The PDC World Darts Championship is the biggest party in sports, and it gets underway on Thursday afternoon at the Alexandra Palace in London, England.

And before you scoff at the notion that a darts tournament could be considered the best atmosphere in all sports, do yourself a favor and spend some time watching highlights from years past on YouTube. The World Darts Championship is basically what would happen if you took all the best bits of March Madness, SEC Football, and Oktoberfest and threw them into a blender.

But it’s also serious business. The winner of the 96-player tournament, which features the best tungsten-slingers from around the world, will walk out of Alexandra Palace with £500,000. That’s life-changing money, especially in a sport where most competitors still work a regular job on the side. 

Betting on the darts is akin to punting on a major tennis tournament. It’s one-on-one, the swings are ridiculous, and the action feels non-stop because there’s very little downtime between the matches.

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Michael van Gerwen (the Tiger Woods of darts), is the tournament favorite at +250. MVG is a three-time winner at this event and is having a terrific season, so it’s no shock that he’s the consensus chalk ahead of Gerwyn “Iceman” Price (+600), Michael “Bully Boy” Smith (+750) and defending champion Peter “Snakebite” Wright (+1200). 

Wright, Price, and van Gerwen have won the last four championships, but there have been some longshot winners at this event in recent history. Rob “Voltage” Cross famously won the 2018 World Championship on his debut, just 11 months after turning pro. 

Here are the best bets to win the 2022/23 World Darts Championship, which begins on December 15th and continues through January 3rd on Discovery+.

PDC World Darts Championship predictions and picks:

Joe Cullen (+4000, Caesars): 

Ranked No. 13 in the world by the PDC Order of Merit, it’s been a standout season for Joe “The Rockstar” Cullen. Not only did the 33-year-old come within a whisker of winning the Premier League, but he also won his first major title at the 2022 Ladbrokes Masters. Cullen has never made it past the fourth round at the Ally Pally, but he’s never come into the event in this kind of form. 

Ryan Searle (+6600, Caesars)

Tipped as a sleeper for last year’s tournament, Searle is flying under the radar ahead of the Worlds despite having a decent year. “Heavy Metal” didn’t win a title in 2022, but he’s got the 14th-best scoring average on tour over the last year and he ranks fourth in the PDC in checkout percentage. A potential fourth-round showdown with Gerwyn Price looms for Searle, but he’s got the game to punch up against the elites.

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James Wade (+8000, Caesars)

It’s been a down year for James “The Machine” Wade. Still, he’s the caliber of player that can get hot on a moment’s notice, and he’s got a ton of experience on the Alexandra Palace stage, including an appearance in the semifinals last year. Wade’s draw isn’t particularly daunting, though he’ll likely need to beat Danny Noppert and Price to get into the semifinals. One of the best players to never win this title, Wade’s odds are absolutely worth a sprinkle.

Mike de Decker (+75000, Caesars)

This bet won’t win (it’s 750/1 for a reason), but if you’re looking for a potentially life-changing stroke of luck, why not throw a few bucks on Mike de Decker? Although he’s ranked No. 57 in the world, “The Real Deal” has a game that plays much higher than that ranking would imply. Furthermore, de Decker is in terrific form and has the 14th-highest scoring average on the tour since Sept. 1. Coming off a semifinal appearance at the Players Championship in November, de Decker should have some confidence that he can be a gate-crasher at the Ally Pally.