2019 Darts Masters Preview - February 1st to 3rd

PDC Masters Darts 2019
February 1st – 3rd

It has been a busy start to 2019 with Darts action. We have had the completion of the PDC World Championships, and that was followed by the BDO World Championships. In both of those, it was the outright favourite, Michael van Gerwen and Darryl Gurney respectively, who got the titles.

The next big event coming up is the 2019 Masters, a non-ranking PDC event. It is Mighty Mike Van Gerwen who the top bookmakers have as the even-money favourite to win the tournament outright.

The Masters

This is a relatively new tournament on the PDC darts scene as it only had its inaugural outing back in 2013. Of the six previous times that the event has been held, Michael van Gerwen has won four of them. In fact, he is currently on a four-title winning streak at the Darts Masters. Last year he beat his compatriot Raymond van Barneveld in the final 11-9. Just to size up how remarkably strong Van Gerwen is with the top bookmakers, The Field can be backed at 10/11 odds to prevail against him.

The Format

Lining up at the Masters, which is hosted in Milton Keynes, are the top 16 at the PDC Order of Merit after the final of the 2019 World Championship. There will be three players making their debut in this season’s Masters. Those are Darren Webster, Joel Cullen and Johnny Clayton. There are just four rounds of action with the first and second rounds being played over the best of 19 legs. The semifinals and final are the best of 21 legs.

Can anyone stop Van Gerwen?

That is basically the only question that punters are really having to weigh up ahead of this tournament. It is the exact question that I have to stop and ponder when any PDC darts tournament comes round. With the legend, Phil Taylor having stepped away from the game the sport is all about the dominance of Van Gerwen. He is the one to beat in this short 16 man tournament, which is played over the course of just three days. It starts February 1 and goes to February 3. Is MVG likely to win four matches in a row to get the title? Frankly, it is a shock any time he doesn’t actually reach the final of a tournament.

The main contenders

Considering that Van Gerwen has been so dominant at the Masters in the last four years, nobody else has had a chance to stamp their authority on the event. You look at the line up in major tournaments and try and spot someone to oppose him. Who can potentially bring down Mighty Mike? Usually, the main front runner for that is Scotsman Gary Anderson. Anderson is the biggest-scoring heavyweight to oppose the Dutchman. Anderson has been to at least the semifinals in eight of the last nine major tournaments that he has entered, picking up three titles along the away.

From his five appearances at the Masters, Anderson has two semi-final exits and a loss in the 2017 final itself to Van Gerwen. Former World Champion Rob Cross enters into the tournament in single figures at 9/1 odds. Michael Smith is a point shorter than him in the market. Those two, along with Van Gerwen and Anderson are the only four players in single figures for the 2019 Darts Masters. James Wade who is at 28/1 odds with the top bookmakers, is the only other active player in this season’s field to have tasted success at the tournament. He won the second ever Masters title back in 2014.

The intensity

This is a short tournament. The way that the draw is lined up means that the top seed plays 16th seed, the second seed plays the 15th seed and so on. It means that there could be a big Gary Anderson versus Michael van Gerwen showdown at the semi-final stage. Those two heavyweights are up in the top half of the draw. Those in the bottom half of the draw are going to fancy their chances of making the final. The leading protagonists down in the bottom half of the draw are: second seed Rob Cross, third seed Peter Wright and sixth seed Michael Smith.

It is a fascinating short burst of high-quality darts action. Those matches will be coming thick and fast as well. The first round is played over the first two days of the tournament. The quarter-finals, semifinals and final itself are all being played on the Sunday. There there is an intense weekend of darts betting coming up. Will Michael van Gerwen make it five in a row? Or will someone from the field pull off what would be a big upset?