Players Championship Betting Tips & Prediction
Luke Littler continued his dizzy rise when taking home the Grand Slam of Darts title on Sunday, destroying Martin Lukeman 16-3 in the final after a dramatic success over Gary Anderson in the last four.
There is little respite for the sport’s biggest names, however, as the Players Championship Finals begin at Minehead on Friday.
With the World Championship rapidly approaching, the stars of the oche will want to put their best foot forward on the Somerset coast, especially with a £120,000 first prize on offer.
Tip 1 – Luke Humphries to win the Players Championship Finals @ 4/1
Luke Littler has been installed as favourite for this year’s Players Championship Finals following his remarkable success at the Grand Slam of Darts.
The Nuke dropped just 33 legs on his way to that title, a large proportion of which came during his 16-15 comeback win over Gary Anderson in the semi-finals.
While Littler is undoubtedly respected at the head of the market, Minehead is a unique challenge and not one that Littler has faced before.
It is a testament to his meteoric rise that he did not even feature in this event 12 months ago when Luke Humphries lifted the title.
Cool Hand went on to beat Littler in the World Championship final and has since reached the final of the UK Open, Premier League, World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix.
He is comfortably world number one and his early exit from the Grand Slam could be a blessing in disguise, allowing him time to regroup before this weekend’s Butlins test.
Humphries has landed in a relatively soft bottom quarter of the draw, with Gary Anderson likely to be the main danger.
However, Humphries is reigning champion for a reason and looks a juicy price to defend his title.
Tip 2 – Ryan Searle to win the Players Championship Finals @ 50/1
The Players Championship Finals presents a different challenge to what players usually have to face on tour and it may pay to side with someone who has impressed in Minehead before.
Ryan Searle reached the final of this event in 2021, losing out in a last-leg decider to Peter Wright.
Having reached the final of four floor events this year, he is clearly in good form and could have another big say.
Tip 3 – Nine-dart finish to be hit in the tournament @ Evs
Michael van Gerwen hit a nine-darter in the final of this tournament last year and it looks a decent price for there to be another one in this year’s edition, particularly if Littler has anything to do with it.
The youngster almost hit two at the Grand Slam - against Jermaine Wattimena and Lourence Ilagan - and he looks one of several contenders to potentially make one in Minehead.