THE GREATEST darts players on the globe descend on Alexandra Palace for the festive period for the 2024 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.
A total of 96 players will drive up the hill towards the famous arena with dreams of lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy, and the cool £500,000 prize that goes with it.
The Paddy Power World Darts Championship gets underway on Friday, December 15 – which sparks the countdown to Christmas!
The first round sees 64 players compete to make the second round, where they’ll be joined by the 32 players given a bye.
Michael Smith returns as the defending champion after last year’s memorable win over Michael van Gerwen, who comes here looking for a fourth crown.
But all the pre-tournament chat is all about Luke Humphries, who actually comes here as the FAVOURITE.
He won his first major title only a couple of months ago when beating Gerwyn Price in the final of the World Grand Prix.
He followed that up the following month by winning his second major title – The Grand Slam of Darts – by beating Rob Cross 16-8 in a one-sided final that saw him average over 104.
Not content with that, Humphries then beat Michael van Gerwen – who hit a nine-dart finish – 11-9 in the Players Championship Final, to cement his status as the main man on the tour at present.
How will he deal with the pressure of coming here as favourite?
Gerwyn Price, Gary Anderson, Rob Cross and Peter Wright have all been here and done it before, too – so it’s set up to be a corker of a few weeks on that special oche.
World Darts Championship offer
As mentioned, Luke Humphries heads into the tournament as the favourite to win the competition.
But that means the usual suspects are all much bigger odds than you’d be able to back them at in previous year.
Michael van Gerwen is just behind Humphries in the betting, with Gerwyn Price the only other player at a single figure price.
Here’s the latest betting with World Darts Championship sponsors Paddy Power:
It’s one of the biggest sporting events of the year, so of course the bookmakers will be desperate for your custom.
There are already some good betting offers out there so make sure you scout around for the best deals.
Having said that, tournament sponsors Paddy Power have really stepped up for punters this year.
They have a Bet £10 Get £40** offer for brand new customers who sign up and stake a tenner on the action.
While existing customers who Opt In and bet at least £5 on the outright market can also get a £2 free bet for every 180 your player hits in their first match!
Paddy Power special
Paddy Power: Get £40 in free bets – CLICK HERE*
With Paddy Power, you can back who you think the winner of the tournament will be.
This can also be done each-way, so you’ll be paid out if your selection at least reaches the final.
There’s also an array of specials ahead of the tournament starting, including selecting an individual player to throw a 9-dart finish or 170 big finish during the tournament.
There’s also some #WhatOddsPaddy picks at increasing odds, including Either women’s player to reach Round 3 (5/1) and 8 or more 170 checkouts in the tournament at 6/1.
The tournament will again be held at the Alexandra Palace.
It’s been held at that iconic venue since 2008.
Date: December 15, 2023 – January 3, 2024
Venue: The Alexandra Palace, London
Broadcast: The full World Darts Championship will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Sky Sports Arena will be the home for the coverage, with several sessions shown on Sky Sports Main Event – particularly later on in the tournament.
A responsible gambler is someone who:
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
*New Customer Offer. Place a min £10 bet on Darts, on odds of min 1.5 (1/2), get 40 in Darts Free Bets after the qualifying bet has been settled. Free bets valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify (Apple Pay excluded). T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.
***Opt in required. Applies to the first bet placed on the PDC World Darts Championship outright market only. Applies to bets placed from 5pm Monday 11th December to 7:00pm Friday 15th December. Get a free bet of £2 per 180 your player has in their first match. T&Cs apply.
