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Remind me next time

It’s off to the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on Thursday for the latest round of Premier League Darts action, with all eight players still theoretically in with a chance of scooping the £200,000 first prize. Easyodds.com editor Simon Hopper has been in superb darts tipping form all tournament – don’t miss his best bets!

*Visit our Premier League Darts betting centre to compare the best odds on every market
**Follow Simon on Twitter: @hopperfootball

Gary Anderson v Stephen Bunting (Thursday, 19:00, Sky Sports 1)

Match Betting: Gary Anderson 31/50, Stephen Bunting 67/20, Draw 9/2

SIMON’S TIP: UNDER 6.5 180s @ 10/11 – BET NOW

Stephen Bunting’s play-off dreams look all but over after a return of just one point from his two matches last week. However, world champion Gary Anderson is having a wobble of his own after a three match winless run and he was frankly outplayed in front of his own Aberdeen crowd in last week’s 6-6 draw with James Wade. The Flying Scotsman’s downturn in form puts me off backing him at a prohibitively short 31/50, but conversely the Bullet has been found out at this level and isn’t showing enough to support him at 67/20. So I’m going to swerve the match betting and take under 6.5 180s at a best price 10/11. This is largely because Bunting’s maximums have been scarce in this tournament, with Wade the only remaining player to have mustered less than his 33 from 12 matches. Of course Anderson can hit 180s for fun but he’d probably have to up his tournament average for our bet to lose here and that doesn’t look likely given his current predicaments.

James Wade v Michael Van Gerwen (Thursday, 19:30, Sky Sports 1)

James Wade 19/5, Michael Van Gerwen 4/7, Draw 9/2

JAMES WADE HIGHEST CHECKOUT @ 6/4 – BET NOW

Michael Van Gerwen suffered his first Premier League defeat of the season against Raymond van Barneveld last week but the world #1 normally responds very well to setbacks so I’d expect a much better showing here. Admittedly he could have had an easier opponent than James Wade, who tamed the Scottish crowd superbly in his 6-6 draw with Anderson last week and is notoriously tough to beat. However, the Machine has been more inconsistent than normal recently and I wouldn’t bother taking on MVG at a best price 4/7. The better value looks to be backing Wade to manage the highest checkout at a best price 6/4. He’s the only remaining player with a maximum 170 finish to his name – that happened against Gary Anderson last week – and he regularly takes out 100+ finishes. Opponents of MVG are often left with big scores to take out in order to win legs so the Machine should get plenty of chances to land us this bet.  

Dave Chisnall v Raymond van Barneveld (Thursday, 20:00, Sky Sports 1)

Dave Chisnall 7/5, Raymond van Barneveld 6/4, Draw 7/2

DAVE CHISNALL TO WIN @ 7/5 – BET NOW

On the surface, Raymond van Barneveld’s back-to-back wins over Phil Taylor and Van Gerwen stand him in good stead here. However, scratch beneath the surface and Barney only really took advantage of poor performances from his opponents and he averaged just over 97 combined in those two victories. In sounds folly but this week’s assignment against Dave Chisnall might be even tougher. Chizzy lost 7-3 to Taylor last week but he still played well, averaging 102.96, and his overall form of four wins from his last five is still exceptional. If both players score the way they have been then Chisnall should be a shorter price than 7/5 to win the match so that’s the bet for me.

Adrian Lewis v Phil Taylor (Thursday, 20:30, Sky Sports 1)

Adrian Lewis 2/1, Phil Taylor 23/20, Draw 7/2

ADRIAN LEWIS TO WIN @ 2/1 – BET NOW

Adrian Lewis often has problems against Phil Taylor (nine losses in the last 11 meetings) but at 2/1 I think Jackpot is value here. He’s found form just in time after racking up three straight wins and though the averages aren’t anything to write home about, with a player as inconsistent as Lewis it’s about momentum as much as anything else. Taylor just cannot get a good run going – he was absolutely atrocious in his 7-2 defeat to Barney a fortnight ago and then excellent in his 7-3 win over Chisnall last week. Also let’s not forget these players are separated by just one point and one place in the table so they’re obviously evenly matched right now. Therefore, the logical call is to back the underdog, who happens to be Lewis, at a best price 2/1.

Gary Anderson v Michael Van Gerwen (Thursday, 21:00, Sky Sports 1)

Gary Anderson 52/25, Michael Van Gerwen Evens, Draw 19/5

NO BET

This has to be a no bet match as both players will already have played once on the night. I would normally back Van Gerwen in this format at even money or greater against anyone in the world – if this was the first match of the night that would be the wager. However, it’s not so we’ll have to leave it alone.