US Darts Masters: Can Littler upset Humphries and the PDC elite in NYC?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
Luke Littler installed as pre-tournament favourite
The 2025 US Darts Masters will get underway on June 27, and we will be covering all the best matchups from the competition with our in-depth darts predictions, so be sure to check them out before the arrows take flight at Madison Square Garden.
Luke Littler is set to step back up to the oche at a televised event for the first time since his disappointing World Cup campaign at the 2025 US Darts Masters, which will take place at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, this week.
Despite foregoing the three Player Championship events in Leicester last week to go on vacation, the Nuke is set to go off as the clear favourite according to the best online betting sites in NYC, currently showing up at odds of 1.75 and better.
Notably, although there is an even split of PDC Elite players and North American darts stars at the upcoming tournament, the fact that the shortest-priced North American player, Matt Campbell, is installed at 80/1 tells you everything you need to know about how the bookies see this tournament going.
The Nuke is averaging 100.38 with a 42.06% checkout rate in the last 12 months!
Littler kicked off the year in his customary flashy fashion, winning the World Championship by beating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final. He also clinched the UK Open and Belgian Darts Open back-to-back, but he has struggled to find the same level of performance in the World Series.
On the first stop of the World Series tour in Bahrain, the Warrington wonderkid was beaten by Gerwyn Price in the quarter-final. He then bowed out to Stephen Bunting in the last four at the Dutch Masters and lost to Nathan Aspinall in the quarters at the Nordic Masters.
Still, the teenage sensation had an incredible Premier League group phase, where he finished top of the table with a record-breaking six nightly wins. He was the only player to average above 100 across the entire group phase and pinned a stunning 169 180s, 68 more than anyone else in the competition.
However, in the Playoffs at the O2 Arena, Littler was denied his title defence by none other than the world number one, Luke Humphries, who secured his first Premier League triumph, beating the Nuke 11-8 in the final.
Can Humphries keep a Cool Hand in New York?
In the aftermath of their premature elimination at the World Cup of Darts, Humphries and Littler both faced major criticism, accused of “letting their country down” by several former players, including two-time world champion Dennis Priestley, who added that the pair did not deserve their MBEs.
Littler took exception to the former champs’ criticism and fired back via a social media post, which he has since deleted. However, given the fact that the 18-year-old felt he needed to take time out after the competition, many believe that he was left rattled by the defeat and question his readiness for the upcoming competition.
Humphries, meanwhile, weighed in on the criticism, but did so in a typically cool, toned-down manner, showing once again that he knows how to handle the pressure of national expectation, something that Littler had not experienced in the past.
To that end, then, there is a case to be made that Cool Hand Luke enters the US Darts Masters in a better head space and with the psychological edge, having beaten Littler in three of their last five encounters, including the Premier League final.
Keep an eye on the surging seeds in the US
While most of the media attention is focused on the Luke’s battling for the title in the US, neither have been particularly impressive on the World Series of Darts tour this year. However, one player who has lit up the board is Stephen Bunting.
Despite a poor showing in the Darts Premier League, Bullet is the number one seed in the World Series and has already won two of the three events, beating Gerwyn Price 8-4 at the Bahrain Masters and downing Rob Cross in Copenhagen earlier this month.
Cross is another to keep an eye on, as he notched up the Dutch Masters title back in January and is the defending champion here in the US, having held off Price 8-7 in a dramatic final last year. Bookies have Voltage priced at 12/1 to go back-to-back.
Finally, the Iceman will be determined to put his World Cup disappointment behind him at MSG. Price and Jonny Clayton lost to Northern Ireland in Frankfurt, but he has notched up three Players Championship wins this season and has a 6-4 record against Littler in their last 10 encounters.
