The 2019 Premier League Darts got underway on February 7 and for darts betting fans there’s nothing quite like it.

Sixteen weeks of Thursday fun across Europe - from Newcastle to Nottingham, Belfast to Birmingham - are upon us.

And betting companies up and down the country are throwing up some big darts betting specials to accompany the Premier League’s return.

Michael van Gerwen is the obvious favourite for the title but that doesn’t mean there aren’t big profits to be made elsewhere in the tournament.

Premier League Darts Winning Bets

So who will win the Premier League Darts for 2019? Bookies have Van Gerwen down as little as 1/2 to claim the trophy. Now, that may seem like a minuscule price for a man heading into a sixteen-week tournament. But there is logic here.

Van Gerwen is a consistency player. Yes he scores high but he also scores long. He can still be hitting 140s after hours on the oche.

MVG’s biggest upsets have been in shorter matches where an opponent has caught him out. Over a four-month tournament, the cream will rise to the top. His odds will fall the closer we get to the final week, so it’s better to back him now rather than later.

If you really want to back against MVG, then consider who could beat him in the final come May. Michael Smith was schooled 7-3 in the World Championship final in January, and 7/1 for a man who may not even make the semis is not convincing. Peter Wright (9/1) is the perpetual runner-up in darts so again, best avoided.

Instead, it’s either Rob Cross (8/1) or Daryl Gurney (20/1) who you should consider as the alternative bet to MVG. Cross is the previous world champion and can pull freak results out of the bag. And Gurney is a master of doing just that, having won the World Grand Prix and Players Championship — the latter of which he beat MVG in the final.

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Darts Betting Specials

He may not win the title, but Cross is 9/1 to top the Premier League Darts. That’s a decent price if the Englishman can maintain consistency over the weeks. But the big darts betting special is who will finish dead last.

After nine weeks the last man will be cut from the league and Phase 2 begins. This is Raymond van Barneveld’s last Premier League Darts and he is 2/1 to finish rock bottom. In 2018 it was Gerwyn Price and Mensur Suljovic who left at this stage.

Now, the latter has improved since and is a better tip at 16/1 to win the whole thing rather than finish last. But Price, having suffered disappointing outings at the World Championship and Masters already this year, is worth considering at 5/2 to be rock bottom come Week 9.

Premier League Darts Week 1 Betting

Week 1 comes from Newcastle on Thursday, February 7 and tournament sponsor Unibet have a host of betting specials to cover the five matches.

Michael van Gerwen vs Michael Smith is a re-run of the World Championship final this year and is priced at 6/5 to boast the most 180s of all five games on opening night. Now, that seems a tempting bet — what with MVG present — but in fact there’s good reason to look elsewhere in this market.

After all, both Daryl Gurney (67) and Gary Anderson (57) threw more 180s than MVG (56) over the 2018 Premier League Darts. It shows the Dutchman is not unbeatable in this market. Smith himself managed 41 maximums. Peter Wright vs Rob Cross is 3/1 to have the most 180s on Thursday and a viable bet.

MVG vs Smith is well priced at 4/11 to witness the highest check-out, however. Van Gerwen averaged 103 in the Premier League Darts last year — the only player to breach the 100 barrier. He is 7/2 to score the most 180s but, as previously mentioned, Gurney is a good bet here at 5/1.

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