Dennis Priestley vs Bernd Roith – Dennis the Menace set for shock
Published:Suffering a first round loss in a major tournament is a humiliating exit for a former champion, but Dennis ‘The Menace’ Priestley could be on the end of another shock defeat when he comes up against Germany’s Bernd Roith.
Priestley has slipped to 22 in the PDC World Rankings and it seems his best days are behind him and punters would be worth staying away from the 2/5 for Priestley to beat Roith.
Roith will be making his debut in the PDC World Darts Championships and the world number 66 is a decent bet at 7/4 to beat Priestley, and an even better bet at 9/2 to win by three sets to two.
Roith has some previous, in the 2010 European Championships, having dispatched of Denis Ovens in the first round, Roith took on Raymond Van Barneveld in the second round and gave the world number three a scare before eventually losing 10-7.
Priestley may show glimpses of his undoubted talent and is worth a punt at 8/13 to get the highest checkout, but this could be a scrappy affair and Roith’s doggedness can pull him through.
Magnus Caris vs Dietmar Burger
World number six Mervyn King awaits either Magnus Caris or Dietmar Burger in the first round proper, and according to the betting market, it’s likely to be Caris who is 2/5 to beat Burger.
Swede Caris is the world ranked 94 and faces the world number 298 in the preliminary round.
Burger plays most of his action in his native Austria and Holland and his ranking doesn’t reflect his ability.
At 7/4 to bear Caris, Burger offers plenty of value in what is sure to be a tight match but don’t expect the winner to upset Mervyn King later in the day.
A £10 stake on Roith and Burger both winning would return £75.60. New customers can sign up here for a free £10 bet.
