Darts is heading down under for the next two weekends, starting on Friday night with the Australian Darts Masters at Wollongong, where a star-studded field has been assembled.
It always shapes up to be an intriguing competition and we have you covered with a full preview down below.
2024 Australian Darts Masters Preview
The format of the Masters Series sees 8 PDC representatives and 8 representatives from the part of the world where the event is held, this weekend being Oceanic. They play each other in the opening round, PDC player vs Oceanic player, and then play Quarters/Semis/Final on Saturday, a fast format which is sure to be exciting for all concerned.
The field is stacked with quality, headlined by the two best players in the world, Luke Humphries and Luke Littler, with Littler, the teenage sensation, making his PDC debut in Australia in what will be must see TV, but he will have to get past Humphries first, who recently won the Matchplay and is the best player in the world at the moment.
The best chance of a local win will come via Damon Heta. 'The Heat' is now one of the better players in the PDC and his 2024 form has been relatively solid and he does tend to play very well in Australia. His draw looks pretty solid and should get through to the quarter finals and from there, anything can happen.
Suggested Bets
Overall Winners
I think there are three key chances to win the title. As mentioned above, it's hard seeing Luke Humphries or Luke Littler not taking the price so I'll start there, beginning with Humphries, who is the current world #1, the reigning world champion and the recent World Matchplay winner. We haven't seen dominance, sustained dominance, like this in some time. MVG struggled to be as dominant as this and before him, it was Phil Taylor. That is the company that Humphries is in and his record in these World Series events in 2024 has been outstanding. He's the one to beat.
Luke Humphries to Win $3 at Bet365 (1 Unit)
The narrative is clearly Luke Littler, who is making his down under debut. The teenage sensation has won a tournament in every month of 2024, the only player to do, and given this is his debut year in the PDC, that feat is quite astonishing. He is similar to Humphries. He loves playing in these events and he loves putting on a show. He is the best nine dart hitter this year and if he hits one this weekend, the roof of the Win Entertainment Centre will go off.
Luke Littler to Win $3 at Bet365 (0.75 Units)
The fascinating player is Gerwyn Price. The Welshman and world champion has been off the boil for 12-18 months but the dangerous thing with 'Gezzy' is that when he is on, he is near unbeatable and his 180 hitting can be something else. He has been battling injury and form in recent times but given how good he can be, and is another that loves playing these World Series events, so don't dismiss him.
Gerwyn Price to Win $7 at Bet365 (0.5 Units)
If there is a value/longshot to entertain, Peter Wright is the one. Two-time world champion who at times can play so well, but on other occasions, I could play better than him blindfolded. He's had a really mixed 12-18 months but perhaps getting away from Europe and just relaxing in a tournament where the Stakes aren't overly high re importance, the pressure is off and we know he is world class when right. Dismiss him at your peril.
Peter Wright $26 at Bet365 (0.2 Units)
Total 170 Checkouts
I think $2 is a decent enough price for someone to reel in 'The Big Fish' with 170 being the highest checkout possible. There are a host of players that are outstanding at reeling it in, including Humphries, Littler, Price and would also chuck in Michael Smith and Rob Cross as players capable of nailing it.
170 Checkout $2 at Bet365 (1.5 Units)
