Taylor The Bookmakers Favourite For Darts Title

This week sees the start of the 2011 PDC World Darts Championship, and once again the bookmakers have labelled Phil “The Power” Taylor as favourite to lift the title for the 14th time and claim his 16th World title. Odds on Taylor are currently 4/6 on success, with James Wade the world number two getting the next best odds at 15/2. 

Although the tournament starts this year it does not finish until the 3rd of January, making it the first tournament of the New Year. The competition has a prize pool of over £1 million with a first prize of £200,000, plus pretty decent sums for those reaching the quarterfinal stages. 

Taylor’s draw is likely to see him coming up against the United States’ Gary Mawson or Juanito Gionzon from the Philippines. If he wins through here then it won’t get any easier, as he would have to face two-time winner John Part of Canada in the second round. Part, who won the title in 2003 and then destroyed Kirk Shepard in 2008 to take the prize, has been out of form lately and a rematch similar to the pair’s encounter back in 2003 when Kirk took the title is a mouth watering prospect. 

Kirk is getting offers of 125/1 odds and the Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld is being given the nod at 12/1 to take the championship across the Channel to the Netherlands. The Australian, Simon Whitlock, is another who is in with a good chance of success next year, and bookmakers are listing him at a 14/1 shot of taking next year’s tournament.