2026 Winmau World Masters Day 1: Betting Tips

• Chris Dobey To Win: 5/6 at Ladbrokes

Chris Dobey will be looking to improve his televised form after reaching just two quarter-finals on TV last year. Hollywood also missed out on Premier League selection and will be eager to make a strong start to the season.

Jermaine Wattimena continues to show steady improvement, but he still needs to produce his best form on the big stage. A semi-final run at the Players Championship Finals was the standout moment of his 2025 televised campaign.

Both players exited in the first round of the newly revamped World Masters last year, so this has the potential to be a nervy encounter. However, Dobey looks due a deep run in a major, and this tournament could be the perfect opportunity-having already won his first major title here in 2023.

• Niels Zonneveld Over 3.5 180s: 7/5 at Virgin Bet

Gary Anderson rolled back the years with a superb semi-final run at Ally Pally and will be hoping to carry that form into the new season. The Scot has climbed back to world number eight and, if he maintains that hunger, will remain a danger to anyone he faces this year.

Niels Zonneveld has been producing some excellent darts over the past 12 months and is closing in on a place in the world’s top 32. The Dutchman stormed through qualification for this event yesterday, dropping just two sets across three matches.

Zonneveld also holds a slight edge over Anderson, having already had competitive match practice this season. Anderson could be a little rusty after a month off, which suggests this could be a close contest.

With that in mind, and given Zonneveld’s growing reputation as a heavy maximum scorer, over 3.5 180s looks very achievable in what should be a tight match.

• James Wade Most 180s: 4/5 at bet365

James Wade has spoken openly about his disappointment at being overlooked for Premier League selection for 2026. The Machine enjoyed a strong season last year but will have been bitterly disappointed by his 3-2 second-round defeat to Ricky Evans at the World Championship.

That loss likely played a major role in him missing out on selection, so Wade will be desperate to prove a point and make a positive start to the season here.

Madars Razma qualified for the World Masters yesterday, winning three matches, including impressive victories over Kevin Doets and Krzysztof Ratajski.

The Latvian remains a dangerous opponent, but as is often the case, he doesn’t hit many 180s due to his frequent use of the 19s. Wade isn’t the most prolific maximum hitter either, but he should have enough scoring power to edge that department in this matchup.

• Shane McGuirk Over 2.5 180s: 1/1 at bet365

Nathan Aspinall will feel another player who can count himself unlucky to have missed out on Premier League selection, having reached at least the quarter-finals in five televised events last season.

The Asp has handled the disappointment well and has started the new campaign strongly, reaching the semi-finals in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He made the quarter-finals here last year and will be aiming for a similar run again.

Shane McGuirk earned his Tour Card at the start of the year and has made an excellent start to his PDC career by qualifying for the first major of the season. The 2024 WDF World Champion is more than capable of competing with the PDC elite, and he looks set for a strong year.

The Irishman can score very heavily when in form, and if he settles quickly and stays competitive, over 2.5 180s looks well within reach.

• Wessel Nijman To Win: 49/50 at BetMGM

Jonny Clayton reached at least the semi-finals in five televised majors last season and fully deserves his place in the 2026 Premier League. The Welshman was a finalist at this event last year, losing a thrilling 6-5 encounter to Luke Humphries. He clearly enjoys this format and will be a tough opponent for anyone.

Wessel Nijman has qualified for his World Masters debut, dropping just one set across victories over Steffan Bellmont, Niko Springer and Gabriel Clemens.

The young Dutchman possesses an abundance of talent and, on his day, is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world. However, he has received criticism for missing under pressure and has yet to progress beyond the third round of any televised major since turning professional.

That said, it feels only a matter of time before Nijman produces a breakthrough performance on the big stage, following a similar trajectory to Gian van Veen, and it would be no surprise if that came during this event.

• Michael van Gerwen Most 180s & Win: 13/10 at bet365

Michael van Gerwen looks to be rediscovering the spark that once saw him dominate the sport for so many years. It’s been a while since we’ve seen this version of MVG, but after a positive World Championship campaign, he backed that up by winning the Bahrain Masters and finishing runner-up in Saudi Arabia.

The Dutchman is playing with a smile on his face again, and if he continues in that vein, he will once more be a consistent challenger for the sport’s highest honours.

Damon Heta, meanwhile, has gone completely off the boil over the past 12 months and has looked a shadow of his former self on the big stage. He did reach the quarter-finals of this event last season, but he’ll need a rapid improvement on his recent performances to seriously trouble Van Gerwen.