With the PDC World Championship rapidly disappearing in the rearview mirror, the Bahrain Darts Masters kicks off the action for the rest of the year. After retaining the World title at the start of the month, Luke Littler will be aiming to add more silverware to his collection, while defending champion Stephen Bunting will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing World Championships. With the draw out and the odds hot off the press, we have found a number of great value bets for the first day’s action.
Bahrain Darts Masters Round 1
The eight PDC representatives are all up against qualifiers in the first round. All are huge favourites to progress. Obviously, Littler and Luke Humphries are expected to go through without any problems. In our guide, we suggested that Gerwyn Price, who has a great record at this tournament but has yet to lift the trophy, would be a good bet to win, so we are expecting him to go through. We also fancy Bunting to have a good go at retaining the title he won last year. Check out our guide for the latest round one odds.
Bahrain Darts Masters Day 1 Best Bets
Our darts experts have been studying the form of the players over the last 12 months and have searched the top bookmakers in the UK to find the best value bets for the first round. We have a number of suggestions to make the first set of matches, which on the surface look like pretty straightforward encounters, a little more interesting.
| Match/Market | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Gian Van Veen vs Man Lok Leung-Lok Leung to Win | 5/1 | SpreadEx |
| Nathan Aspinall vs Lourence Ilagan- Ilagan to Win | 7/2 | BetVictor |
| Michael Van Gerwen vs Alexis Toylo – Under 7.5 Legs | 12/5 | bet365 |
| Luke Littler vs Paul Lim – Match Treble: Littler to Win, 2+ 100+ Checkouts for Littler, Littler Over 3.5 180s | bet365 |
Odds correct at 07:00 on 15th January 2026. Odds subject to change.
Gian van Veen vs Man Lok Leung: Leung to Win
Gian Van Veen is clearly the favourite. But if you are looking for a potential upset, then this could be the one to go for. Leung has beaten Van Veen in the past, at the 2024 PDC World Championships. Although he was blown away by Ricky Evans at the World Championships in December, Leung is one of the biggest threats among the qualifiers and might just produce a shock again.
Nathan Aspinall vs Lourence Ilagan: Ilagan to Win
Nathan Aspinall goes into this one as favourite, but Ilagan is a potentially dangerous opponent. The pair met at the World Championships where Ilagan was able to claim a set. If you are looking to bet on an underdog, then this is worth looking at, with 7/2 odds at BetVictor being decent value.
Michael Van Gerwen vs Alexis Toylo: Under 7.5 Legs
Michael Van Gerwen played well in the World Championships, and we expect him to take that momentum into this tournament. He is a strong favourite and we are backing him to get the job done quickly.
Luke Littler vs Paul Lim: Match Treble
Littler is expected to have few problems against Paul Lim. After retaining his world title, the 18-year-old will be keen to rack up more tournament wins. We have found a great treble at bet365, boosted from 6/1 to 7/1. Littler is raising the bar in terms of standards, so we are expecting him to win with two or more 100+ checkouts and at least four 180s.
No Expiry Date
