PDC World Championship outright odds: Heta the only real Aussie hope

The PDC World Championship is a matter of days away and the best darts players in the world are getting ready to challenge for ultimate glory at Ally Pally in London.

Luke Humphries is the defending champion and the current world number one, but even so he is not the market leader in the outright odds, with Luke Littler having set the darting world alight on the last 12 months.

Littler lost 7-4 to Humphries in the 2024 final but has been sensational since then, winning the Premier League, World Series of Darts and Grand Slam of Darts.

The pair met in the most recent major final, with Humphries striking a psychological blow with an 11-7 victory at the Players Championship Finals.

Tenth seed Damon Heta, priced at 91.00, is the lone Australian with a serious chance of landing the title and joining Tony David as the only Aussie to be crowed world champion - David having won the BDO crown back in 2002.

Outright odds

Luke Littler - 2.87
Luke Humphries - 4.00
Gary Anderson - 10.00
Michael van Gerwen - 11.00
Mike De Decker - 26.00
Michael Smith - 29.00

Luke Littler - 2.87

Teenager Luke Littler has lifted the profile of darts enormously since bursting on to the scene and, having fallen just short last year, will be eager to add the world title to his ever-growing list of triumphs.

The Nuke has arrived at just the right time, with the likes of Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen struggling to maintain the levels which saw them dominate the game for several seasons.

Littler has made five major finals, winning three in a row following his 2024 PDC World Championship defeat, with Littler having won the Premier League, World Series of Darts and Grand Slam of Darts on his debuts in each of these tournaments.

He also claimed the honours at the Bahrain Darts Masters and Poland Darts Masters and, significantly, he has beaten Humphries in seven of their nine meetings since their Ally Pally showdown, although he was defeated by Cool Hand in the final of the Players Championship Finals.

Luke Humphries - 4.00

Luke Humphries would surely be an outstanding chance to defend his title if it were not for Littler, but Cool Hand Luke has certainly not suffered any downturn in form since lifting his first world title.

He won the World Matchplay earlier this year, while he has also reached the finals of the UK Open, Premier League and World Grand Prix, so there is little wrong with his game.

However, his H2H record with Littler would have been a concern if the pair were to meet again at the PDC World Championship, with Humphries’ only win over his fellow Luke in the last eight a 6-5 success in the second round of the European Darts Grand Prix.

He improved that record to two wins in nine with his recent victory over The Nuke in the final of the Players Championship Finals.

Gary Anderson - 10.00

Two-time PDC world champion and three-time runner-up Gary Anderson has enjoyed a renaissance in his fortunes in the last couple of years and is back as a genuine contender for the title at Ally Pally.

The Flying Scotsman may not have won a major title since the Champions League of Darts back in 2018, but he has the big match pedigree to challenge for a third world title, having been consistent in finishing in sixth place in the Players Championship Order of Merit.

Most recently he suffered a first-round loss at the Players Championship Finals, going down 6-5 to Ryan Meikle.

Michael van Gerwen - 11.00

The days of dominance of Michael van Gerwen have been over for some time, but 2024 has made this certain as Littler and Humphries have ruled the roost and Mighty Mike has not claimed a major title.

The last of MVG’s three world titles came back in 2019, since when he has lost in finals to both Peter Wright and Michael Smith, while last year he made the quarter-finals, where he suffered a shock 5-3 defeat at the hands of Scott Williams.

Van Gerwen will have to lift his game to match the scoring of both Littler and Humphries, having lost all of his last eight meetings with the reigning world champion, but won six of his last nine meetings with The Nuke.

Mighty Mike has slipped behind Anderson in the outright market after suffering a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Ian White at the recent Players Championship Finals.

Damon Heta - 91.00

Damon Heta will be flying the flag for Australia at Ally Pally, but his form has tailed off since he reached the semi-finals of the UK Open in March, a run which included a 10-8 quarter-final win over Littler.

The Heat did show up well at the recent Players Championship Finals, reaching the last-16 and putting in a good display in a 10-6 reverse at the hands of eventual champion Humphries.

Heta has yet to go any further than the fourth round of the PDC World Championship, having made that stage in 2024, taking out Martin Lukeman and Berry van Peer before being downed 4-1 by Scott Williams.

Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.