Oh, you think March Madness is the best bracket-style tournament in sports? Not only will you never watch March Madness again after tuning into the World Championship of Darts, you'll need to take an extended leave of absence from work and enter a period of prolonged self-reflection.
"Why have I wasted so much time filling out brackets and watching March Madness all my life when darts, an objectively far superior product, have been here all along? What else in life have I been so wildly incorrect about?"
With the Worlds upon us, it's time to break down the entire 96-player field.
Odds via bet365. 11/26 odds pre-draw, draw on 11/27, movement since then. Odds referenced below as of 12/6
How did I come up with these rankings? A combination of odds, futures value, recent form, how favorable or unfavorable of a draw they got, their potential to go far, etc. Not exactly a science, but a feeling based on many elements, plus many hours of darts watched over the past year (stop judging me).
Major titles in the sport of darts are generally hoarded by a minority of elite players. The longest of the longshots I'd recommend even slightly considering to win are around 300-1. The players toward the bottom could be a +99999999999 and not worth a bet. With a deep field of highly capable seeded players at the top, you may want to go chalk or look for value in the 50-1 range. I've also broken down some key storylines to watch.
Without further ado, let's pick this field apart.
P.S. – if you find yourself baffled by the darting dialect, you'll find a glossary at the bottom of the article.
1. Luke Humphries (+300)
Cool Hand Luke Humphries simply can't lose these days. He should change his nickname to LukeWarm Hand Humphries, am I right? Please don't exit the article, I won't do that again. He's on as good of a run that we've seen from anyone in the past five years or so, winning three majors in the past two months. He's looking to add his first World Championship to firmly cement himself as the best player in the world.
2. Michael van Gerwen (+350)
The face of modern day darts and the player most of his peers will say is the best on tour. Mighty Mike is thirsty for his fourth world title, though he hasn't won since 2019. He's not exactly having a van Gerwen-esque season, but he's still throwing good stuff and can't be underestimated.
3. Gerwyn Price (+500)
Price can consistently hit 100+ averages and has levels to match anyone. The one time he won this event, though, was during a crowdless COVID year, and the Ally Pally faithful have been known to give him the business from time to time. Sorry, Gezzy, but the PDC says no more "ear defenders" anymore.
4. Gary Anderson (+1400)
If you're looking for someone to bet on with longer odds than the top few favorites, look no further. The Flying Scotsman has had the best 3-dart average of anyone over the course of the year. He's as low as +1000 at some shops and provides good value at this line (or higher) if you can find it.
5. Rob Cross (+1400)
Cross, the 2018 World Champion, a former electrician and friend of Action Network's own Michael Leboff, is another guy I can't blame you for taking in this range. He's in what I would consider the weakest quarter and has been playing very well lately, including a runner-up at the Grand Slam against Humphries. Try and find him as close to 20-1 as you can, but Classy, Classy Crossy has value in my mind above 15-1.
6. Michael Smith (+1000)
Reigning champion Michael Smith, the Bully Boy, has had a pretty mediocre year after his spectacular win last year against MvG. His odds have understandably fallen, but perhaps that will lead some folks to buy low on the World No. 1.
7. Ross Smith (+7000)
Smudger hasn't made any deep runs in TV tourneys this year, but he has the seventh-best average over the past year and the third best over the past couple of months. That, plus being in the weakest quarter with 70-1 odds? Yes, please.
8. Stephen Bunting (+4000)
The Bullet, Stephen Bunting, throws the lightest darts on tour and has been making light work of the competition lately. He reached the semis at the Grand Slam and the quarters at the Players Championship Finals, losing in a last-leg deciding cracker of a match vs. MvG. He also has his son, The Mini Bullet, in the crowd cheering him on. A nice player to get behind.
9. James Wade (+5000)
Like Bunting, Wade has reached the semis and quarters in the past two majors. Unlike Bunting, he reached the finals of the major before that, the European Championship, losing to Snakebite Wright.
10. Damon Heta (+8000)
Heta has become a bit of a showman the past year, walking on with wacky props and songs — some of which were meant to perturb the crowd. He's capable of throwing high averages and beating the best, but he can be streaky. He could be part of a fun third round match against Josh Rock if the favorites prevail.
11. Joe Cullen (+8000)
The Rockstar! We haven't seen a ton of Cullen lately as he missed qualifying for the Grand Slam. However, this is a guy who was a dart away from winning the 2022 Premier League. At this price, he's hard to not take a look at.
12. Peter Wright (+1800)
Snakebite! What will he wear in his opening match? A crowd favorite and two-time former champ, Wright has had a down year, but has still been producing some good stuff fairly randomly. This is admittedly a low ranking for Wright, but quite frankly, I think he will be put to the test right from the get-go against his likely R2 opponent, Jim Williams.
13. Chris Dobey (+6600)
Hollywood Chris Dobey surprised many earlier in the year by winning The Masters and earning the final spot at the Premier League. He's reached a slew of major quarterfinals this year and continues to put up strong averages. He is also in what I consider the most wide open quarter at the top of the bracket.
14. Gian van Veen (+6000)
My favorite of the three big-name youngsters in terms of value, GVV, has made a name for himself over the past few months. He nearly reached the finals of the European Championship, a tournament in which he casually downed Michael van Gerwen in the process. He's also been known to let out some roars after nailing a clutch dart a la The Iceman.
15. Luke Littler (+6600)
I remember when I made my World Championship debut at age 16 … oh wait, I was too busy worrying about who to ask to the semi-formal dance. The best to ever pick up the tungsten, Phil Taylor, thinks this kid could be the best ever one day. High praise. Littler has a good draw and could certainly wrack up a few wins and gain some TV experience this year, but is it too early for us to be backing him straight up? Probably.
16. Josh Rock (+3300)
Last year's wunderkind, Josh Rock, has sort of plateaued this year. Well, plateaued is harsh for a 22-year-old, but his career hasn't taken off like many expected. In fact, he's probably been a little bit worse this year than he was last year, when he reached the fourth-round in this tournament. His odds have basically doubled from 15-1ish earlier in the year, but he could have difficulty making it far with a potential second-round match vs. Luke Woodhouse and a third-round match vs. Damon Heta.
17. Nathan Aspinall (+2800)
Don't get me wrong, The Asp is a hell of a player. However, I'd fancy him quite a bit more in that 40-1 range — especially as he's in the Humphries quarter. He won the World Matchplay this summer in what was the biggest win of his career, but he's had several early exits in the majors since then.
18. Ryan Searle (+8000)
Nicknamed "Heavy Metal" for both his love of the music genre (he walks on to Black Sabbath) and the fact that he throws darts so heavy you could get a pump on if you curled them for three sets, eight reps, Searle is quite the interesting character. Hell, his vision is so poor he can hardly see where he's throwing! I just wish his odds were a bit longer.
19. Dave Chisnall (+4500)
One of the biggest 180 hitters on planet darts, Chizzy is capable of huge scoring and the occasional nine-darter. He won three European Tour titles this year, but has been quite poor in the big TV tourneys. He doesn't have a particularly good draw either.
20. Johnny Clayton (+5000)
The Ferret has cooled off lately. The owner of the fifth-best average from January through September, he has just the 39th-best average since October 1st. He's been dumped out early in the four majors since making the finals at the World Matchplay, including a fatal miscount against the King of Miscounts, Jose De Sousa, in the first round of the European Championship.
21. Danny Noppert (+8000)
Danny Noppert has four consecutive third-round exits at this tournament and I don't see him making it much further than that this year — if he's able to make it that far.
22. Krzyzstof Ratajski (+200000)
My favorite of the "short longshots" is none other than the Polish Eagle. Ratajski finds himself in the top quarter, which bodes in his favor. And 200-1 is just too good to pass up. If you fancy taking someone at this sort of price, I think he's the best option.
23. Dimitri Van Den Bergh (+8000)
A semifinalist last year, Dancin' Dimmy has had a bit of an ugly 2023. He still holds a top-16 ranking, but his average this year hovers around the 30th best. Following a semifinal run at the UK Open back in March, he's failed to make it past the third round of any major or European Tour.
24. Ricardo Pietrezcko (+150000)
This German youngster nicknamed "Pikachu" walks on to the Pokemon theme song, which will surely earn him fans for those who are first seeing him. He's pretty darn good, too, having recently won a European Tour trophy in his home country. However, in the Grand Slam, the English crowd got on his nerves while facing Beau Greaves and he sort of snapped. He played his next match with a scowl on his face, rushed his throwing routine and didn't acknowledge the audience. Ally Pally will eat him up and spit him out if he doesn't play nicely.
25. Jim Williams (+30000)
Gentleman Jim quietly has the 16th-best average in the world over the past year. He's not the biggest scorer, but at 42.5%, he's a top-five finisher, something that will scare Peter Wright in their second-round match. Williams is someone I'll be looking to bet on for a big second-round upset if the price is right.
26. Luke Woodhouse (+30000)
Although a bit of a head case at times, Woodhouse is an emerging talent on the verge of cracking the top 32. He's coming off his best major result — a quarterfinal run at the Players Championship Finals, in which he toppled Rob Cross and Dave Chisnall.
27. Gabriel Clemens (+15000)
A surprising semi-finalist last year and at the most recent TV major, the German Giant has proven himself as someone who can beat the big names. He has not, however, ever won a big tournament, and drew the unlucky straw this year as he will likely have to play Gian van Veen in his first match. Yikes.
28. Andrew Gilding (+30000)
Andrew Goldfinger Gilding, what a character. The most bizarre throwing routine, the thumbs up after a maximum … and dentists hate him. He won the UK Open earlier in the year, his first major, but hasn't done too well lately. He'll likely play Luke Littler in his opening round, in what I'm guessing will be a rare match in which the seeded player isn't favored.
29. Raymond van Barneveld (+20000)
The Barney Army will surely be in full force at Ally Pally to cheer on the 2005 champ. After a brief retirement in 2020, he's put in some good runs at tournaments, most notably the 2022 Grand Slam. However, he's been a bit cold for most of the past year — losing in the first round of each major he's been in since the UK Open — and his average has dipped to about 92 over the past six months.
30. Daryl Gurney (+20000)
Once one of the game's best and a two-time major winner, Superchin Daryl Gurney has had a bit of a fall from grace over the past few years. He has played well recently, but the deep runs in big tournaments have been few and far between in the 2020s. Regardless of how he fares, he will sing Sweet Caroline along with the Ally Pally faithful during his walk on.
31. Martin Schindler (+20000)
A big 180 hitter, Schindler is having his best year to date. The Wall (a bit of a tongue-in-cheek moniker given he stands 5'5" if we're being generous) put up a fight against the eventual champion Michael Smith last year, but would need to consistently play his A-game throughout the tourney for a deep run, something he hasn't really shown he's been able to do yet.
32. Ryan Joyce (+25000)
Sporting a Tetris themed shirt, Relentless Ryan Joyce throws his tungsten from his forehead downward, not something you often see, allowing the darts to fall into place on top of each other like perfectly placed Tetrominoes.
33. Scott Williams (+50000)
As I mentioned before, Scott Williams, is someone who could cause some chaos in the bracket. Am I betting on him to win it all? No, but depending on the odds (and assuming he wins his first match), I think he has a fighting chance of upsetting the No. 7 seed, Danny Noppert.
34. Callan Rydz (+30000)
A then 23-year-old Callan Rydz had a brilliant 2022 World Championship display, winning 14 of 15 sets in his first four matches before falling to the eventual champion Peter Wright in the quarters in a 5-4 cracker. Since then, he really hasn't done much.
35. Jose De Sousa (+20000)
The Special One is indeed a special character and is infamous for his miscounts. His career is spiraling downward, though, as his average has dropped four points over the past couple of years, and he's failed to make a quarter final in any major or European Tour event this year.
36. Kim Huybrechts (+30000)
The Hurricane has had a long PDC career, however, it hasn't exactly been a "storied" career. He's been in over 60 TV majors over the past decade plus, reaching just one final … in 2012. He upset Peter Wright in the third round last year, but it'll take an even bigger upset this year if he reaches it that far, as he'll likely draw MvG.
37. Dirk van Duijvenbode (+10000)
Ughhh. My favorite player on tour, the Aubergenius, is dealing with an injured shoulder and his performance over the past couple of months has been awful. After being one of the top players earlier this year and nearly winning a couple of European Tours, Dirk picked the wrong time to have his average go from the upper 90s to the low 80s. Yes, the low 80s. Futures-wise, he is unbettable at the moment, which is quite unfortunate considering the great performances he's put in the past few years.
38. Brendan Dolan (+40000)
The History Maker is best known for the first ever nine-darter at the Grand Prix back in 2011. He's been around for a long time, but has never won any of the 100+ majors or European Tour events he's been in. At 400-1, you could be paid handsomely if he decides to break that nasty title drought. I'd advise against it, though.
39. William O'Connor (+40000)
The Magpie is always good for a win or two at Ally Pally and this year will be no different. He will beat Bhav Patel, who finds himself last on my power rankings, and then be an underdog to anyone else he faces the rest of the way.
40. Mike De Decker (+40000)
41. Simon Whitlock (+40000)
Simon Whitlock, better known as The Wizard, was once a top-four player in the world. That was about a decade ago, though, and at age 54, he's having his worst year yet. He's lost more matches than he's won for the first time and his average has fallen dangerously close to 90. In terms of the giant first-round favorites, I think Whitlock is in the most danger of being upset.
42. Florian Hempel (+50000)
This ex-handball pro has a few wins to his name over the past couple of years at Ally Pally and has a decent enough draw to win a couple more this year. He will need at least a win or two to remain in the top-64 and keep his PDC Tour Card.
43. Madars Razma (+50000)
44. Ricky Evans (+50000)
A bonafide character. From dressing up as Santa, to doing the YMCA with the dancing girls, to just the sheer rapidity of his throw. They call him Rapid Ricky for a reason.
45. Martin Lukeman (+50000)
46. Jules van Dongen (+50000)
47. Stowe Buntz (+75000)
The USA isn't exactly a breeding ground of darting stardom, but Stowe Buntz shocked the world recently by destroying Peter Wright in the round robin stage at the Grand Slam and reaching the quarterfinals. The colorfully clad Buntz opened as a pick 'em against Kevin Doets in Round 1, but the darts sharps appear to be fading him as odds have been shifting toward Doets.
48. Niels Zonneveld (+50000)
49. Radek Szaganski (+50000)
50. Richard Veenstra (+50000)
51. Connor Scutt (+50000)
52. Lee Evans (+100000)
Handed a lovely Round 1 draw vs. Sandro Eric Sosing. Cherish that win, Lee, as you'll be thwacked by Luke Humphries in Round 2.
53. Ritchie Edhouse (+75000)
54. Cameron Menzies (+50000)
Cameron Menzies leads an interesting life. A plumber by trade, football goaltender on the side, boyfriend of Fallon Sherrock, the Queen of the Palace (what does that make him exactly?) and a pro darts player. What can't this guy do? (Well, other than win this tournament.)
55. Kevin Doets (+50000)
56. Ian White (+100000)
After missing the Worlds for the first time in over a decade last year, Diamond White is back. He should beat Tomoya Goto in Round 1 (though I think there's value on Goto), just don't count on him for a particularly deep run.
57. Boris Krcmar (+50000)
58. Matt Campbell (+50000)
59. Mario Vandenbogaerde (+50000)
60. Jermaine Wattimena (+50000)
"The Machine Gun" gets visually upset if things aren't going his way on stage. And lucky for him, he gets to play Fallon Sherrock in Round 1. I wonder who the crowd will be cheering for?
61. Fallon Sherrock (+75000)
Speaking of Sherrock, the first and only female to win a match at the World Championship, she remains the top woman in the field with Beau Greaves' decision to play in the WDF Women's World Championship rather than Ally Pally. While I don't think she's worth backing to make a deep run, I do think she provides some value in her first round matchup vs. Wattimena — particularly if you can find her at +200 or longer.
62. Steve Lennon (+750000)
63. Keane Barry (+75000)
I am not too keen on Barry this year. Just 21-years-old, this will be his fifth appearance at the Worlds, but his average has dropped this year and he's failed to take that next step in his career.
64. Wessel Nijman (+75000)
Wessel Nijman is back following a 2.5-year ban for match fixing by deliberately losing a Modus online darts match 4-0 during the COVID lockdown era. Now 23, the Dutchman had clearly been practicing whilst in darting prison, as his average has skyrocketed from 87 to 93. Though a deep run is unlikely, odds in his opening round match against Steve Beaton have heavily shifted in his favor.
65. Steve Beaton (+100000)
Ladies, look out. You don't want to be caught ogling The Bronzed Adonis as he walks on to Stayin' Alive. Nearly 60, the '96 BDO World Champ is actually having his statistical best year in a wee bit, but can he prove the haters who are betting against him in the first round wrong?
66. Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (+50000)
The youngest of the Rodriguez darting family (Rowby-John and Roxy-James round out the clan), Rusty-Jake should put up a decent fight against Cameron Menzies in Round 1.
67. Jamie Hughes (+50000)
68. Owen Bates (+100000)
The 20-year-old dartist — who will now be formerly known as "The Master" — makes his World Championship debut, but his nickname is not family friendly enough for the big TV stage! In a poll for a new nickname, "Tungsten Tosser" is edging out the likes of "100 'N' Batey" and "Batey McBateFace". I don't know … something about "Batey McBateface" also doesn't sound particularly wholesome.
69. Dylan Slevin (+75000)
Probably the best darts player in the world without a Wikipedia page — an accomplishment in its own right.
70. Thibault Tricole (+75000)
71. Mickey Mansell (+100000)
72. Krzyztof Kciuk (+100000)
73. David Cameron (+100000)
74. Lourence Ilagan (+250000)
A quiet veteran of the Worlds, Ilagan picked up his first ever victory last year vs. Rowby-John Rodriguez. An interesting character and favorite of color commentator and ex-dartist Wayne Mardle.
75. Ben Robb (+100000)
76. Keegan Brown (+75000)
77. Christian Kist (+75000)
Christian Kist "The Lipstick" won the BDO Worlds way back in 2012. His career on the PDC circuit hasn't been as fruitful, though, as he's never made it past the second round of this tournament. This will be his first appearance since 2018 and he's drawn the teenage star, Luke Littler, in the first round.
78. Haupai Puha (+250000)
79. Berry van Peer (+100000)
About five years ago, Berry van Peer had a near-terminal case of Dartitis. Considering Dartitis is not a health condition, no, he did not almost die, but it almost killed his career. However, he's back and putting in some good performances, including winning the Dutch Open (with 2000+ entrants) on the WDF circuit. If you watched the video above, which is honestly very difficult to watch, you can't help but root for Berry.
80. Jeffrey de Graaf (+100000)
81. Dragutin Horvat (+250000)
82. Alex Spellman (+250000)
For my fellow readers in the USA, Mr. Spellman is one of three dartists at the Worlds sporting the American flag if you're looking to back a local. I reckon he has a bit of value against Ryan Joyce in R1, too.
83. Darren Webster (+250000)
84. Darren Penhall (+250000)
85. Reynaldo Rivera (+250000)
86. Haruki Muramatsu (+100000)
87. Marko Kantele (+250000)
88. Paolo Nebrida (+250000)
One of my favorite opening-round bets is for Nebrida to grab at least one set against Simon Whitlock, which pays out at +250. Not bad considering his average is only about five points less than The Wizard's.
89. Xiachen Zong (+100000)
90. Tomoya Goto (+250000)
91. Sandro Eric Sosing (+250000)
92. Mikuru Suzuki (+250000)
93. Simon Adams (+250000)
94. Man Lok Leung (+250000)
95. Norman Madhoo (+250000)
96. Bhaval Patel (+250000)
The worst player in the tourney, I reckon. He's averaged in the low-mid 70s this year in some Challenger Tour events (Ally Pally is a slightly more nerve-wracking setting) and even put up some matches in the 50s at Q School earlier this year … I can do that! Get me on the stage! Let me take a whack at The Magpie in R1!
And that's a wrap. Let's have ourselves a glorious few weeks at the Ally Pally with crackers galore, nine-darters, big upsets and everything else that makes this the best tournament on earth.
Darting Glossary
180: The highest scoring turn possible in a game of 501 (three darts in the treble 20 segment)
Ally Pally: Short for Alexandra Palace, the venue in London in which the World Championship is played each year
Arrows: Darts
Arrowsmith: A dart player
Average: The average score per three darts thrown. Upper 90s is elite, mid 90s very good, low 90s decent, 90 average, 85-90 mediocre, sub-85 poor
BDO: British Darts Organization. A now-defunct darts organization whose World Championship at the Lakeside has since been replaced by the WDF World Championship.
Cracker: A very good match, typically going to the final set or a last-leg decider
Dartist: A darts player
Dartitis: A condition which causes a player great difficulty to release the dart. Similar to the yips
Finishing percentage: The percentage of darts thrown at a double that a player hits
Leg: A portion of a set. All legs begin at 501, with players scoring downward and ending on exactly zero by hitting a double segment (the outer ring of the board or inner bullseye)
Lipstick: Nickname for the treble 20
Maximum: 180
Miscount: Aiming for the wrong number, particularly when checking out, due to improperly calculating your score
Nine-darter: The fewest number of darts required to win a leg of 501. The perfect leg.
PDC: Professional Darts Corporation
Ranking: The PDC operates on a two-year ranking system based on money earned in ranking events over the prior two years. The World Championship has the biggest prize pool of any tournament, with the winner claiming 500,000 pounds.
Red bit: Nickname for the treble 20
Tungsten: A nickname for darts, which, at the professional level, are comprised primarily of tungsten — a heavy metal which can be found in the 74 slot in the table of the elements.
Tops: The double 20 segment, which can be found in the top middle of the board. A common favorite double for players to finish on
Treble: What the "triple" segment of any number is commonly referred to. The large treble segments (20, 19, 18) are what players aim for during scoring portions of a leg.
Set: World Championship matches are played in set format. Each set is a best-of-five legs, with matches ranging from best-of-five sets in the early stages to best-of-13 in the final. Over/unders for matches are referring to the number of sets.
WDF: World Darts Federation, a secondary professional darts tour with its own World Championship
