Treble chance at the bookies

Ray Barneveld: The favourite is worth a punt

BBC Sport Online's Stuart Roach checks out the prices on offer from the bookies for the Embassy World Darts Championship.

When it comes to darts, the only guarantee is that there are no guarantees.

A good excuse to steer clear of the bookies, or a surefire way of unearthing a bit of betting value?

For the third year running, Corals, the on-site bookies at the Lakeside throughout the World Championship, make Dutchman Ray Barneveld the favourite.

Hankey: Defending his crown

In any other sport, that would almost certainly signal a defensive instalment of odds-on prices from the bookies, but this year Barney is yours for an enticing 4-1.

For someone who has won the world title twice in the last three years, that makes attractive reading, though Ronnie Baxter is only a point behind in the bookies' estimation after finishing runner-up for the past two years.

Always the bridesmaid? He'd make a lovely bride this year at odds of 5-1.

The prices for world champion Ted Hankey (13-2) and number one seed Mervyn King (9-1) make attractive reading too, so why is the field so wide open?

Outside chance

"We enjoy covering the Embassy as a major sporting event, because the depth and quality of the players makes it difficult to predict an out-and-out favourite on form alone," said a Corals spokesman.

"Barneveld has done it twice, Hankey did it in fantastic style last year, but Ronnie Baxter is always knocking on the door - and players like King, Fordham, Mason, Monk, Stompe, Adams, Beaton and Painter are all more than capable of becoming World Champion."

So that could be where the real value lies. You can help yourself to 20-1 against former England captain Martin Adams - a tremendous price for a player who holds the record for the most maximums in a nine-set match.

He hit 16 180s in an amazing quarter final against Chris Mason last year, but consistency holds the key to Adams' chances.

He led 4-1 in sets and 2-0 in legs in that game, but saw Mason respond with 13 180s of his own as he fought back to win a remarkable game.

Generous

Mason himself is a mere 10-1 this time round, though Ritchie Davies is tipped as a future world champion, so odds of 40-1 about it happening this year look fairly tasty.

But if you believe the future is orange, then Co Stompe's 14-1 price tag looks reasonably generous, while Eric Clarys is a 50-1 outsider.

As Lakeside punters attempt to break the bookies, reigning champion Hankey is looking to break more records in his bid to retain his world crown.

Last year he clocked a stunning 48 maximums on his way to claiming the crown and secured the high checkout prize with the last throw of the championships.

Hitting a 170 checkout to claim the title with a 6-0 win in just 46 minutes, he made it all look too easy.

So, perhaps you should ask him to pick you a winner - and your lottery numbers while he is at it!