World DartsChampionship2026/27

Sets change the maths

A set is a mini match. The first player to win three legs takes it. Most other big events are played in legs only, so the World Championship plays differently.

Sets give a player who starts slowly time to recover. Win nine legs in a row and you’re only three sets up. In round one, though, it’s first to three sets, so one bad spell can end a seed’s Christmas early.

Betting on the winner

The outright market is a bet on who lifts the trophy on 3 January. You can bet before the draw or during the event. Prices move after every round as players go out.

Luke Littler has won the last two titles. He beat Gian van Veen 7 to 1 in the 2026 final and Michael van Gerwen 7 to 3 in 2025. That makes him short in the betting, and a short price means a small return. So many people look further down the list, often each way.

Each way, explained

An each-way bet is two equal bets: one on your player to win, one on them to place. Place means reaching a set point in the event, such as the final. Each bookmaker sets its own place terms for darts, so check them before you bet.

Here’s £10 each way at 12/1, which costs £20. Say the terms pay a third of the odds for the top two. If your player wins, both halves pay and you collect £180. If they lose in the final, the place half pays at 4/1 and you collect £50. Use the calculator above with the terms your bookmaker shows.

Match bets, sets and 180s

A match bet is on who wins one game. Darts is a two-way market, with no draw. You can also bet on the correct score in sets, or a set handicap. A handicap gives the outsider a head start in sets.

Then there are the specials. A 180 is the maximum score: three darts in the treble 20. You can bet on the total number of 180s in a match, or who hits the most. The 2025/26 event set a record of 1,127 of them. Littler hit 73, more than anyone.

Checkouts and nine-darters

A checkout is the score a player finishes a leg on. The highest possible is 170. Bookmakers price up the highest checkout in a match, and whether anyone hits 170.

A nine-darter is a perfect leg of 501 in nine darts. There have been 16 at the World Championship, but none in 2025/26. So a bet on a nine-darter at the event is a long shot. Check the price against how rare they are.

A budget for three weeks

The Worlds run for over three weeks, with darts most afternoons and evenings. A tenner on every match soon adds up. Set one budget for the whole event before day one, and stop when it’s gone. If betting stops being fun, deposit limits and GAMSTOP are there to help.