Monday Evening Grand Slam Of Darts Preview

It was a mixed evening on Sunday but at least we landed winners with Barney to win 5-0 at 3.25 and Smith to hit the most 180s. We are back in action again tonight. Check out James Punt’s Monday Evening Grand Slam of Darts tips below.

Chris Dobey vs. Ryan Joyce

One of the disappointments of the tournament vs. one of the dark horses.

Chris Dobey has left his floor form at home and has lost both his matches 3-5, averaging 89 across the two. To think that he won a players championship event two weeks ago and is now only averaging 89 and 25% on the doubles.

Joyce on the other hand has found his A-game and is running with it. Two wins from two, defeating opponents who both averaged over 100. Joyce’s tournament average across those two matches is 103, more than 10 points up on his 12-month average.

Their H2H record is 2-1 to Joyce but they haven’t played since 2020 and never on stage.

Joyce can be backed at odds against, and it is hard to see why. Dobey can play better but he is dead and buried in the group. Joyce will be looking to qualify top of the group and avoid Rob Cross in the knockout phase.

Monday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: 2 points Ryan Joyce to win @ 2.10 with Betfair, Paddy Power

Gerwyn Price vs. Martin Schindler

Schindler is another player who hasn’t brought his floor form. He has been impressive this season, hitting big averages and looking a real threat again, but so far it has been two heavy defeats and he has won just three legs. He now faces the group leader and world number 1, Gerwyn Price. The German is going home after this and with very little chance of not finishing last.

Price hasn’t found his A game yet but has dropped just four legs, all in the first round vs. Nathan Rafferty. He put Ratajski to the sword with a 5-0 thrashing in a match that was a bit low on quality. Price will want to win this and avoid a potential clash with his Welsh rival, Jonny Clayton.

Price has won five of their seven matches and all three in 2021, 6-0, 6-2 and 6-4. Schindler has been throwing a lot of low darts and his game is built around hitting maximums and putting the pressure on his opponents throw. When he misses his threat is much reduced. Another easy win for Price seems likely.

Monday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: 2 points Price to win -2.5 legs @ 1.91 with Ladbrokes

Boris Krčmar vs. Jim Williams

Krčmar is out of the competition after two heavy defeats and winning just two legs in his two matches. This is his easiest match on paper but Williams is still in the hunt for a place in the knockout phase.

Krčmar didn’t even get a dart at a double in his 0-5 defeat to Rob Cross and missed six of his eight when losing 2-5 to James Wade.

Williams has not played that well so far, averaging 92.5 and checking out at 37.5. That’s OK and should be enough to win this but if Boris found his normal level of play then there is nothing between them.

Hard To Call

This is a hard one to call. Krčmar is out and that might relax him while Williams needs to win or hope that Cross thrashes Wade to nil. Williams is the one under pressure and he has failed to get out of the group stage on his two previous Grand Slams.

Williams is the 1.73 favourite which is about right, but I’m not interested in those odds. Krčmar is 2.25 which is equally unattractive.

One bet which is worth making is Williams to have the most 180’s. Krčmar has hit just 8 in his last ten matches at a rate of just 0.10 per leg. Williams on the other hand has hit 21 from his last ten at a rate of 0.34 per leg. In this event so far Williams has hit 4 to Krčmar’s 1.

Monday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: 1 point Williams to have the most 180’s @ 2.38 with Betfair

James Wade vs. Rob Cross

Their H2H record is very close, 9-8 to Cross and 1-1 in 2021. However, what we are looking at here is a James Wade who is not in great form and a Rob Cross who is in the ascendancy.

Cross has dropped three legs and that was because he went to sleep, his words not mine, against Williams. He should have won 5-0 but missed match darts and Williams won three legs, before Cross did his job. He was annoyed with himself and rightly so. We still haven’t seen the best of Cross yet but maybe playing Wade will bring the best out of him.

James Wade averaged just 90 against Jim Williams and lost 4-5 and against Krčmar he was better with a 95 average and a 5-2 win. He has won five of his last ten matches and his recent scoring has been a bit weak. His doubling remains impressive and that keeps him in matches but Cross should be getting to a finish first more often than Wade, so he will have plenty of opportunities to win legs.

Cross is the 1.67 favourite to win and while he may not run riot, hopefully he can cover a 1.5 leg handicap.

Monday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: 1 point Rob Cross to win -1.5 legs @ 2.20 with Betfair Paddy Power

Bradley Brooks vs. Rusty-Jake Rodriguez

Brooks did us in yesterday, taking three legs off Jonny Clayton, and deservedly so. He made the Ferret work hard, hitting 75% of his doubles and taking his chances well. He lost but knows he played well against a top player.

Rusty-Jake faced a rejuvenated Merv King but still took him to a deciding leg where he fell very short. It wasn’t as good a performance as he put in against Clayton.

Both players took three legs off Clayton and forced him to play his A-game. Brooks’ win over King was a little fortuitous as King was AWOL that day, but it means he is second in the group and a win here and he is through with a guaranteed £10k. Rodriguez can still qualify if he wins big here and Clayton beats King, so both players are still in the game and the pressure is on.

Brooks is the 1.83 favourite, Rodriguez 2.15 but it is not a match which looks a great betting opportunity. No bet.

Jonny Clayton vs. Merv King

Jonny Clayton has been made to work hard by the two youngsters in the group and he’ll be hoping for an easier time against the old man of the group. Clayton has hit two ton plus averages so far, King an 83 and a 100. We know what to expect from Clayton, but we must assume that King is now restored to his better form and that he is another threat. Clayton may not have to win the match to top the group depending on the result of the previous match, but he is a straight forward player who just plays the match to win.

Their H2H record is 4-3 to King and he has won two of their four matches in 2021. The last time they met on stage was in the final of the Masters at the end of January and that went to a deciding leg, with Clayton winning 10-9.

Clayton is the 1.40 favourite and King the 3.10 outsider. Given their H2H record this year, the odds for Clayton look short, justified given his abilities, but King has given him problems.

Clayton has been very good on the treble 20 so far hitting maximums at a rate of 0.5 per leg. He is the 1.91 favourite to hit the most, but King can bang them is when he’s on it, so the value is small in such a short format. No bet.

Krzysztof Ratajski vs. Nathan Rafferty

Ratajski got a bit of a doing by Gerwyn Price yesterday, going down 0-5. This means that this is a play off for a place in the knockout stage. That ended his long winning run and perhaps was Price reminding Ratajski that he isn’t part of the elite just yet.

Nathan Rafferty has made a few fans this week, taking Price to the wire in the first match and beating the disappointing Martin Schindler yesterday. This will be the biggest match of his young career and it is hard to know if he will be able to relax and enjoy it or get a bit tense. He is up against one of the heaviest scorers on the tour and Ratajski’s B-game will still be tough for Rafferty, unless he brings his A-game.

Ratajski is the 1.30 favourite and the pressure of expectation is on him. Rafferty is the 3.80 outsider and there may be some value there in a first to five format. Ratajski will be feeling a bit nervous. He is getting frustrated by his lack of progress in the majors, his record is getting better but a defeat here and that is another chance gone. Rafferty has a puncher’s chance, but I’d just want a bit more than 3.80. No bet.

Stephen Bunting vs. Rowby-John Rodriguez

These two have had a strange tournament so far. Both have hit a ton plus average and lost but played under par and won the other. This is a play off for the chance to play in the knockout phase and Bunting will be looking to keep up his record of always getting through the group stage.

Rowby-John hasn’t been great on his doubles so far, hitting just 28%, and he is likely to need to be taking his chances against the more experienced Bunting. He is not as consistent as Bunting and has won just four of his last ten matches, while Bunting has won seven of his last ten.

The Bullet is the 1.50 favourite, Rodriguez 2.75. I suspect Bunting’s greater experience will be the deciding factor here, and if Rodriguez is missing too many doubles, Bunting should cover the handicap.

Monday Evening Grand Slam of Darts Tips: 1 point Stephen Bunting to win -1.5 legs @ 1.83 generally available

-JamesPunt