The 18th Grand Slam of Darts begins on November 9th as ‘Cool Hand’ Luke Humphries looks to defend his title. Humphries defeated Rob Cross in the final last year to claim the second major of his career up to that point. The previous two winners of the Grand Slam won the World Championships eight weeks later, making the tournament even more exciting with a look towards the biggest prize in darts.
The Grand Slam of Darts is a ranked event, meaning it is one of the PDC’s majors or ‘Premier Events’. Thirty-two players will compete for a huge prize pool of £650,000 including a £150,000 top prize for the champion.
Grand Slam of Darts Format and Qualification
The Grand Slam of Darts has two phases: a group phase of eight groups of four players, followed by a knockout phase. The entrants this year are made up of players who met the following criteria:
- Finalists from PDC televised events over the previous twelve months (up to a maximum of 16 players),
- Additional qualifiers (up to a maximum of eight players),
- European Tour events winners (to fill up to 24 players),
- PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifying Event Winners (up to eight players)
After qualifiers have concluded, players are divided into pools for the group draw. The top eight seeded players enter Pool A and players who entered through the additional qualifiers enter Pools B-D, ordered by ranking in groups of eight. The draw has been finalised and some exciting matches are awaiting in the group stages.
The group stage games are the best of nine legs, with each player taking on the other three in their group once. The players receive two points for a win and zero for a loss. After all games have been played, the top two players in the group progress to the second round. In the case of a tie, we go to a soccer-style system using the legs as a type of goal difference.
The tournament follows a straight knockout format after the group stage. In the second round, players compete over the best of 19 legs, and from the quarter-finals onwards, they compete over the best of 31 legs.
Several players will make their debut in the tournament this year. Chief among them will be teenage sensation Luke Littler. ‘The Nuke’ won a pair of televised events in 2024 and was the Runner-up in the World Darts Championship in January, launching his meteoric rise. He is the second favourite in the Grand Slam of Darts betting behind world number one Luke Humphries.
Beau Greeves and Noa-Lynn van Leuven will make their debuts. Greeves won the Women’s World Matchplay and van Leuven finished runner-up behind her in the Women’s Series Order of Merit. Twenty-year-old Greeves already has seven WDF majors to her name and many believe she is ready to make the step up to the PDC.
Grand Slam of Darts Group Stage
There are some exciting matches in the group stages. The Grand Slam of Darts format means that every leg is important and one dropped leg can be the difference between making the knockout stages or crashing out of the group, whether you win the game or not. We want to dissect some of the groups that look tight at the top.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Luke Humphries
James Wade Micky Mansell Rowby-John Rodriguez |
Danny Noppert
Martin Schindler Cameron Menzies Beau Greeves |
Rob Cross
Peter Wright Martin Lukeman Leonard Gates |
Dave Chisnall
Ross Smith Ritchie Edhouse Connor Scutt |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Michael Smith
Mike de Decker Jermaine Wattimena Mensur Suljovic |
Dimitri van den Bergh
Luke Littler Keane Barry Lourence Ilagan |
Michael van Gerwen
Gary Anderson Ryan Joyce Noa-Lynn van Leuven |
Stephen Bunting
Josh Rock Gian van Veen Wessel Nijman |
Group B is one of the hardest to separate. Noppert, Schindler and Menzies are all inseparable with each man worth 9/4 in the Grand Slam of Darts betting. All three have won titles on the ProTour this year with Menzies winning the first of his career at the end of October, defeating Noppert on the way. Beau Greaves isn’t far behind them at 4/1 and if she can transfer her form on the WDF tour to the PDC, the 20-year-old can be a serious problem for some top players.
Group D looks a lot tighter since Ritchie Edhouse claimed his first-ever PDC major last month. ‘Madhouse’ won the European Championship, defeating the likes of Michael Smith and Gary Anderson on his way to the final. Dave Chisnall and Ross Smith lead the way at 8/5 having performed strongly on the tour this season. Connor Scutt has regained his tour card via the Winmau Challenge Tour and will come in with a point to prove.
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Michael van Gerwen is running out of time to secure a major this year but has won this tournament three times. 2024 could be just the second time in 12 years that MVG has not won a PDC Premier Event. He has been handed a tough draw in Group G but is the favourite to win the group at evens.
Gary Anderson, who destroyed van Gerwen in the European Championships, is just behind MVG in the betting at 5/4. Ryan Joyce is a dark horse at 13/2. ‘Relentless’ was excellent at the World Grand Prix before being swept by Humphries, despite averaging 94.42 with a 42.86 checkout percentage. Noa-Lynn van Leuven rounds out the group. Her form in the WDF has been excellent and ruling her out would be dangerous for any competitor.
Grand Slam of Darts Predictions and Betting Tips
Grand Slam of Darts Prediction: Luke Humphries to win
Luke Humphries is the best darts player on earth right now. ‘Cool Hand’ has been incredible on the tour this year, winning the World Cup of Darts, World Matchplay, and the World Series of Darts since he became a world champion in January. He also reached the finals of the UK Open, Premier League, and World Grand Prix. Our darts prediction is for Humphries to win the Grand Slam of Darts for the second year in a row.
Despite only being on top of the darts world for a short period, Humphries plays like a seasoned veteran. He is unphased by pressure and has become a master at handling the antics of some of the trickier players, refusing to be involved in mind games. Luke Humphries lets his darts do the talking.
‘Cool Hand’ has not lost to any of his group rivals this season and holds a win streak over next highest seed, James Wade, that stretches back to last November. The reigning champion will not allow complacency to creep in, but he should breeze through Group A and into the knockout stages with relative ease. Anyone betting on darts can back Humphries to win his second Grand Slam of Darts title in a row with odds worth 14/5 at Novibet.
Second Favourite
Luke Littler is the second favourite to the world number one, worth 18/5. ‘The Nuke’ has won two PDC Premier Event titles this year. His first came in May when he defeated Luke Humphries 11-7 in the Premier League final after topping the league and storming through the playoffs. Littler claimed the World Series of Darts in September, smashing Michael Smith 11-4 in the final.
Littler and Humphries’ competitive rivalry since their thrilling World Championship final faceoff has been excellent with the teenager boasting an 8-4 record over him since. However, Littler will be disappointed with his finishes in his last two majors. He exited in the first rounds of back-to-back tournaments after losing to Rob Cross at the World Grand Prix and Andrew Gilding at the European Championship.
Dark Horse
Gary Anderson has been the best floor player on the tour this year. The two-time world champion has found a second wind after tumbling down the Order of Merit in recent years. He has won two Players Championships and a European Tour event in 2024, rising to 20th in the rankings. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ transferred that form to the stage last month, defeating Stephen Bunting and Michael van Gerwen at the European Championships before losing to eventual winner Ritchie Edhouse despite a 100.90 average.
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Anderson has the highest average of any player on the tour since the World Championship final at 99.42. He showed he could transfer his floor form to the stage with his performances in the European Championships. The eight-time major winner is winding back the clock and we are seeing a similar Anderson to the one who won back-to-back world titles in 2015 and 2016. He is our best dark horse for the Grand Slam of Darts, worth 9/1 in the Grand Slam of Darts betting markets.
Grand Slam of Darts Match Betting
The opening group fixture list has been confirmed and there are some exciting clashes in the first two days. Luke Humphries will begin his defence of the Grand Slam of Darts against Rowby-John Rodriguez. ‘Cool Hand’ defeated Rodriguez alongside Michael Smith in the World Cup earlier this year with ‘Little John’ representing Austria alongside Mensur Suljovic.
Luke Littler will make his Grand Slam debut against another youngster and fellow debutant Keane Barry. The Irishman impressed on the tour at 22 years old. Littler and Humphries both open as big odds on favourites.
Stephen Bunting vs Wessel Nijman
Stephen Bunting and Wessel Nijman will open the tournament. ‘The Bullet’ won his first televised event earlier this year when he defeated Michael van Gerwen in the final of the Masters. He has been in excellent form and enters Group H as the top seed. We are backing Bunting to get off to a winning start, worth 8/11.
Martin Schindler vs Cameron Menzies
Elsewhere, Martin Schindler and Cameron Menzies square off in the opener of what looks like the most competitive group of the tournament. Barely anything separates Group B rivals Schindler, Menzies, Danny Noppert, and Beau Greaves in the Grand Slam of Darts group betting. Schindler and Menzies are both worth 9/10 in their group opener, but we edge towards Menzies. The Scot ranks in the top 10 averages on the tour this season and is 12th overall for 180s.
Mike De Decker vs Jermaine Wattimena
Mike De Decker stunned the darting world when he defeated Luke Humphries in the World Grand Prix in October to claim his first-ever major title. ‘The Real Deal’ played exceptionally throughout the tournament and proved he can battle it out with the best on stage.
He plays Jermaine Wattimena, who is also coming off of a stunning run. He defeated Peter Wright, James Wade, Luke Humphries, and Danny Noppert on his way to the European Championship final before losing to Edhouse. Both men are riding a wave of momentum, but De Decker was formidable in the Grand Prix and gets the pick here, worth 8/13.
A treble on Stephen Bunting, Cameron Menzies, and Mike De Decker to win their opening group matches is worth 4/1 with our online bookmaker.
Grand Slam of Darts Schedule
The opening group stage match schedules have been confirmed, as have the pathways throughout the tournament. Take a look at the schedule below.
Saturday, November 9
Afternoon Session (1:00-5:00 pm)
Groups B-C-D-H First Matches
- Stephen Bunting v Wessel Nijman (H)
- Josh Rock v Gian van Veen (H)
- Dave Chisnall v Connor Scutt (D)
- Danny Noppert v Beau Greaves (B)
- Martin Schindler v Cameron Menzies (B)
- Rob Cross v Leonard Gates (C)
- Peter Wright v Martin Lukeman (C)
- Ross Smith v Ritchie Edhouse (D)
Evening Session (7:00-11:00 pm)
Groups A-E-F-G First Matches
- James Wade v Mickey Mansell (A)
- Gary Anderson v Ryan Joyce (G)
- Dimitri van den Bergh v Lourence Ilagan (F)
- Michael Smith v Mensur Suljović (E)
- Michael van Gerwen v Noa-Lynn van Leuven (G)
- Luke Littler v Keane Barry (F)
- Luke Humphries v Rowby-John Rodriguez (A)
- Mike De Decker v Jermaine Wattimena (E)
Sunday, November 10
- (Afternoon Session 1:00 pm) Group Stage x8 – Groups B-C-D-H Second Matches
- (Evening Session 7:00 pm) Group Stage x8 – Groups A-E-F-G Second Matches
Saturday’s winning players in each group meet, and Saturday’s losing players in each group meet.
Monday, November 11 & Tuesday, November 12 (7:00 pm)
- Group Stage x8
- Group Stage x8
Wednesday, November 13 & Thursday, November 14 (7:00 pm)
- 4x Second Round
- 4x Second Round
Friday, November 15 & Saturday, November 16 (7:00 pm)
- 2x Quarter-Finals
- 2x Quarter-Finals
Sunday, November 17
- (Afternoon Session 1:00 pm) Semi-Finals
- (Evening Session 7:30 pm) Final
