Party Poker World Grand Prix
The Double In tournament from Dublin starts on Monday. Here are some of the things we are looking forward to!
Now it feels like the darts season is about to take off! We have had a European event of course since the August shut down. The non-televised events do create interest but nothing like a full blown televised darts tournament. There is the Championship League darts thing that also takes place in September! That is a whole lot easier to ignore and that has been my strategy for that internet based event since its inception!The Grand Prix, which starts on Monday 7 October is also one of our favourite events of the season. The double-in tournament, held in Dublin is a double entendre that I will never tire of. Or is it a pun? Anyway it is a tournament that tests the skill, technique and the mental side of the players game more than any of the others! You need a double to start as well as to finish!
To us looking in and assessing players from a performance perspective the double-in regulation means there is always something new to learn about dart players during this tournament. For example there will be one (or maybe more) that forget it is a double-in start and hurl their first dart at the treble 20 instead of its loftier neighbour-they will be marked down as having possible concentration issues.
Then there is of course that old chestnut of the player who cannot hit their "favourite" double to get their leg under way. What do you do in this situation? Some players keep "banging away" at the double they never miss in practice. We all stare like car crash voyeurs as their lack of tactical skill and strategy shines brightly and their name goes in to our notebook!
We have our own ideas of the right strategy for a double-in event. If you are not big on tactics then the only one I would advise taking up to the oche with you is how many darts are you going to allow yourself before moving on to your next "favourite" double. Another method was tried by Steve "Bomber" Brown in 2011 which we admired. He decided that double 14 was the start for him. It meant slightly fewer points than double top and this also meant a nine darter was out the question but really, so what? Getting off the mark is King!
You also have the opportunity of witnessing the most acute version of double trouble, a white wash- one player stuck on 501 as the other wins the leg. A nasty business but a fascinating body language opportunity! Finally, the men that shout out the scores get to holler One hundreeed and Sixxxxxty, not something you hear too often at non double in events!
So who is the player that can overcome the many potential pitfalls of this event and take home the trophy on Sunday? The Power is the bookies favourite; he has won it ten times in the past and is at a best price 9/4 at SkyBet. He has Wade, Anderson and Whitlock amongst others in his part of the draw and a tricky first round game against Jamie Caven. In the other half of the draw Mighty Mike (4/1 at SkyBet) and Jackpot (best price 10/1 at Boyles) mix it with Chizzy, The Hammer and The History Maker, Brendan Dolan.