PDC World Darts Championship S/F Odds: Bet on Smith to ease into final

As we move into the semi-final stage at the 2022 World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, @tomsportsjourno is on-hand to provide the lowdown ahead of the action, with his best bets on offer after hitting two consecutive trebles...

Michael Smith vs James Wade - 19:45

In the opening semi-final clash, James Wade, who came through his previous two matches with absolute ease, takes on Michael Smith, who’s in red-hot form as he looks set to win his first world title.

As aforementioned, Wade booked his place in the last four at Ally Pally with the minimum of fuss, blowing away Martijn Kleermaker and Mervyn King, without dropping a single set. And in typical Wade fashion, his timing is crucially important as he’s typically not a player who averages preposterous numbers, but his level of consistency is commendable.

As for Smith, he’s been the best player in the tournament thus far, I feel. Ton-topping averages, 180’s for fun and under pressure he’s got better and better at dealing with adversity and is unflappable at pressure moments, especially in his last-gasp wins over the Welsh pairing of Jonny Clayton and reigning world champ Gerwyn Price.

The draw hasn’t been too kind for Smith, but he’s taken care of the reigning champ and a Jonny Clayton that’s won four major titles in 2021, so why can’t he take care of James Wade and Gary Anderson or Peter Wright?

All the statistics are massively stacked in Smith’s favour, averaging 16 points more than Wade (99.83)  over the course of the tournament, a far superior checkout success rate (48.98%) than Wade, I can’t see anything other than a Michael Smith procession.

In terms of finding value for this one, I’ve sided with the set handicap market with -1.5 set handicap in favour of Michael Smith, available at 4/6.

Peter Wright vs Gary Anderson - 21:30

The second semi-final on Sunday evening sees two heavyweights collide as former two-time world champion Gary Anderson takes on his Scotland team-mate and another former world champ in Peter Wright, in what’s set to be a mouth-watering race to six sets.

Peter Wright battled his way to a 5-4 win over an inspired 23-year old Callan Rydz, as Snakebite showed his experience and bottle under severe pressure, battling from 3-1 and 4-3 behind to secure his semi-final spot. As for Anderson, the former two-time winner had to come from behind early on as he saw off another player for the future in Luke Humphries, coming through that one 5-2.

To his own admission, Anderson was disappointed with his finishing, despite a convincing victory over the Berkshire-based thrower. But, that said, Peter Wright will also be looking to improve his accuracy on the outer ring as the former world champ missed 40 darts at a double in his last-gasp win over Rydz.

Wright boasts a slightly higher checkout success rate compared to that of Anderson, with 47.06% compared to 41.54%. As far as the pairs tournament averages are anything to relate to, Wright’s overall average is superior to that of Anderson’s, with a 98.49 compared to 91.49.

This contest most definitely has longevity. There isn’t much separating the pair in terms of their checkout statistics and I’m expecting drama, high-quality and a high intensity battle between two big names in the world of darts. Over 9.5 sets are applicable here, which is available at 6/5.