Darts Betting Tips: Boosted double for opening night

It's opening night at the PDC World Darts Championship and we couldn't be more excited here at Betfred towers!

Sean Rafferty is our man for this tungsten tussle and he's giving us a daily boosted selection courtesy of the generous Betfred traders.

First up, we've got a tasty looking double for Thursday night including a former world champion. Here are his darts betting tips...

Michael Smith to hit under 3.5 180s vs Lisa Ashton @ 8/11

It’s been a rather torrid time for Smith since winning his first and to date, only World Championship if we’re honest. In the three years that have gone by since, Michael has struggled with numerous injury problems and currently suffers from arthritis. It’s actually been an eye-opener as to how much fight and determination he has to try and stay near the top echelons of the game. He’s recently been sharing videos of some of the routines/treatments he has to go through after playing, it really puts it into perspective how much he has to push through the pain barrier.

We last seen him at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead where he was actually having trouble just walking about the stage, clearly suffering with pain in his ankle as he fell to a 6-4 defeat at the hands of Martin Schindler. It continues to be a concern as long as performances remain a shadow of what they were three or four years ago.

He did regain some confidence last month though with a run to the Quarter Finals of the Grand Slam. He did still find 180s tougher to come by, having once been one of the most prolific in the world at hitting them. Bully Boy still only managed 16 180s in 66 legs (0.24 per leg) in Wolverhampton, despite playing some of the best stuff he has done all year. Under 3.5 180s for Smith looks the best play here at 8/11 - he’s averaging 0.20 180s per leg for the year, meaning he’d need around 15 legs just to hit three maximums. I’d still expect him to beat Ashton comfortably, therefore minimising the amount of legs in the match, meaning less opportunities to add to his 180 count.

Jamai Van den Herik to hit most 180s vs Madars Razma @ 4/7

This was a fairly easy selection to make - opposing Razma in the 180s market or backing him unders on maximums is always a reliable route to take, given his tendency to switch down to the 19’s most visits he has to the board. Madars is averaging just 0.14 180s per leg over the year and only 0.12 per leg the past three months. If it doesn’t happen for him on the treble 20 early doors then he will quickly make the switch downstairs. I’ve seen him play large spells actually starting visits on 19’s first and only switching up to 20’s if he blocks the bed.

Van den Herik makes his World Championship debut this year, a player I’m keen to see more of over the next couple years. Definitely has something about him, having picked up two Challenge Tour titles, on top of two on the Development Tour, all in 2025. He’s a reliable enough 180s hitter to lead on them and not look back in my opinion - Jamai is averaging 0.21 180s per leg for the year, he’s been improving in that department recently though, averaging 0.24 per leg across the last three months.

I also think this match has the potential to go four, even five sets. If that happens then you can definitely lean on the stats a lot more to come good. Considering the young Dutchman is hitting double the amount of maximums across the last few months as his Latvian opponent is, it looks as safe a bet as any in this one at 4/7.

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