PDC World Darts Championship: Day one predictions, odds, betting tips, order of play & TV times

22:17 · THU December 14, 2017

The 25th PDC World Darts Championship gets under way tonight so here's the full order of play, predictions, Sky Bet odds and a suggested accumulator.

Michael van Gerwen kicks off the defence of his world title on opening night at the Alexandra Palace as he faces former BDO champion Christian Kist while we'll also see the 'Bronzed Adonis' Steve Beaton get the tournament under way.

Here, we have tonight's full running order, the Sky Bet odds, Chris Hammer's predicted scoreline for each game, his suggested bets and accumulator. You can also click here for his outright bets and click here for the full tournament draw and daily schedule.

World Darts Championship: Thursday December 14

Click on the odds for more Sky Bet match markets

TV Coverage: Sky Sports Action/Main Event (1900 GMT)

First Round: (Best of 5 sets)

Steve Beaton (8/15) v William O'Connor (6/4)
A long-standing crowd favourite gets the ball rolling at the Ally Pally but I'm not convinced the fans will get the result they want. The 'Bronzed Adonis' has no shortage of experience but in his last 12 world championship appearances, he's lost his opening match five times and never gone beyond the second round. He's enjoyed a mini renaissance this season having beaten Gary Anderson to win a Players Championship event - his first PDC title in four years - but the improving William O'Connor will be desperate to make sure his debut lasts longer than an hour so expect this to go to the wire.
Prediction: 3-2
James Wilson (1/1) v Krzysztof Ratajski (4/5)
Unless you follow the BDO darts, you'll probably be unaware of how talented Krzysztof Ratajski is but it should be no surprise to see him chalked up as marginal favourite to win on his PDC World Championship debut. The 40-year-old landed the biggest title of his career at the Winmau World Masters when beating Glen Durrant, Cameron Menzies and BDO number one Mark McGeeney 6-1 while he's regularly impressed on the PDC's European Tour as a non-card holder. He had to forfeit is place at the Lakeside so he could attempt to qualify for the Ally Pally and I'm sure he won't waste the opportunity.
Prediction: 1-3
Michael van Gerwen (1/100) v Christian Kist (20/1)
The last set play event MVG was involved in at the World Grand Prix, he crashed out to John Henderson in one of the tournament's biggest ever shocks. He's dropped sets in two of his last three first-round encounters, including that scare he suffered against Rene Eidams in 2016, but this really ought to be a whitewash considering the struggles Kist is enduring right now.
Prediction: 3-0
Gerwyn Price (2/5) v Ted Evetts (2/1)
Gerwyn Price wants to be much more than merely the successor to Steve Beaton and Justin Pipe as the heartthrob of darts but since making a real breakthrough at the UK Open, where he reached the final, he's struggled to make more of an impact. He's got the fighting spirit needed to come through tough battles - as we saw in a fiery encounter with Corey Cadby at the Grand Slam of Darts - and he may need that if he's to win on this stage for the first time against talented 20-year-old Evetts, who showed nerves of steel to come through the final qualifying event.
Prediction: 3-2