"Michael van Gerwen is 12/1, he's done this three times": Luke Humphries doesn't care about odds with second favourite tag behind Littler

Luke Humphries by his own admission wasn't at his best but he won nine consecutive legs to sweep Thibault Tricole and reach the third round at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship.

Humphries can now enjoy Christmas with his loved ones knowing he won't be back till after the big day and as is tradition with the reigning World Champion ending opening night, it is a long wait but a caveat of being the top player.

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"It wasn't the best performance from myself, I didn't feel very clinical. After the walk-ons it took be back a bit as the crowd were so amazing that I felt like Nathan Aspinall when he has amazing walk-on and they scream back at you, it makes you think wow. It was one of the best crowds I've been in a room with. They should be proud of themselves, they made me feel amazing. Performance wise I was nowhere near my best but I said in many interviews beforehand, it's two different tournaments. All that matters is you win as if you would've averaged 105 and lost I'm out so it doesn't matter. Now you go into the second part, you come back after Christmas and you can really think about becoming World Champion then," said Humphries.

The crowd was utterly electric for Humphries who said the best thing he did was change the walk-on and said he took inspiration from a certain Nathan Aspinall.

"The best thing I think I did in my life was change my walk-on song. I took a little bit of inspiration from Nathan's walk-on and it's worked in my favour. It's really nice. I enjoy walking out now. Before I didn't really care as much. It didn't have that special feeling."

Littler has been installed as favourite for the darting spectacle but Humphries stated facts over stats.

He was asked about being second favourite and hit back at the notion of being second favourite quipping that Michael van Gerwen is 12/1 and that those who have won it before know how to win it more than others adding Gary Anderson in that mix.

He also said that despite all the clamour around Luke Littler, he's won more than anyone else on tour money wise and also reached more major finals so should be on par with Littler not adrift.

"I don't care what the bookies make of it or what they say. They try to cover their backs from stats. It's all done on stats. You look at it Michael van Gerwen is 12/1, he's done this three times. He knows how to do it. It does add in the favour to someone who knows how to win it. If I get myself or Michael or Gary (Anderson) into a semi-final situation, they know what to do. It's a lot harder for a person that's not been in that situation as the best of 11 sets is a long game. On reflection, me and Luke Littler should be similar. I've been in six major finals this year, he's been in four."

"It was good for the sport that I won the Players Championship Finals as it opens that possibility that a couple of players can win it instead of one."

"If we go on ranking money won this year, I've won 150/200,000 more than any other player on the tour. I think I've handled it well. The World Matchplay and World Cup was what I wanted this year and I got them both so the achievements I've wanted to unlock I've done."

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He will play Raymond van Barneveld or Nick Kenny or Stowe Buntz in the third round. He sees Barney in his preparation and that he wants the added carat of being two-time back-to-back World Champion.

"There's not many two time World Champions. How many times are you going to get a go at being back-to-back two-time World Champion. It's very rare. If I win next year then get another go in five years, that's not going to happen a lot of times. You want to try and take advantage of it. I'm not thinking about that right now, my goal was just to win tonight. I've got twelve days till I probably play again. It could be Barney or whoever he's playing, in my mind I'm going to prepare that I'm playing Barney."

But in the Humphries household, it will be practice. He said knowing he didn't set the darting world ablaze with that display means more time to fine tune his darting tools using a Phil Taylor adage to explain his thinking. Albeit with a young family, there will also be time for presents and the usual Christmas Day turkey.

"I prefer to have 12 days off than play on the 23rd and then play on the 28th off. It'll be a lot of Christmas shopping and enjoying myself. It'll be a lot of practice, I think my game's in a good shape and I don't feel like I'm playing awful. It'll be important that my game is finely tuned for when I come back on the 26th as much as I'm happy with my performance, I want to be averaging 100 all the time. In between that I'll have a good Christmas but like Phil (Taylor) used to say you can enjoy Christmas after you become World Champion."