PDC World Darts Championship Betting Tips: Predictions & Odds For Round One

Round One Predictions:

• Martin Lukeman To Beat Haupai Puha - 1/2 With Bet365
• Steve Lennon To Beat Owen Bates - 8/11 With Ladbrokes
• Steve Beaton To Beat Wessel Nijman - 7/5 With BoyleSports

Christmas must be upon us, as the PDC World Darts Championship gets underway this Friday and will no doubt take over TV screens across the world for the duration of the festive period.

The tournament begins on December 15 and lasts just shy of three weeks before the two finalists take to the stage for the 99th and final match of the tournament on January 3.

Ahead of Friday’s opening session, betting sites have released their odds for the first round contests and we have picked out a trio of selections from the offerings that presents some of the best value.

If you opt to follow our treble of selections ahead of the round one fixtures, you will accumulate odds of around 5/1 with bookmakers.

Lukeman Could Have Too Much For Puha

Martin Lukeman arrives at Alexandra Palace looking for a repeat of his first round display in last year’s World Championship where the Englishman coasted past Nobuhiro Yamamoto in round one. 

The World No.36 has the arduous task of dealing with Haupai Puha in his first match this year and the New Zealander poses a significant level of threat to potentially cause an upset.

However, Lukeman is a classy operator and with first year nerves being a thing of the past, it would come as no surprise to see him make round three for the first time in his career.

Darts betting sites have the 38-year-old as the 1/2 favourite in this contest and with Puha’s only previous experience at Ally Pally coming in a 3-0 first round defeat to Mickey Mansell, it’s clear to see why.

Lukeman sits on the periphery of the all-important top 32 rankings ahead of this year’s World Championship and a deep run could put him in a position to automatically qualify for an array of future tournaments.

As such, we expect Smash to power his way through what Puha throws at him and to secure a comfortable victory in this exciting round one contest.

Lennon Victory Could Secure His Tour Card

Steve Lennon arrives at this year's World Championship having to defend £15,000 (€17,400) of ranking money he earned during his best run (last 32) back in 2022.

The Irishman spoke candidly earlier in the year about how he will treat it as a freebie, should he retain his tour card heading into 2024, but he will no doubt be raring to go in this one.

Scuba Steve takes on debutant Owen Bates in round one, who has been performing well on the Challenge Tour this year, finishing runner-up in the order of merit.

The 21-year-old comes into this one under no pressure having just secured a tour card himself and any earnings will go straight onto his rankings to kick off his two-year guarantee.

We believe that Lennon’s experience will hold him in good stead in this match, having made it past round one in his last two appearances at Ally Pally.

Despite a mediocre performance in the Grand Slam of Darts recently, it was his run at the qualifiers that impressed, with Lennon averaging in excess of 106 when defeating James Wilson in his final match.

The 30-year-old seems to thrive when the pressure is on and although he didn’t play in last year’s edition of this tournament, it will be his sixth appearance at the World’s, so he knows what to expect coming into this one, unlike Bates.

Betting apps have Lennon at a sturdy 8/11 to claim victory in this one and we expect the Irishman to progress to round two for the fourth time in his career.

Beaton’s Class To Serve Him Well

Steve Beaton will make a record-breaking 33rd consecutive appearance at the World Championships this month, as he takes on Wessel Nijman in his opening match, who comparatively makes his debut on the PDC World Championship stage.

The Bronzed Adonis competed at Lakeside in his career infancy before making the move to the PDC in 2002 and has played in every single edition of the World Championship since.

Since making the move, the 59-year-old has lost in the first round in seven of his 22 appearances and he has the tricky task of dealing with the young Dutchman this time round.

As mentioned, it will be an Ally Pally debut for Nijman who has qualified thanks to his impressive displays on the Development Tour throughout 2023.

The 23-year-old comes into this one as the favourite on new betting sites, but we predict the experience of Beaton to prove pivotal in this clash.

After a subpar performance in last year’s edition in which Steve lost 3-0 to Danny van Trijp in round one, he will be eager to make amends in what could be his final year on the PDC circuit.

As a fan favourite, Beaton never lacks the support of the crowd and we think the 3,200-capacity auditorium could prove too much for a player making his debut.

For that reason, the 7/5 offered by BoyleSports for the Bronzed Adonis to emerge as the victor seems generous and he completes our trio of first round selections.