World Darts Championship Semi-Finals: Day 15 Betting Tips

• Michael van Gerwen to win, Chris Dobey most 180s: 13/10 at Bet365
• Chris Dobey over 13.5 180s: 10/11 at BoyleSports

Chris Dobey came through a very good match against Gerwyn Price to reach his first PDC World Championship semi-final. He won 5-3 with a 95.38 average and hit 12 maximums.

He finished with a 41% checkout rate which is extremely solid, but I did get slightly worried when he started missing doubles by quite a distance to win the match.

I think the issue may perhaps have been because of his loss in last year's quarter-final from 4-0 up against Rob Cross and was worried it would repeat itself. If he starts showing frailties like that again tonight, he will get himself in big trouble because MVG will definitely punish him.

Chris Dobey was fabulous once again in his opening-round match at the World Championship. He beat Alexander Merkx 3-1 with 6 180s and a very respectable 95.62 average. The Geordie followed that up with another extremely impressive performance in his second match too and came through a very tricky tie in the last 32 against Josh Rock.

‘Hollywood’ averaged 97.29, hit 9 180s and had a 45% checkout rate. All those numbers are pretty much where you would expect nowadays with Dobey as he's become a very hard player to beat.

He then made it through to his third Quarter Final on the trot after his closely fought 4-3 win against Kevin Doets. Dobey pretty much controlled the game from start to finish and somehow almost managed to lose. He only had a 27% checkout rate in the match and kept missing doubles galore to give Doets opportunities.

He hit 9 180s and averaged 91.59 but I think he performed a lot better and would have averaged 6 or 7 points higher if he didn't squander so many darts at double. It was strange as he’s usually so reliable and had a 40% checkout rate in all competitions coming into this tournament but like I said earlier, it's become a little bit of a recurring theme and he needs to stop that tonight.

‘Hollywood’ has had a magnificent season on the pro tour this season, winning 3 Players Championship events and £98,000 in prize money and he’s ranked 4th in the averages over the last 12 months with a 97.41. He will almost certainly be in the frame for a Premier League spot with his run here even with having an under-par season in front of the cameras before this.

Michael van Gerwen was involved in an Ally Pally classic in his Quarter Final match with Callan Rydz and put in a vintage performance to get himself through. In a match that included 31 180s with MVG having 14 of them, he denied Rydz who also averaged 103.88 himself.

He won 5-3 with a 103.10 and that performance was certainly a statement from the Dutchman and he looked visibly emotional after the game because it's been a long time since he has produced a performance of that magnitude on TV.

The most incredible stat from that match is that Callan Rydz became the first player in World Championship history to record a higher average than his opponent, hit more 180s, win more legs, have a higher checkout percentage and lose by two sets.

As ridiculous as that stat is, it shows us how brilliant van Gerwen’s timing was in that match which is exactly what set play is all about.

In van Gerwen’s first two matches, there were certainly signs of the old MVG and without setting the world alight he had a 3-0 victory with a 94.85 against James Hurrell in the second round, followed by a 4-2 win over Brendan Dolan with a 97.01 average in his next match.

He had to battle hard against the tenacious Northern Irishman, and MVG produced 10 180s during the match.

‘Mighty Mike’ looked really good in his last 16 victory over Jeffrey de Graaf. He averaged 101.98 in a hard-fought 4-2 victory. What impressed me the most was the Dutchman’s rhythm in his last two matches and if carries on in the same way, he could well go on to lift his 4th World Title.

There have been plenty of positive signs for the Dutchman, especially in his epic encounter with Callan Rydz and because of Dobey looking very nervous on his doubles at big moments, I'm going to sway towards Michael to win this match.

He just looks really focused at the moment and that's a dangerous sign for anyone in his way. Even though van Gerwen hit 14 180s in his previous match, he still isn't as prolific as Dobey at hitting maximums so I expect the Englishman to have more.

I also don't expect this to be all plain sailing for MVG as I mentioned previously, Dobey is just so hard to beat so I think there'll be plenty of sets in this one.

• Luke Littler over 18.5 180s: 11/10 at Bet365
• Over 8.5 Sets: 10/11 at Betway
• Luke Littler to have 19+ 180s & 5+ 100+ Checkouts: 6/1 at PaddyPower

Stephen Bunting has breezed through this tournament to reach his second PDC World Championship semi-final, losing only 4 sets in the process. He beat Kai Gotthardt 3-1 with a 92.12 average in the second round which was a very good performance considering how his preparation was affected, but the German did still have multiple set darts for a 2-0 lead.

In the third round, he laid down a marker, producing a brilliant 100.06 average, beating Madars Razma 4-1. 6 180s and a 34% checkout rate. He then demolished Luke Woodhouse 4-0 in the last 16. He hit 6 180s and averaged 96.78 in that match, including winning 12-3 in legs.

‘The Bullet’ then comfortably brushed aside Peter Wright 5-2 to reach his second Semi-final in the last 5 years at Ally Pally. He played beautifully early on and raced into a 4-0 lead before slightly going off the boil and allowing ‘Snakebite’ to win the next 2 sets.

He won the next set to put the game to bed and finished with a very respectable 95.55 average. He did start to falter a little and missed a few opportunities with match darts but being nervous in that situation is understandable.

He made the decision to change the weight of his darts by going 6 grams heavier after struggling with consistency. He’s worked hard and after his Quarter Final win, he is now up to World Number 5 and surely looks set for a Premier League return after another brilliant season.

Luke Littler is looking much more comfortable and composed now after his opening two victories and has now made it to back-to-back Semi finals in his first two appearances at Ally Pally.

Littler was once again extremely impressive in his opening game at this year's World Championship. He did look a little nervous early on and struggled to get settled but when he did he was extraordinary.

He beat Ryan Meikle 3-1 with a 100.85 average including an incredible world record set average of 140.91 in set 4 in 11,10 and 11 darts. Next up was Ian White and his incredible run of 14 televised 100+ averages on the trot came to an end but he still played very well winning 4-1 with a 97.84 average.

He didn't have it all his own way as the experienced White really pushed him and should have nicked the 5th set after missing multiple darts. In the last 16, he had to be really concentrated and came through a brilliant match with Ryan Joyce, who pushed him all the way. ‘The Nuke’ won 4-3 with a 103.14 average and 14 maximums, including a 110.89 average in the final set when under enormous pressure.

Onto the Quarter Final and he played his good friend Nathan Aspinall. The 17-year-old was outstanding in the early exchanges and raced into a 2-0 lead including a first-set average of 118.66.

He did lose his concentration slightly though and that may well have been down to watching Aspinall struggling with dartitis. It was still a great game though, winning 5-2 with a 101.54 average and 15 180s.

The stat that really impressed me was that in the 19 legs, he won, 10 of them were won in 12 darts or fewer. This shows you how mind-blowing his scoring power really is and if carries on in that vein, I can't see anyone stopping him.

He’s currently on 51 maximums for the tournament and I wouldn't be surprised if he breaks Michael Smith’s record of 83 180s hit at the World Championship.

Littler hit 15 maximums in 7 sets last night and there should be more than 7 sets this evening as Bunting is bang on form so I think there's lots of value in the 180 market.

I can't see past the young phenom again tonight, I just think his scoring power is too relentless but Bunting will without a doubt be competitive and I'd expect him to make it closer than some people think.