Newly crowned world champion Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler makes his return to the oche in the first tournament on this year’s PDC schedule, the Bahrain Darts Masters, which will mark the start of the 2025 World Series of Darts.
Darts Betting Tips: Bahrain Darts Trophy 2025
Luke Humphries, the man who beat Littler in the 2024 World Championship final, is the No.1 seed at the Bahrain International Circuit with Littler, who won this title last year, seeded second in a 16-man knockout draw.
There are six further top-class PDC players – Rob Cross, Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price, Chris Dobey, Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright – who are all kept apart in the opening round, plus six Asian invitees and two local qualifiers.
Darts Betting Tips: The Littler Effect
A brilliant 7-3 winner over Michael van Gerwen in the World Championship final at the beginning of the month, Littler is expected to go from strength to strength but he will have an even bigger target on his back now he’s a world champion. Barring a significant and unexpected dip in form, the Nuke will probably be sent off favourite in every event he competes in between now and Christmas and it’s hard to see anything other than a win if he plays to the levels he showed at Ally Pally.
Darts Betting Tips: Gezzy’s Price is Right
While the £20,000 winner’s prize is small change compared to the Worlds purse, the Warrington teenager demonstrated in 2024 that he can replicate his big-stage efforts in this event, beating Van Gerwen 8-5 in the final. There is no MVG for Littler to be concerned about this time – the Dutchman is absent due to family reasons – but the 17-year-old would be wise not to underestimate likely quarter-final rival Price.
The Iceman has not been at his best for a while but he still made the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace, where his title bid ended at the hands of Chris Dobey. That’s despite the fact that he’s never relished competing on the biggest stage in darts – he has famously donned ear defenders in the past in a bid to block out crowd noise – but he will encounter a much more sedate atmosphere in Sakhir.
Darts Betting Tips: Hot Hollywood
Price opens his Bahrain bid against Lok Yin Lee and while a last-eight clash with Littler could prove his undoing, the Welshman was a two-time World Series winner in 2024, including an 8-1 demolition of the Nuke in the Australian Masters final. Littler defeated him in Bahrain 12 months ago but Price has won three of the last five meetings, including in the semi-finals of the US Masters last August, so he’s capable of causing the upset before going on to claim the title.
For a second bet, take a chance on Price’s World Championship conqueror Dobey, who found Van Gerwen far too good in the Alexandra Palace semi-finals but could well improve for this switch to less pressurised surroundings. Hollywood won three titles on the floor last year, including when beating potential Bahrain quarter-final opponent Stephen Bunting in Players Championship 25 in Wigan, and his Ally Pally display suggests he could be set for a solid 2025 campaign.
Darts Betting Tips: January 16th 2025
Gerwyn Price to win @ 7.0 with kwiff
Chris Dobey to win @ 12.0 with kwiff
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