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Well, not a bad start to the Grand Slam of Darts at all. Our free darts betting tips went 3-2 and we’re in profit to the tune of +3.75.
We can thank an excellent win by Justin Pipe for that, as my confidence in him paid off. Aside from Pipe, some big wins and some upsets, with some short-price favourites getting turned over, most notably Gary Anderson and Scott Waites, but Raymond van Barneveld getting turned over by the first reserve also caused some excitement.
So, the Grand Slam of Darts continues and we’ve got an afternoon session as well as an evening session. We get underway at 2:00pm, so without further ado, let’s get to the free tips.
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.
Paul Nicholson versus Barrie Bates.
People have no doubt been wondering where Barrie Bates has been. Well, he’s shown up at the Grand Slam of Darts, and he’s got a tricky match to open his tournament campaign.
Paul Nicholson is in fine form, so he should take this comfortably. Bates’ lack of any kind of form doesn’t bode well for the Welshman, which is why Nicholson is 1/3 best price.
I can’t see past Nicholson, but there’s no value to be had here.
Recommend: No bet.
Wes Newton versus Magnus Caris.
The international flavour of the Grand Slam of Darts continues with England’s Wes newton taking on Sweden’s Magnus Caris.
Newton has been in exceptional form for the last 18 months or so, while Caris is back playing on the tour for the first time in a long, long time. Caris has been distinctly average on the floor, and his time in front of the cameras recently has been somewhat indifferent, with a couple of decent wins, but then some shocking performances.
Newton looks good to take the win here, but like Nicholson, his 1/3 represents no value at all. Due to the short format of the matches, it’s hard to find anything else that really stands out, unfortunately.
Recommend: No bet.
Mark Webster versus Arron Monk.
The PDC Under-21 World Champion, Arron Monk, takes on Wales’ Mark Webster, and Webster looks good for the win here. Monk hasn’t been setting the world alight since his World Championship win, while Webster has been doing what he’s done for a few years now – plugging along, picking up some big wins here and there without really looking like winning the big ones.
Like the matches before, Webster is a ridiculously short price (4/11), and there’s not much value to be had.
Recommend: No bet.
Vincent van der Voort versus Co Stompe.
The Netherlands becomes the 6th country represented in this session, with compatriots Vincent van der Voort taking on Darts Betting Tips favourite Co Stompe.
Van der Voort has been in decent form on the floor, while Stompe has been very patchy. He’s also not had much TV time recently, on top of a few injuries. Van der Voort has been mixing it with the big boys recently, so I can see him continuing his run of good results on TV. While the Grand Slam of Darts might not hold happy memories after his defeat to Anastasia Dobromyslova, but he’s looking good to get off to a good start.
Vincent van der Voort to beat Co Stompe: 4/5 @ Betfair.
Recommend: 1.5 units.
Mervyn King versus Steve Beaton.
A very interesting match here, with the out-of-sorts Mervyn King taking on The Adonis Steve Beaton. I have to admit, I’m a fan of Beaton and it’s always good to see him playing well.
Beaton seems to enjoy playing in front of the cameras, and his defeat of Phil Taylor in 2010’s Grand Slam of Darts shows he loves this tournament.
The thing I can’t overlook is King’s indifferent form, while Beaton has been his consistent self. Beaton being the outside of the two puzzles me, so we have to take a stab at Beaton.
Steve Beaton to beat Mervyn King: 11/8 @ 888.com
Recommend: 2 units.
Phil Taylor versus James Hubbard.
A baptism of fire for young James Hubbard. World Grand Prix champion Phil Taylor looks set for a comfortable win. Although we saw some shocks yesterday, Hubbard doesn’t really look like he has a chance.
Recommend: No bet.
Adrian Lewis versus Martin Phillips.
Wales’ Martin Phillips is a player I like to watch. Much like Steve Beaton, he’s solid if unspectacular. The opposite is true of Adrian Lewis. The PDC World Champion is very inconsistent but he’s unbelievably spectacular at times.
Lewis’ form hasn’t been great recently, not getting past the last 16 in any tournament in the last month or so. While Phillips hasn’t be great, there’s some value to be had with the bookies underestimating the Welshman who reached the semi-finals of the 2011 BDO World Championship.
Martin Phillips to beat Adrian Lewis: 5/2 @ @ Betfair.
Recommend: 1 unit.
John Part versus Jan Dekker.
I think young Jan Dekker can count himself fortunate to be here, as his run at the BDO World Championships wasn’t exactly great. John Part has found a little bit of form, so he’ll be looking to take that into the Grand Slam of Darts.
I can see Part’s experience taking him over the line comfortably.
John Part to beat Jan Dekker: 8/15 @ Betfair.
Recommend: 3 units.
Dave Chisnall versus Terry Jenkins.
A Saturday night of contrasting performances but similar outcomes for Terry Jenkins and Dave Chisnall. But while Chisnall played exceptionally well ain defeat to James Wade, Jenkins was shocking in his 5-1 defeat to Justin Pipe.
Chisnall averaged 96.42, Jenkins 85.32, but it was Jenkins’ doubling that let him down, converting just 1 attempt at a double out of 7. Chisnall was perfect on his doubles until the eight legs of his first match, which is rare for him!
Chisnall looks set for his first win of the 2011 Grand Slam of Darts, so we can’t look past him. However, the price is nothing to write home about, so we’ll give the first match of the evening session a miss.
Recommend: No bet.
Gary Anderson versus Brendan Dolan.
Long story short, Gary Anderson will want to open his account and do it in some style after his shock defeat to Nigel Heydon. Anderson averaged around 88. dolan averaged just over 86 against Wayne Jones, but I think he’ll need to add a few points on to that to get near Anderson, and I can’t see it happening.
As usual, Anderson is a short, short price, so it’s another match we’ll miss out on.
Recommend: No bet.
Scott Waites versus Tony O’Shea.
The BDO boys both suffered defeats last night, with defending champion Scott Waites losing to Michael van Gerwen, while Tony O’Shea lost to Mark Walsh.
Waites played well, while O’Shea just struggle on his doubles. Both men need a win here, and Waites’ did look hungry for it when Van Gerwen went 4-0 up. Waites’ hunger should see him through here.
Scott Waites to beat Tony O’Shea: 4/7 @ @ 888.com
Recommend: 3.5 units.
Dean Winstanley versus Ian White.
Surprise winner Ian White takes on the BDO 2011 World Championships runner-up Dean Winstanley. Winstanley demolished Ted Hankey in his first match and he looks like continuing his winning streak by defeating White.
Winstanley’s 85 average wasn’t great, with White averaging 86 in his defeat of Raymond van Barneveld. However, Winstanley wasn’t pressured by Hankey, so he didn’t need to up his game too much. I think Winstanley has a bright future in the game and a great showing at the Grand Slam of Darts could catapult him to the next level.
The price isn’t great, but it’s a bit better than I was expected, which is always nice.
Dean Winstanley to beat Ian White: 8/15 @ 888.com
Recommend: 5 units.
Raymond van Barneveld versus Ted Hankey.
Hankey defeated 5-0 and Barney done 5-4, not the best start for either man. But the fact is, Hankey averaged under 80, while Barney was around 85, so there was a huge difference.
I’m going to keep this short, as I can’t see anything other than a win for Van Barneveld. The price is shocking, so move along.
Recommend: No bet.
James Wade versus Justin Pipe.
A very interesting match here, with the in-form Justin Pipe taking on James Wade, who put in a clinical performance in defeating Dave Chisnall.
The head-to-head stats make interesting reading, with Wade winning all four encounters. However, Pipe’s come a long way and although their last meeting was only a few weeks ago, Pipe’s got some confidence in his game, which showed in his 5-1 demolition of Terry Jenkins.
Although I’m overestimating Pipe a bit, I think his price definitely is too big, so just on that basis, he’s the value of the night. The bookies have this totally wrong, as I’d have Pipe a bit shorter.
Justin Pipe to beat James Wade: 2/1 @ Betfair.
Recommend: 1 unit.
Wayne Jones versus Nigel Heydon.
Another one of last night’s surprise winners was Nigel Heydon. He takes on Wayne Jones, who got us off to a good start last night with his win over Brendan Dolan.
I think Jones can keep the momentum going here, thanks to his hometown support. He played reasonably well against Dolan and it should be enough to keep Heydon at bay.
But the price is too short for me, so let’s just leave this match.
Recommend: No bet.
Mark Walsh versus Michael van Gerwen.
Performance of Saturday night should definitely have gone to Michael van Gerwen. He beat last year’s Grand Slam of Darts champion Scott Waites with relative ease and put in an average of 101.84 and was doubling, for the most part, unbelievably.
Walsh looked decent beating Tony O’Shea, but he got off the hook several times thanks to O’Shea’s woeful doubling.
If Van Gerwen can get into almost the same form as he showed last night, he could win this match comfortably. In fact, even an average performance would put him in with a decent chance. He’s the outsider here for some reason, but I like him here.
Michael van Gerwen to beat Mark Walsh: Evens 888.com
Recommend: 2.5 units.
And that’s it for the second day of the Grand Slam of Darts. Remember that today’s action will start at 2:00pm, so be prepared!
Remember to check out our friends at Betfair for some great free bet promotions, as well as some of the best prices around.
