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What can I say about last night’s action? I think it’s the first time I’ve broke even on a night of darts. Going 2-2 last night leave us 22-18 and with a profit of +8 units.
So, we’re in a decent position going into the last day of free tips for the Grand Slam of Darts. Because of the format, there will only be tips for the semi-finals, as the turnaround for the final of the Grand Slam of Darts isn’t possible.
However, there’s still a couple of free tips left for the Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals and they’re coming up now.
The markets at Betfair’s are always great during the big darts tournaments. Betfair is traditionally the best value around and the ability to trade your position during a match is great. And add in the free bet promotions, you’re onto a winner.
Gary Anderson versus Mark Walsh.
Mark Walsh put an end to not only Ted Hankey’s dreams of Grand Slam glory last night, but also my hopes of a Ted Hankey versus Gary Anderson semi-final. However, Walsh has plugged through the tournament without setting the stage alight. Walsh put in an average of 91.82 in his quarter-final, with a 47% checkout rate. He put in 7 maximums and had a highest checkout of 124.
The problem with Walsh’s performance is that Hankey had 48 darts at doubles, converting only 29%. So he’s letting his opponents in, and if they were to take their chances, Walsh might not be as lucky.
Gary Anderson has just been getting better as the tournament has progressed. He battled to a hard-fought win over Terry Jenkins last night, with an average of 99.97, 10 maximums, a highest checkout of 128, but only a 31% checkout rate.
While Anderson might have to put in slightly better finishing, there’s no doubt his scoring will give him more chances against Walsh. Since Hankey averaged under 90 and still had chances, Anderson is going to have a lot more.
So, I can see a reasonably comfortable win for Gary Anderson here to take him to the final of the Grand Slam of Darts, but there’s no value to be had with him in the outright.
What stands out looking at the stats for last night’s matches is that both men didn’t put in absolutely amazing checkouts, and the bookies have the line at 135.5, which is standard, but I think it could be coming in a bit less thanks to Anderson’s woeful record on the doubles combined with his high scoring. It’s a nice line which we can hopefully make a few bucks from.
Highest checkout in Anderson versus Walsh match under 135.5: 5/6 @ a href=”http://ads.betfair.com/redirect.aspx?pid=11481&bid=1861″ target=”_blank” >Betfair.
Recommend: 2 units.
Phil Taylor versus Adrian Lewis.
Few would have predicted the resurgence of Adrian Lewis would start here. Lewis has had a torrid year, but has put in some great performances at the Grand Slam of Darts. He did make a meal of his match against John Part, but beat Mark Webster with some fine darts. His average of 99.97 came with a highest checkout of 152 and a checkout percentage of 62%. Only 5 maximums is the opposite of what we expected, but it was more than enough to take the win against Webster.
Phil Taylor’s average of 104.46 just shows that he’s playing some magnificent darts at the moment. His 112 in the previous round was better, but it’s more than enough to see off most of the PDC and BDO boys. He fired in 9 maximums, but his highest checkout was only 88.
So, on paper it looks like a cakewalk for Taylor. I think it will be a Taylor win, but if Lewis can put in the performance he put in last night, it could be close. Taylor in this form is almost unbeatable, but Lewis does like to get the high scoring that will put Taylor under pressure to hit the high checkouts.
The checkouts, again, is where I want to look. Both men will be under pressure to get the high checkouts and both men are more than capable. To me, the line at 134.5 for this match is too low, so I think it could be crushed. Again, it’s a nice line we can exploit to our advantage.
Highest checkout over 134.5 in Taylor versus Lewis match: 5/6 @ 888.com .
Recommend: 3 units.
And that’s all the free tips for this year’s Grand Slam of Darts. Hopefully I’ve made you some money and you’ve made a bit more tonight.
We’ll be back for the Players Championship Finals on December 8th, then the big one, the World Championships, not long after that.
And remember our good friends that are offering £50 of free bets to their new customers. Don’t forget to head over to 888.com .
