DARTS fans will get to see a relaxed Phil Taylor when the inaugural Pro Darts Showdown Series rolls into Mackay and Townsville later this month.

The 57-year-old is the main attraction for the month-long series, which is also heading to Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Taylor, who earlier this month just missed out on a 17th world championship crown when beaten 7-2 by Rob Cross in the final at London's Alexandra Palace, has called it quits on the Professional Darts Corporation tour.

But that doesn't mean he is retiring from the sport altogether.

The 16-time world champion is looking forward to more time in Australia following on from the Masters Series last year.

"There's no pressure on me.

"I have had 30 years of being under pressure and under the microscope.

"I have done it before,” Taylor added.

"You can relax, there's no pressure, you can enjoy yourself and you are with people that want to see you.

"It's different in tournament on tour because you are always going to get the fans who will support other people.”

Taylor is the headline act on the tour, which pits eight players from around the world and the best from this country against some of Australia's rising stars.

News Corp has also secured Australian No.2 and Auckland Masters champion Kyle "The Original” Anderson, and former world championship runner-up Andy Hamilton is also taking part.

South African No.1 Devon Peterson and America's best player, John Kuzcynski, are also headed for the Sunshine State, among others.

Australian No.1, Simon Whitlock, was due to play in Townsville and Mackay but will be unavailable for those two legs of the tour because of his involvement with the PDC's Premier League.

News Corp has been able to secure a fantastic replacement, however, with world junior champion, Belgium's Dimitri van den Bergh, replacing Whitlock.

The 23-year-old, known as the Dream Maker, reached the quarter-final of the recent world championships, where was beaten 5-4 by the eventual champion Cross.

News Corp's Mark Algie said there had been a strong demand for premium tickets, with only a very limited number of these seats available across both nights in each location.

"More than 7500 tickets have already been pre-purchased,” he said.

"Regardless of what category of ticket you buy you will be close to the action and have a clear view of play due to the intimate nature of all the venues that have been selected.

"Remember, the first night is qualifying in each location, so you are guaranteed to see all players take the stage in order to qualify for the second night.

"That includes Phil 'The Power' Taylor.”

Only those players that win on the first night progress to the second night's play.

What's on

The series will roll into Townsville Stadium on January 24-25 before finishing off at the Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre on January 27-28.

Tickets are still available on Ticketek.