What is the first sign you see around you that Christmas is coming? Is it the first Christmas decorations lighting up people’s windows and gardens? Is it the drop in temperature? Or is it something else? For me, the Christmas countdown begins every year with the start of one of the biggest and most exciting sporting events of the year, the PDC World Darts Championship, and that gets underway this year on the 15^th December.

Last year, colourful Scotsman Peter Wright landed his first ever world title by defeating the pre-tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final. He will be one of 96 players aiming to become the 2021 champion, crowned on the 3^rd January after nearly three weeks of intense competition.

The PDC World Championship is not just one of the highlights of the sporting calendar for fans, it is also a huge boon for punters too with a massive choice of markets available to bet on both on the tournament as a whole, and on each individual game. In Play betting is extremely popular on the matches too and you can enjoy all of this and much more when you sign up to bet with the latest bet365 New Player Welcome Bonus.

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So let’s take a little closer look now at the tournament itself as well as some of the players we think you should consider backing as either the winner, or as an each way bet in the Outright Winner market with bet365 Sport.

PDC World Darts Championship 2021 – Preview

This year’s tournament will see 96 players from the PDC compete for a total cash prize of £2,500,000. Prizes range from £7,500 for the first round losers in the tournament, up to £500,000 for the eventual winner, who will be crowned the 2021 PDC World Champion on the 3^rd January 2021.

The tournament is played over a sets format, where players must win three legs in a set in order to win the set. The First Round starts off at best of five legs, however as the tournament progresses, the number of legs played to decide the winner increases throughout the tournament as explained below:

• First & Second Rounds – Best of 5 Sets
• Third and Fourth Rounds – Best of 7 Sets
• Quarterfinals – Best of 9 Sets
• Semifinals – Best of 11 Sets
• Final – Best of 13 Sets

Another thing to note is that the tournament is effectively split into two sections. The first takes place from the 15^th December to the 23^rd December inclusive and will see both the First and Second Rounds played to completion. After this, there is a short break from the 24^th to 26^th December, with the action resuming with the first of the Third Round games on the 27^th December. The tournament is then played each day through until the 3^rd January when the new champion will be crowned.

The tournament is to be played at the famous London venue Alexandra Palace, or “Ally Pally” as it is known to darts fans. The First Round and Second Round take place concurrently from the 15^th to the 20^th December. From the 21^st to the 23^rd December, any Second Round matches not played over the first six days of the tournament will be completed during these three days.

PDC World Championships 2021 – Factfile

• The winner of the tournament will pocket £500,000, with the runner up taking home £200,000.
• Peter Wright is the current Champion, and he is in action in his second round match on the opening night (15^th December).
• Other players to have won the World Title in the PDC event taking part in this event include Michael van Gerwen (3-time winner), Gary Anderson (2-time winner), Rob Cross and Adrian Lewis (2-time winner).
• A number of former BDO World Champions are also taking part including Steve Beaton, Scott Waites, Stephen Bunting and Glen Durrant. Former BDO World Ladies Champion Lisa Ashton is also competing as is two-time World Youth Champion, Dmitri van den Bergh.
• A nine-dart finish has been achieved in the World Championship on nine occasions. The last by Gary Anderson in the 2016 semifinal against Jelle Klaasen.
• Phil Taylor has won the most PDC World Titles with 14, he also won two in the BDO. He appeared in 19 PDC Finals in total. In his entire career, he only lost 11 matches in the World Championship.
• Gary Anderson holds the record for most 180s in a single tournament, hitting 71 in 2017.
• Only three players from outside the UK have won the PDC world title, John Part (Canada) was the first in 2003, followed by two Dutchmen Raymond van Barneveld in 2007 and Michael van Gerwen in 2014.Part was also the first overseas winner of the BDO title back in 1994.
• The World Championship trophy was renamed the Sid Waddell trophy in 2013 after the death of the famous darts commentator in August 2012.

Who are the players to consider backing to win the tournament this year?

I’m going to pick two players that I feel are worth backing in the Outright Winner market for the tournament this year. The first I would back as an outright winner of the tournament, the second is a longer odds option that I feel is worth backing each-way (which means you would earn a pay out if they reach the final but finish runner up).

• Back to Win – Dimitri van den Bergh (18/1)

The 26-year-old Belgian came of age this year when winning the World Matchplay title, an event second only to the World Championship in terms of prestige. A fantastic finisher, high scorer and consistent player, van den Bergh has reached the quarterfinals in both 2018 and 2020 and after his win at the Matchplay, he should be very confident of perhaps fulfilling his World Championship potential at an even earlier date than many expected.

• Back Each Way – Glen Durrant (33/1)

The three-time BDO World Champion has had an impressive 2020, and while his form has been somewhat up and down in the past couple of months, his impressive showing in the Premier League will still be fresh in many people’s minds. Durrant will be well used to honing his form to peak at this time of the year and he has shown he can beat anyone in the PDC on his day. At 33/1, back him to thrive in the longer format games and if he can get past the first two rounds unscathed, he will be a real threat later in the tournament.