 and his win rate 45%. It is a bit optimistic to think he can turn that around out of the blue.

Seeds Hard To Fancy

We have eight seeds (I didn’t even mention Ratajski) who are hard to fancy, very hard in most cases, but somebody has to make the semi-final. Dobey should, he really should, but he may very well come up short again. Clayton and Rock are not a million miles off, but still hard to fancy. Which leaves the first round entrants, and there is one who looks like he could get the job done, despite this being just his fifth ranking Major.

Wessel Nijman, the Dutch Littler, is a scoring machine. He picked up a win on the Pro Tour and looks a real prospect. His seasonal average is 95.46 and rising. He has lost his last five matches in a row but averaged 101.9 across those five. Three were short first to five leg format matches, but there is no denying his scoring power.

He doesn’t have the cocky swagger of Littler, but he is one of the very best young talents out there. If the old guys continue to underwhelm, he can take advantage. The downside is that he is just 6.50 to win the quarter, the third favourite.

Open

This is the most open of the quarters. It really is up for grabs, but it is populated with players that all have big question marks over them. The best player in the quarter? Chris Dobey. He has bombed in the 2024 Majors, but he has back to back quarter finals here in the last two years.

If that can inspire him to take his floor game on to the stage, then he could walk through this. Surely, he is too good a player to miss this opportunity? I may regret it, but Dobey is the pick.

2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting Tip: 1 point Chris Dobey to win the third Quarter @ 6.50 with Ladbrokes, Betfred, Skybet

2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting: Fourth Quarter

This quarter features the tournament third favourite, Gary Anderson, who is the obvious pick to win this quarter at 3.25. It has been a great season for Anderson, but mostly on the floor. He has won two Players Championships, and a Euro Tour title.

His ranking Major form was pretty underwhelming, but it picked up with a quarter final in the European Championships and followed that up with a semi-final at the Grand Slam. He lost that 15-16 to Luke Littler, and he certainly rattled his cage.

Anderson holds the highest average for the last twelve months and he is playing as well as he ever has. The problem is that the standard has risen and he has to face more capable opponents than he did back in his prime.

Semi Finalist

In the last ten years, Anderson has made the semi-final six times, but only twice in the last five. There is no doubting his ability, but the question now is more about stamina. This format, with the winner playing six (or maybe seven) matches, is played over four weeks, so there is plenty of time to rest. Is it a coincidence that his best result in the Majors this year was in the Grand Slam, which was played over nine days?

MVG Second Fav

Michael van Gerwen is the 3.50 second favourite to win the quarter but his form is not good. He has lost six of his last ten matches and two of those were to Gary Anderson. MVG is scheduled to meet Anderson in the fourth round. That is likely to be the pivotal match of the quarter, and I fancy Anderson to win it.

Van Gerwen’s game hasn’t fallen off a cliff, but he is slowly going downhill. His seasonal win rate is a healthy 68%, but that is his lowest since 2010. His 12 month average has fallen to 97.12. Compare that to Anderson’s 75% and 99.60. It is not a huge difference, but Anderson is well ahead when it comes to something that cannot be measured, confidence.

Out Of Form

The other seeds include the bang out of form Brendan Dolan, who beat Anderson (and Price) last year, but he has lost seven of his last ten matches and his seasonal win rate is just 46%. It is hard to think he will have suddenly found his best form in time for this.

Dave Chisnall has been suffering with a bad back and his recent form is worse than Dolan’s. Chizzy has lost nine of his last ten matches, and even if his back is feeling better, he will have had to get back to his old throw in the last two weeks and be ready to play his best. It is hard to think he can do that.

Ross Smith is blowing hot and cold, and he is a bit of a loose cannon in the quarter. If he blows hot, he can be very hard to beat, but on an off day, he struggles. It is hard to see him winning the quarter, but he did reach the semi-finals at the recent Plyers Championship finals, so his confidence will have gotten a boost, even if his performances in that event were mixed. Smudger has never got beyond the third round at Ally Pally and that is when he should be facing Gary Anderson.

Clemens Lacks Consistency

Gabriel Clemens is defending his semi-final money from two years ago but comes here in poor form, losing six of his last ten matches. He is playing some good stuff, but with no consistency and it is hard to see another big run.

Dimitri van den Bergh has been struggling with his game for a while now. He is usually able to up his form in big stage matches, but even his stage form has taken a turn south. That said, he can’t be easily dismissed. However, his seasonal win rate is just 48% and he has lost seven of his last ten matches. Like Clemens, Dimitri is defending his semi-final money from 2023.

Martin Schindler has had a breakthrough season, winning a Euro Tour title, his first senior PDC tournament win. His recent form sees six wins from his last ten matches but he is playing with poor consistency. His A game is top class, but he has been hitting a lot of low averages.

Of the first round entrants, Jeffrey de Graaf has been impressing me, but he is due to play Anderson in round two. That is a banana skin for Anderson, but the Scotsman would still be the big favourite to win that one. Outside of De Graaf, there is nobody coming in at the first round stage that looks up to competing for the a semi-final place.

2025 PDC WC Quarter Betting Tip: 1 point Gary Anderson to win the fourth quarter @ 3.25 with Ladbrokes

Other Side Markets – Most 180s

I usually have a bet on the player to hit the most 180s. It is invariably the player who wins the title, or if not, the runner up. They are the best players and will play the most legs. Sometimes you can get a better price on them to hit more 180s than to win the title.

Humphries is 5.00 to hit the most 180s, but only 4.35 to win the title. Littler is 3.00 to win the tournament but just 2.50 to hit the most 180s. The other player of interest is Gary Anderson. He tops the 180s per leg table over the last 12 months, but only by a fraction from Littler. Humphries is back in seventh place on 0.34, compared to 0.40 for Anderson and Littler.

Ladbrokes are offering a handicap market for tournament 180s between 24 selected players. Littler is 17.00 off scratch. Anderson is 17.00 getting +26.5 and Humphries +21.5. Those are the three I would most fancy as likely finalists. Littler and Humphries cannot both be in the finals, so one looks to be poor value. That makes Anderson look the value bet to me, for a small stakes bet.

2025 PDC WC Most 180s Tip: 0.5 point e/w Anderson to have the most 180s in Ladbrokes Handicap market @ 17.00 (1/4 the odds 1-4)

-JamesPunt