2026 PDC WORLD MASTERS TIPS: 3 BEST BETS & 10/1 ROUND 1 ACCA
The confetti from Luke Littler’s World Championship has barely settled as the next PDC premier event of the year rolls into Milton Keynes: the 2026 World Masters.
From 29th January to 1st February, the Marshall Arena hosts the first big post-worlds test of the new season as defending champion Luke Humphries seeks to reassert his authority.
The tournament’s demanding set-play format, escalating from a best-of-five first-round sprint to a best-of-11 final marathon, is a true examination of nerve even for the sport’s finest.
We’ve crunched the numbers to find betting angles that represent solid value for the final major before the 2026 BetMGM Premier League season gets underway…
When is the 2026 World Masters & where to watch?
- Location: Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
- Dates: Thu 29th Jan – Sun 1st Feb
- Format: Set play R1 best of 5; R2 & QF best of 7; SF best of 9, final best of 11
- Prize fund: £500,000 (winner £100,000)
- How to watch: Live on ITV4
- Defending champion: Luke Humphries
Tip 1 – Gerwyn Price to win the Masters (E/W) @ 16/1
The second quarter of the draw is a minefield with Gerwyn Price drawn alongside fellow seeds Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton and Chris Dobey.
Yet backing the Iceman to emerge from this brutal section warrants serious consideration.
Price’s 2025 resurgence was immense. He ended the year in the tour’s top five for averages and 180s and top seven for checkout percentage, translating that form into five major semi-final runs, a World Cup final and wins on the European Tour, World Series and floor.
While he is the third-highest seed in this section, his recent history against his quarter rivals is telling.
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Over the last year he outgunned MVG in average, 180s hit (both per leg and overall) and checkout percentage while he also produces a higher against-throw average and converts 12- and 15-darter chances at a higher clip.
His dominance over Welsh compatriot Clayton is even more stark, edging him in all those same metrics as well as boasting an eight-game win streak and a crushing 17-6 lead in ranked events.
He’s similarly imperious, outside of 180 hitting, over Dobey. Against the Newcastle thrower Price holds a 22-5 head-to-head advantage and notably won seven of nine meetings in the 2025 BetMGM Premier League.
The draw looks daunting but the stats suggest Price has the key to unlock his quarter.
Of course, navigating that section would likely present the ultimate test: a semi-final showdown with Littler.
Yet that's precisely where the value in this each-way selection lies. Price arrives in Milton Keynes fresh from trading victories with the Nuke in the World Series less than a fortnight ago.
The Iceman remains the only top-level thrower to have defeated Littler five matches in a row – we only need him to do it once here if they meet in the semi-final.
For that reason, at 16/1 backing Price each-way to conquer his quarter and then at least reach the final offers tremendous appeal.
E/W terms: 1/2 1-2
Tip 2 – A nine-darter to be hit @ 8/11
The Masters witnessed its first-ever nine-dart finish last year thanks to Dimitri van den Bergh – and the prospect of another perfect leg is high in 2026.
The tournament’s switch to set play offers more opportunities and the pool of players capable of hitting one is growing substantially – three of them landing in one day at a Q School event a couple of weeks ago serving as an ideal case in point.
An astonishing 55 nines were hit across the tour in 2025, with 24 of those coming from the very players seeded at this event.
Essentially the world’s elite are hitting perfection more frequently than ever and, given the scoring prowess on show and a format that allows players to build rhythm, a nine-darter to be hit at any point in the tournament looks generously priced at 8/11.
Tip 3 – Round 1 Acca @ 10/1
For Thursday and Friday’s action, this 10/1 Acca is constructed using BetMGM’s darts Bet Builder offering. We’ve zoned in on games involving the world number one, two and three. Let’s take it match by match:
Gian van Veen over 3.5 180s & highest checkout vs Ryan Joyce
A fascinating Thursday clash between two of the most clinical finishers in the game. Gian Van Veen’s tour-leading 46% checkout percentage for 2025 is magnificent but Joyce’s 42.2% shows he’s no slouch on the outer ring either.
So what separates them? In a word: scoring. Van Veen’s rate of fire on the treble 20 is on another level, hitting almost three times as many maximums as Joyce last year.
This relentless scoring not only creates more opportunities to hit the 180s line but also gives him more frequent cracks at a high finish. He has a habit of producing spectacular outshots – he has 16 100+ checkouts across his last 10 matches alone – and with a 3-0 head-to-head record against Joyce in ranked events, the Dutchman should have both the scoring power and the finishing prowess to get this leg over the line.
Luke Littler over 3.5 180s & highest checkout vs Mike De Decker
This has proved a complete mismatch in recent meetings. In seven encounters, all in ranked events, Mike De Decker has yet to lay a glove on Littler. The 7-0 head-to-head record tells its own story but the fact De Decker has only managed to finish a match within three legs of the world number one once in their last five encounters speaks to both the Nuke’s dominance and De Decker’s drop-off.
Littler has not only won the 180 count but has also secured the highest checkout in their last three meetings, including two breathtaking 170 finishes. The 19-year-old’s scoring pace, which sees him average 0.44 maximums per leg, means the 3.5 line is well within his sights in a Friday match that will go a minimum nine legs.
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Luke Humphries to win & hit over 2.5 180s vs Dave Chisnall
Dave Chisnall has a 10-8 lead against Humphries in head-to-heads – but that statistic is almost a relic of a different era. They have barely crossed paths since Cool Hand ascended to the darting stratosphere and didn’t at all in 2025.
Today, Humphries is the superior player across every meaningful metric. His relentless consistency has made him the world number one and his scoring should comfortably see him past a 2.5 180s line in a match guaranteed to be at least nine legs long.
Crucially, Humphries has recently tweaked his throw with the specific aim of finding that treble 20 even more often. Against a player he now outclasses across the board, expect the reigning Masters and BetMGM Premier League champion to secure the win while showcasing that refined scoring prowess.
BETMGM’S 10/1 MASTERS ROUND 1 ACCA
- Van Veen over 3.5 180s & highest checkout
- Littler over 3.5 180s & highest checkout
- Humphries to win & hit over 2.5 180s
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
