The first-round action continues at the Alexandra Palace on Saturday. James Cooper has looked at the eight matches and recommends four bets.
World Darts betting tips: Saturday preview
SL Acca: 1pt Crabree to win, Anderson most 180s, de Graaf 3-0 at 10/1 with Paddy Power
Scroll down for match-by-match previews, stats and scoreline predictions
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
- TV Coverage: Sky Sports
- Format: First round, best of five sets
Mario Vandenbogaerde (4/9) v David Davies (21/10)
- Three-dart average (2025) 91.13-85.79
- 180s per leg (2025) 0.18-0.17
- Checkout % (2025) 37.94-33.57
2pts under 5.5 180s Mario Vandenbogaerde v David Davies at evens (General)
A fairly low-key start to Saturday’s proceedings it must be said.
Ex-BDO performer Mario Vandenbogaerde can call upon plenty of experience and he has made the final of a Players Championship event in 2025, losing 8-6 to Ryan Searle.
Davies, though, has tasted success on the Challenge Tour this season and will see this as something of a free hit given his part-time status.
In terms of event form, Davies makes his TV debut, while Vandenbogaerde has just the one appearance to his name, losing to Thibault Tricole 3-1 in 2024 with a meek 85.59 average.
First game up of eight and with the majority of the crowd likely to pace themselves on the drinking front, I envisage a slow, quiet and potentially nervy encounter.
As the above stats indicate, we are looking at two very low maximum hitters and while the line mirrors that, I still think there’s some juice in the UNDER 5.5 180s side of the bet at even-money.
Set betting over best-of-five legs does muddy the water somewhat when calculating expected 180s but I have this at a shade below 5.5, which makes five of them more likely than six.
Scoreline Verdict: 3-1
Andrew Gilding (evs) v Cameron Crabtree (evs)
- Three-dart average (2025) 93.52-90.80
- 180s per leg (2025) 0.22-0.20
- Checkout % (2025) 39.21-38.75
Those looking for a potentially vulnerable name among those more established may have circled the name of Andrew Gilding but in terms of an upset, that term doesn’t apply to this match given it is joint favourites with most firms.
Following a career-defining spell of darts in 2022 and 2023, recent times haven’t been quite as kind for the popular Goldfinger but it’s hardly a crisis with a win rate of 54% in 2024 and 56% so far in 2025.
His averages in predominantly Players Championship and European Tour events since the autumn have been fairly low by the standards of this exalted company, however.
In Cameron Crabtree, he meets a player on the up courtesy of no fewer than five wins on the Development Tour in 2025.
How well he can translate his form to the biggest stage of all will probably dictate the result but he looked right at home in this company when lowering the colours of Mike de Decker in Minehead last month before averaging over 100 when losing a decider to Chris Dobey.
Crabtree can also call up on a 6-0 hammering of Gilding in a European Tour Card Qualifier early this year and with Gilding’s World Championship record an ordinary one, he could be in for a tough afternoon.
Scoreline Verdict: 2-3
Luke Woodhouse (1/2) v Boris Krcmar (2/1)
- Three-dart average (2025) 92.70-89.96
- 180s per leg (2025) 0.24-0.23
- Checkout % (2025) 39.30-37.81
1.5pts over 126.5 match checkout Luke Woodhouse v Boris Krcmar at 5/6 (General)
He’s probably sick of hearing it but Luke Woodhouse is a name that invariably crops up when people list the best current players not to win a major PDC televised event.
A player capable of elite-level performances (he’s averaged over 110 in three matches this year), Woodhouse has failed to put it altogether so far in a noteworthy tournament.
That’s not to say he cannot play very well in TV events as he displayed a year ago when kicking off a brilliant set of round three matches when seeing off Damon Heta (who hit a nine-darter) before finding Stephen Bunting all too much on what was his first foray into the last-16 of this event.
Boris Krcmar didn’t qualify in 2025 but can call upon several good displays at Ally Pally, notably averaging 90+ in all three of his matches in 2024.
He lacks the gears of Woodhouse but is a wily operator in the early echelons of these events and those looking to side with a mini upset will be buoyed by the fact the Croatian bruiser has won both their previous meetings.
I have this game a little closer than the match odds suggest, with the 2/1 on Krcmar tempting, but with five sets potentially on the cards and the prospect of two players fairly comfortable in these surroundings, I think there will be enough leg opportunities for the OVER 126.5 CHECKOUT line to be surpassed.
Scoreline Verdict: 3-2
Gary Anderson (1/8) v Adam Hunt (6/1)
- Three-dart average (2025) 97.47-89.28
- 180s per leg (2025) 0.31-0.25
- Checkout % (2025) 42.51-37.72
3pts Gary Anderson to hit the most 180s v Adam Hunt at 8/11 (General)
Regarded as a genuine dark horse for the title by many 12 months ago, Gary Anderson doesn’t appear to arrive in quite the same sparkling form in his attempt to land a third World Championship.
The Flying Scotsman failed to get out of the group in the Grand Slam, though he was unfortunate in many ways with his average very close to 100 each match.
Anderson also outscored Ricardo Pietreczko but then came up short on the doubles, while his opponent punished him in no uncertain terms.
One of the heaviest scorers in the game, Anderson’s 0.31 180s per leg is actually low compared to his usual standards and that may explain why several layers are offering 8/11 about ANDERSON HITTING MORE 180s than Adam Hunt.
Given his position in the game, Hunt has a fair record at this venue, reaching round three in 2021 but he’s a fairly exposed player and we know where he stand with him in relation to Anderson.
If Anderson continues to falter at the end of legs, Hunt may well pick up a set here but the longer this match goes on, the more chance there is for Anderson to assert his scoring superiority.
Scoreline Verdict: 3-1
Evening Session (1915 GMT)
- TV Coverage: Sky Sports
- Format: First round, best of five sets
Jeffrey de Graaf (2/7) v Paul Lim (16/5)
- Three-dart average (2025) 90.38-85.03
- 180s per leg (2025) 0.25-0.20
- Checkout % (2025) 38.32-35.00
There’s been plenty of money for Jeffrey de Graaf at short prices to win this and on all known metrics, he should take care of the popular and evergreen 71-year-old Paul Lim.
First match up in the evening and sure to have 99% of the crowd on his side, Lim certainly won’t lack for support but his lack of scoring capacity could see him overwhelmed in many legs on what is his first Ally Pally match since 2022.
De Graaf made it to the last-16 a year ago and should make no mistake but this looks a spectacle to sit back and enjoy, perhaps partaking in a shot any time a commentator mentions '9-dart finish' or 'septuagenarian'.
Scoreline Verdict: 3-0
Wessel Nijman (1/3) v Karel Sedlacek (5/2)
- Three-dart average (2025) 95.86-93.10
- 180s per leg (2025) 0.32-0.17
- Checkout % (2025) 42.28-38.59
1.5pts Karel Sedlacek to hit the highest checkout v Wessel Nijman at 13/8 (William Hill, 888sport)
Huge things were expected of Wessel Nijman post return to the game in 2023 and in some ways, three ranking titles in Players Championship events is probably a modest return for a player capable of sky-high averages.
He’s won just one of three matches in this tournament too and in Karel Sedlacek, he meets a potentially awkward opponent.
While he lacks the gears of the elite players, Sedlacek’s all-round game is pretty solid and while I expect Nijman to dominate the 180s count, it’s fairly easy to envisage Sedlacek being left on several three-figure outshots to rescue legs.
The HIGHEST CHECKOUT is notoriously volatile as a betting medium, you can lose the bet with a 160-odd finish and win it with a two-figure score, but Sedlacek may get more chances to post a big number and in a match of this length, it’s hard to fathom the difference in prices here.
Scoreline Verdict: 3-2
Luke Humphries (1/33) v Ted Evetts (18/1)
- Three-dart average (2025) 98.59-88.24
- 180s per leg (2025) 0.33-0.18
- Checkout % (2025) 41.11-35.01
How often do you get a 1/33 shot with a losing head-to-head record over a double-figure number of matches?
Very rarely is surely the answer but given all-but-two of those clashes were not in this decade, it’s perhaps unwise to get too carried away about what would be an enormous upset.
Humphries has discussed the demands of being a player at the very top of the tree and following a slight lull by his own exalted standard this summer, he’s come back firing during the autumn despite losing his number one status, albeit losing in the last three finals he has contested.
Cool Hand is housed in a tough section of the draw further down the line but this should be one-way-traffic.
Scoreline Verdict: 3-0
Gabriel Clemens (4/11) v Alex Spellman (14/5)
- Three-dart average (2025) 91.49-84.65
- 180s per leg (2025) 0.30-0.16
- Checkout % (2025) 36.51-37.86
The final game of the night sees a relative unknown quantity in CDC Continental Cup winner Alex Spellman taking on the established Gabriel Clemens.
Clemens made it all the way through to the semi-finals in 2023, for all that wasn’t a vintage tournament.
A sub-50% win record confirms it’s been a disappointing year for Clemens and his hit-and-miss finishing could be seized upon by what will be a rowdy crowd by this point.
His scoring metrics should ensure there’s some margin for error but this could get edgy for the favourite, and anyone waiting on him to complete their multiples.
Scoreline Verdict: 3-2
Posted at 1450 GMT on 12/12/25
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