Ladbrokes UK Open 2024 - How to Watch, Betting Odds & Dark Horse Pick

(Featured image: Alamy Images)

Written by: Aaron Niijar

Last year’s 200/1 outsider and World number 19 Andrew Gilding looks to defend the solitary PDC major he has won in his career as the UK Open starts on the 1st of March and concludes on the 3rd at Butlins Minehead Resort.

In the 2023 final “Goldfinger” proved too much for former three-time UK Open champion Michael van Gerwen after he defeated the Dutchman 11-10 in an exciting match.

How to Watch the Ladbrokes UK Open 2024:

Main stage matches in the UK open will be broadcasted on ITV4 in the UK and on PDCTV for the rest of the world subscribers.

Who will play at the Ladbrokes UK Open 2024?

158 players take part in the tournament - made up of PDC Tour ardholders, Development Tour qualifiers, Challenge Tour Qualifiers, and Riley’s Amateur Qualifiers.

A random unseeded open draw is conducted after each round which has led to the Open being dubbed as the “FA Cup of darts”. The tournament winner will receive a whopping £110,000 in prize money. 

Players who are ranked within the top 32 of the PDC rankings join the competition from the 4th round onwards. This stage will see the likes of van Gerwen, 17-year-old teenage sensation Luke Littler, 2024 World Darts champion Luke Humphries and two-time major winner Michael Smith enter the fray.

2006 BDO World Champion Jelle Klaasen features in the first round and is up against New Zealand’s Haupai Puha. 2024 World Darts Senior Champion and former World Cup winner John
Henderson plays Kevin Burness.

2011 PDC World Youth Champion Aaron Monk features in the second round, whilst former 2012 European championship winner Simon Whitlock and 2014 UK Open semi-finalist Mervyn King both feature in the third round.

Who's the favourite? 

Michael van Gerwen comes into the tournament as a huge favourite after reaching the final of the PDC Masters as well as achieving victory in three consecutive premier league nights as he triumphed in Berlin, Glasgow and Newcastle on stage.

The Dutchman comes in at 6/1 with SkyBet, carrying an implied probability of 14.29%. 'MvG' has previously won the tournament on three separate occasions (2015, 2016 and 2020).

Darts ace Luke Littler is one of the contenders to win the UK Open after reaching the World Championship Finals in January. Littler won both his first World Series of Darts events in January, claiming the Bahrain Master’s trophy and his first Players Championship the following month, averaging an astonishing 109.64 in the final.

The 17-year-old comes in at 13/2 with Bet365, carrying an implied probability of 13.3%.

OddsNow's Darkhorse Pick - Ryan Searle:

A dark horse in the competition is current World Number 18 Ryan “Heavy metal” Searle. The 36-year-old has been in great form on the PDC floor stage, featuring in the finals of the first three Players
Championships and winning the 3rd after beating former two-time world champion Gary Anderson 8-7.

Searle comes in at 25/1 with Coral and Ladbrokes, carrying an implied probability of 3.85%. 

 

 

 

 

 

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