PDC World Championship: Saturday afternoon preview and best bets

The Ally Pally action rolls on today as the PDC World Championship nears the conclusion of its first and second round ties.

Our darts tipster Matt Hill (@Matt_Hill93) was unable to follow up a remarkable Thursday yesterday but is back with some confident picks across Saturday's four afternoon clashes — including a first 3pt win selection of the tournament!

PDC World Championship 2025 betting tips

Rhys Griffin vs Karel Sedlacek

Rhys Griffin will make his Ally Pally debut in the day's opening clash after securing his tour card back in January.

Unfortunately, the Welshman's first year on the PDC Pro Tour has been largely unremarkable, with Griffin exiting 21 of 30 floor events in the first round, including eight of his last nine.

Having amassed just £20k up until this point, much more is going to be needed to avoid losing his card this time next year — and victory in this contest would be a great start.

He has at least shown better form in qualifying events, most notably making the World Series of Darts Finals after winning three clashes to seal a spot. However, Griffin lost his TV debut to Canadian Jeff Smith 6-4, averaging just 82.

Griffin also impressed during the World Championship qualifiers, battling through four matches to secure his spot at the tournament, including an impressive victory over Jose De Sousa.

However, he faces a tough test against the seasoned Karel Sedlacek, who has been a fixture in the PDC for years.

Evil Charlie has had a much more solid year, and with a win here, he could effectively secure his tour card for 2025. He may have done enough already, in all honesty.

The experience gap between these two players is significant, and Sedlacek is much more likely to find his top form on the big stage in my opinion.

Despite Griffin marginally outperforming Sedlacek in 180s this year, his performance in the World Series match against Smith, where he failed to hit a single 180, is concerning.

Given Sedlacek’s vast experience and consistent form, backing him to hit the most 180s at 17/10 looks like a solid bet.

Best bet - Karel Sedlacek most 180s @ 17/10 (Midnite)

Richard Veenstra vs Alexis Toylo

Richard Veenstra has made a seamless transition into the PDC ranks, earning £122,000 in prize money, which secures his card for next year heading into his second Ally Pally appearance.

The BDO stalwart has impressed both on the floor and the big stage, with several impressive wins including a memorable triumph over Michael Smith at last year’s Players Championship Finals.

Veenstra also performed admirably at this venue last year, defeating Ben Robb and the seeded Kim Huybrechts to reach the third round, where he was eventually eliminated by three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.

In contrast, Alexis Toylo is an intriguing debutant, having topped the Asian Tour Order of Merit this year.

If he can match the high standards set by some of his fellow Asian players during this World Championship, he could surprise a few, and the rankings suggest he's capable of doing exactly that.

However, Toylo’s lack of success on the big stage, having never gone beyond the quarter-finals of the Asian Championship, suggests he may need a year or two to adjust to the pressures of this unique environment.

While Toylo’s consistency on the floor cannot be overlooked, Veenstra’s solid form and experience make him the far more likely contender to come through this tie. The market seems to agree, with Veenstra priced as the clear favorite at 1/5.

Despite Toylo’s potential, this match feels like one where the veteran will get the job done, so it’s a no-bet situation for me at the prices.

Best bet - No bet

Brendan Dolan vs Lok Yin Lee

Northern Ireland icon Brendan Dolan enters the fray in the afternoon's third contest and the History Maker could have a little bit of a task on his hands against a jubilant qualifier in Lok Yin Lee.

The Hong Kong debutant followed in the footsteps of his compatriot Man Lok Leung last year by beating an off-colour Chris Landman 3-1 on Thursday, landing us 5/6 and 6/1 winners in the process!

Lee rose to the occasion as I suspected he would, capturing the hearts of the Ally Pally crowd in the process, who were chanting "Leeeeee" in the same style applied to England cricket star Joe Root every time he hit anything resembling a decent score.

We can expect similar vociferous support today I suspect and, while Dolan is considerably more equipped to block out such noise, it may just take him a little while to find his feet in the circumstances.

We've seen a few of the big names caught cold in their opening set of the tournament, against an already warmed-up round one winner — Stephen Bunting being a prime example yesterday against a confident Kai Gotthardt.

Of course, the Bullet eventually got on top of things there and I could see something similar in this contest. Dolan is a steady operator at the best of times and can sometimes take a bit of warming to the task.

Lee to take the first set at 13/8 is certainly of appeal. I'd have my concerns as to whether he can sustain the level though and that makes a second, more speculative bet of interest too.

Let's pop half a point on Lee to win the first set and Dolan to win the match 3-1. That was the pattern of the aforementioned Bunting clash and the same here looks worth a small play at 15/2, via Bet365's Bet Builder tool.

Best bet - Lok Yin Lee to win the first set - 13/8 (Betfair)

Chris Dobey vs Alexander Merkx

Challenge Tour prospect Alex Merkx held himself together well to triumph on his Ally Pally debut yesterday afternoon, though I didn't see much from that performance that would concern today's opponent Chris Dobey.

To his credit, Merkx still had to hit the winning doubles (and four 180s) against Stephen Burton but there was no doubt his 3-0 win came about via an implosion from his opponent, which surprised me as a backer of Bertie.

This could easily sound like sour grapes as a result but quite frankly, an average of 78 won't be enough to get near Chris Dobey, who I put up to win this quarter at 11/2 antepost in our big tournament preview show.

Merkx will need to add a good 15-20 points onto his average to trouble Hollywood, who has an exemplary win/loss record at Ally Pally and is targeting a third straight quarter-final at Ally Pally this year.

Regular followers will know I am a big fan of Dobey, who has all the talent to win this tournament but maybe just needs a little bit more self-belief in key moments. His flowy throw is a thing of beauty and his career continues to take a beautifully steady upward trajectory.

This looks like an ideal confidence builder to eradicate some of his personal concerns over his recent TV form, too. He'll have watched yesterday's scrappy contest between Merkx and Burton and it will have cut the tension a bit, no doubt.

His averages here last year were 103, 102, 102 and 99 against higher-calibre opposition than Merkx and I really do feel the 17/20 about him winning this one 3-0 is banker territory.

Three point win.

Best bet - Chris Dobey 3-0 Alexander Merkx correct score - 17/20 (Ladbrokes)

Matt Hill's best PDC World Championship darts bets for Saturday afternoon, December 21, 2024

• 1pt - Karel Sedlacek most 180s vs Rhys Griffin - 17/10 (Midnite)

• 1pts - Lok Yin Lee to win first set vs Brendan Dolan - 13/8 (Betfair)

• 0.5pt - Lok Yin Lee to win first set, Dolan to win 3-1 - 15/2 (Bet365)

• 3pts - Chris Dobey 3-0 Alexander Merkx correct score - 17/20 (Ladbrokes)