Nordic Darts Masters Friday Preview and Tips – JP
Nordic Darts Masters Friday Tips
I wasn’t going to cover any of this event but had a few hours to kill and there are a few bets worth striking for the first-round matches. These will not be available live on ITV4 but can be streamed and should be available outside the UK. Check out James’ Nordic Darts Masters Friday tips below.
Dimitri van den Bergh vs. Benjamin Drue Reus
The thing about these World Series exhibitions is that you tend to get a lot of one sided mis-matches and this is one. Drue Reus is the number 1 ranked Danish player but is averaging 80.6 in 2022. He faces one of the world’s top players in Dimitri van den Bergh, who it must be said isn’t in great form, losing six of his last ten matches.
Dimitri’s seasonal average is 95.6, a full 15 points clear of the Dane. That is a big gap and of course Van den Bergh should win and win comfortably. Dimitri’s main problem is not scoring, but his doubling. In six of his last ten matches, his checkout rate has been 33.33% or under. Against tour card holders, that sort of doubling is likely to be punished and it makes winning harder, hence losing those six from his last ten.
Lack Of Scoring Power
Against a player who is likely to lack the scoring power to put him under pressure, Dimitri can afford to miss quite a few doubles and still win. He also has a lot of big stage experience to draw on and this is one of those ‘not if he can win’ matches, but by what margin.
Van den Bergh is a player worth opposing right now, but not in a match like this. If he hits his doubles at a healthier rate, he can win 6-0, 6-1. If he messes about, he can let the Dane pick up two or three legs in front of a home crowd.
When this was first played in 2021, the three Danes all lost in the first round, 6-0, 6-1 and 6-3. It was then then Danish number one, Andreas Toft Jørgensen, who managed to win three legs vs. Gary Anderson. Something similar here?
Nordic Darts Masters Friday Tips: 0.5 point Dimitri van den Bergh to win 6-3 @ 5.50 generally available
Gary Anderson vs. Daniel Larsson
Daniel Larsson played in this event back in 2021, losing his first-round match 3-6 to an injured Gerwyn Price. The Iceman only averaged 90.4 and withdrew from the tournament afterwards.
This time he is up against an out of form Gary Anderson. The Scot has lost eight of his last ten matches, with five seeing sub 90 averages. His doubling is very up and down, and you don’t know what you are going to get. Anderson’s win rate in 2022 is just 47% and as usual, his motivation is open to question.
It was interesting that he seemed to be missing when all the PR work was being done in New York last weekend. He had lost his darts and it was all a bit of a shambles and he was out in the second round. I can’t imagine a trip to Copenhagen is really going to float his boat.
Larsson is not in the same post code as Anderson talent wise, but he has won 87.5% of his matches in 2022, and while he mostly plays in the Nordic and Baltic tour, he did reach the last 16 in the recent Dutch Darts Championship. He is enjoying his darts and his A game is capable of bothering Anderson’s B game.
Nordic Darts Masters Friday Tips: 1 point Larsson to win + 2.5 legs @ 2.00 generally available
Nordic Darts Masters Friday Tips: 0.5 point Anderson to win 6-4 @ 6.00 generally available
James Wade vs. Madars Razma
James Wade has played just four matches since he was hospitalised in Germany in early May. Since his return he has lost three of those four matches, averaging 88.5. He had been in good form before being taken ill and that scoring dip is a worry. He has not been lucky with the draw as he is facing an experienced, established pro tour player.
Razma is still improving, and he is having a decent season. His win rate is 65%, he has reached a ranking final and his A game is getting better, even if the consistency is still not there. He is a dangerous opponent and if Wade is a bit off, Razma is capable of taking his chances. He beat Nathan Aspinall fair and square here last year, so Wade needs to be switched on, and there must be a doubt that he is.
Nordic Darts Masters Friday Tips: 1 point Madars Razma to win @ 3.40 with Ladbrokes
Michael Smith vs. Vladimir Andersen
Bully Boy is on a roll. He won the Night 16 on the final premier league night and was mightily relieved to have done so. He backed that up by winning the Dutch Darts Masters and won last weekend’s US Masters. That is twelve matches won in a row and he has got a winning habit. That is a big deal for a player who struggles to get it over the line. A confident Smith is a very dangerous beast.
Vladimir won a tour card at Q school in January, followed that up by winning Nordic and Baltic Tour 1, but he has found the pro tour a much tougher proposition. He has played 15 players championship matches and won just three. He now faces a very talented player who is at the top of his game.
Smith won his first-round match in New York last weekend 6-3, against a local qualifier, but Doug Boehm played well for his three legs, averaging 91.5. Andersen may have to do much the same to avoid a drubbing.
