PDC World Darts Championship

This years Ladbrokes.com PDC World Championship is almost here, but who is your money on?

Raymond van Barneveld stormed to victory last year in a thrilling win over Phil Taylor and his darts betting price this year reflects that of a man who is capable of victory again.

The undoubted star of 2007 though has been James Wade. The left-hander, who was the young player of the year in 2006, has stumped many punters this season who traditionally back the favourites. His 2007 PDC World darts odds this year though reflect a man who is on top of his game and a real threat to anyone on the circuit.

Phil Taylor, on the other hand, has gone backwards after enduring a rotten season since losing his PDC World Darts crown. With The Power's only TV tournament title being the Premier League, you can be sure that the player who has been number one for so long will be champing at the bit to regain former glories.

The best of the rest include former PDC World Champion John Part, the flamboyant Adrian Lewis and young gun from the BDO Michael van Gerwen. Can they spring a World Darts betting surprise? Their odds reflect fantastic value and all three are capable of taking the spoils on their day.

For all of your darts betting though, you need look no further than Ladbrokes. With a variety of fantastic markets at hand and up to the minute darts betting available on every match from the Alexandra Palace in London, make sure you stay logged onto Ladbrokes.com for all your darts betting needs.

PDC World Championship History

The PDC World Championship, sponsored by Ladbrokes since 2003, has been dominated by one man - Phil 'The Power' Taylor. He was won all but three of the PDC World Championships and reached every final, but in the first incarnation of the tournament, back in 1994, he was on the receiving end of a 6-1 thumping at the hands of Dennis 'The Menace' Priestley.

However, that was the last time for nine years that The Power tasted defeat in the PDC World Championship. He took revenge on The Menace by beating him in four finals, whilst in both 2001 and 2002 he meted out 7-0 whitewashes - to John 'Darth Maple' Part and Peter 'One Dart' Manley respectively.

Taylor's domination was ended in 2003 when Part beat him 7-6 in a classic PDC World Championship Final, but The Power bounced back with wins in the next three tournaments. That brings us to 2007, when, in arguably the greatest match in history, Raymond 'Barney' van Barneveld came from 3-0 down to defeat Taylor 7-6 in sudden death.

This year the PDC World Championship opens a new chapter as it moves from its old home of the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, to the Alexandra Palace, London. The Power surely won't win eleven titles at the new venue, but he'll certainly be a big contender at the PDC World Championship this year.