Players Championship 13: Pro Tour darts preview and betting tips

Written by: Matt Hill

A busy April for darts fans continues with a Pro Tour double-header taking place in the Netherlands across Monday and Tuesday.

With the likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries opting for a week off, who is primed to take advantage? 

Our darts tipster Matt Hill (@Matt_Hill93) puts forward a seven-runner betting card for Monday’s heat, with his picks priced between 12/1 and 400/1.

Players Championship 13 analysis

Rosmalen return requires some extra layers

Given what a darting powerhouse the Netherlands is, it's always good to see them hosting PDC events – but some of the circuit’s big names may be less enthusiastic about a quickfire return to Rosmalen.

This venue hosted Players Championship 3 and 4 back in mid-February and, in turn, housed the lowest two field-wide match averages of the season, along with a fair few moans and groans on social media from those competing.

Most opted for a subtle grumble, such as a simple emoji on an Instagram story or a Facebook post, while others like Daryl Gurney were a little more to the point.

Whether or not the PDC can deliver that requested improvement in such a short window is up for debate. Some buildings are permanently on the chilly side due to their structure, so it’s not necessarily a case of just flicking the heating on (not to mention the problems air circulation can cause with dart flight paths).

And even then, it seems problems stretched a bit further than just the temperatures inside the Autotron, with some pros singling out the ‘facilities’ for being substandard. 

It’s one of those where you’ll only know the full story if you’re actually there. Yet by all accounts, this is not the easiest place to play professional darts.

You therefore need a certain kind of attitude to perform in adverse conditions – and that has unquestionably factored into my thinking on today’s card.

Players Championship 13 betting advice

Classy trio are up to the challenge

With no Littler or Humphries present – plus the likes of Rob Cross and Stephen Bunting also taking a break – Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson find themselves propping up the market.

Those who read this column regularly will know I was on Anderson at 18/1 and 16/1 last week, when the Flying Scotsman reached the semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively.

It took 106 and 108 averages from Peter Wright and Josh Rock respectively to stop the veteran in his tracks, which has been a common theme for Anderson in recent times.

His form is quite simply sublime. He’s won 26 of his last 32 matches, while four of his six defeats have indeed seen his opponent average 103 or better. With kinder draws, or simply a bit more luck, he could be coming here with three or four titles already in the bag this term.

As it is, he only has the one – a Pro Tour win in Hildesheim last month.

The fact Anderson opts to travel to these events tells a story in itself. Determined to muscle his way back into the game’s upper echelons despite his advancing years, he simply needs the wins more than Premier League duo Price and Van Gerwen. 

All considered, 12/1 implies he has a 7.7% chance of winning this event today. Given the field, and given his form, I’d suggest it’s a bit higher. So he gets another go on simple win only terms.

Price is a worthy favourite here for me, and a far more attractive prospect than backing the out-of-sorts Van Gerwen, yet I’m happy to let him run and play a couple of mid-range runners instead.

I talk about tried and tested form at awkward venues such as this, so let’s keep it really simple and back the two previous Rosmalen winners this year in Chris Dobey and Ryan Searle. 

On a day where most struggled, Dobey was nothing short of sublime in taking the PC3 title. His run to glory, on a day where the field averaged 91.2, included averages of 100, 101, 107 and 113. Perhaps being from Newcastle, this is a man used to hoying arrows in a cold room!

Seriously though, despite his Premier League struggles, Dobey remains one of the class acts on the floor and 25/1 simply overestimates his prospects of taking the title on Monday.

A day after Dobey’s success, it was Searle who soared to victory in a similarly ruthless fashion. Averages of 100, 101, 104 and 109 again made a mockery of those players who suggested the venue was simply not suitable for producing top-class arrows.

For those who like a conspiracy theory, I’d suggest Searle’s notoriously heavy arrows would be less impacted by any heating solution the PDC tried to employ a day after the initial temperature complaints. And if the same method was to be re-trialled today, perhaps we’ll see a similar result?

Regardless, I saw enough from Heavy Metal last week to suggest he may be putting a sluggish few weeks of performances behind him. Notably when beating Dirk van Duijvenbode (another who made the shortlist) 6-4 in a classy affair, using all his experience to see off a late fightback from the Dutchman.

Again, the 33/1 available in this field feels too big. That should be his price when Littler and Humphries are in the building – and even then, I’d be tempted to pull the trigger.

Put it this way. I have Anderson, Dobey and Searle among my five likeliest winners here (with Price and Josh Rock), so getting 12s, 25s and 33s is very pleasing indeed.

Taylor and Rydz remain of interest

Dom Taylor and Callan Rydz both carried some of my money last week and neither quite hit the mark. However, I see no need to ditch them here while quotes of 66/1 (four places) and 100/1 (two places) remain.

I don’t need to repeat myself in great depth from last week’s write-ups – which you can read here – but to summarise, the pair appeal for differing reasons.

Taylor, despite early exits last week, is hitting unprecedented levels of performance in the last two months and was another who seemed to thrive in supposedly challenging Rosmalen conditions in February.

He won seven of his nine matches across the two days, making a first Pro Tour semi-final at PC4. In fact, both of his semi-finals this year have been on foreign soil, so the travelling appears no issue at all.

Taylor must be due some luck with the draw, too. In the last four events, he’s been pulled against Dobey, Rock, Van Duijvenbode and James Wade before the last 32 – coming out on the wrong side of those each time.

It’s all good experience for the Tower though and I maintain we’ll get one day this season where he simply storms through into the final. Split your stakes between the 66s four places and a small bit of the 100s two places.

Rydz is a slightly different case and perhaps more of a leap of faith, which sounds a strange thing to say for a man who has actually won three Pro Tour titles.

Yet the Riot is one who will frequently leave punters and fans alike scratching their heads. When he’s on, he’s electric – a joy to watch. When he’s not, it’s usually a car crash. Hence the leap of faith.

It’s that old course and distance form again that interests me here, though. 

When his Geordie pal Dobey romped to victory in Rosmalen two months ago, the sternest examination came from his good pal Rydz in the semi-finals.

Dobey won 7-6, but it could’ve been so different, with Rydz missing well-thrown match dart at the bullseye in the penultimate leg. Clearly the cold doesn’t bother him either.

That was the last of five 99+ averages the Bedlington-born star posted that day and I see no reason he can’t repeat the trick. Of course, he could blow up at any time, but that’s Rydz – and it’s certainly factored into the price somewhat.

White and Bialecki both worth a big-priced poke

As I always say, backing outsiders is a long game and you will at times feel like you are simply fluttering money away when these types exit at the first or second hurdle.

And yet, place returns on Nick Kenny (250/1) and Ian White (300/1) this year already do justify the thought process that it’s always worth a look down at the bottom of that Oddschecker page when it comes to floor events.

On form alone, it’s simply madness for Betfred to be holding up White at 200/1 in this field. 

The veteran is hardly a glamorous pick but the results don’t lie. He’s won 75% of his last 20 Pro Tour contests, making the semis twice and falling short only to eventual winner Price on both occasions. 

Whatever Diamond has stumbled upon in recent weeks, it’s working, and the 54-year-old – who has won a remarkable 10 (yes, TEN) of these in his career looks very much capable of adding another success despite what the prices say. Take a quarter-point each way on the 125s four places and a further quarter-point on the 200s two places.

The same staking plan applies to another column favourite in Sebastien Bialecki, who is way overpriced at 250s (four) and 400s (two).

The youngster was halted by Anderson and Ryan Joyce last week but is rarely going down without a fight. 

Five runs to the last 16 in his last eight events shows a level of maturity and consistency way beyond the quotes of an also-ran.

Matt Hill’s Players Championship 13 best bets

1pt win - Gary Anderson - 12/1 (general)

1pt EW - Chris Dobey - 25/1 (Sky Bet - 2 places)

1pt EW - Ryan Searle - 33/1 (Sky Bet - 2 places)

0.75pt EW - Dom Taylor - 66/1 + 100/1(0.5pt EW Betfair 4 places, 0.25pt EW Sky Bet 2 places)

0.75pt EW - Callan Rydz - 66/1 + 100/1 (0.5pt EW Betfair 4 places, 0.25pt EW Betfred 2 places)

0.5pt EW - Ian White - 125/1 + 200/1 (0.25pt EW Betfair 4 places, 0.25pt EW Betfred 2 places)

0.5pt EW - Sebastian Bialecki - 250/1 + 400/1 (0.25pt EW Betfair 4 places, 0.25pt EW Bet365 2 places)

Total staked - 9pts

Meet the Author

Matt Hill


Head of Content

Matt has now been operating in the sports content and betting space for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with industry giants Betfred and LiveScore.

A qualified journalist, he began his career reporting on his beloved Carlisle United FC as a teenager and still follows the Blues avidly to this day, as much as life allows.

One of the keenest punters around, Matt is never shy of an opinion and builds the bulk of his betting portfolio around antepost football markets and PDC darts events.

Previous Next