The annual PDC and BDO get together begins on Saturday when the Grand Slam of Darts gets underway inside the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton. 32 of the best darts players in the world descend on the midlands for what is always a cracking week of darts with shocks, surprises and outstanding quality guaranteed.
Recent Winners
2016 – Michael van Gerwen
2015 – Michael van Gerwen
2014 – Phil Taylor
2013 – Phil Taylor
2012 – Raymond Barneveld
2011 – Phil Taylor
2010 – Scott Waites
2009 – Phil Taylor
2008 – Phil Taylor
2007 – Phil Taylor
The Format
The 32 men are drawn into eight groups of four players. There is a seed in each one and a BDO player in each group with the other players inserted at random. Everyone plays the other three in their group once over the best of nine legs in the first round. The top two at the end of that stage progress to the knockout stages.
The winner of Group A will play the runner up of Group B with the winner of C against the runner up of D and so on. The second round is over the best of 19 legs before the remainder of the tournament from the quarter finals through to the final is played out over the best of 31 legs. This is as much a stamina test as it is a quality one.
Group A
Michael van Gerwen is the defending champion as the number one seed this week. He is the odds on favourite to defend his title successfully but he has Rob Cross in his group to keep him honest. The other PDC player is Joe Murnan while the BDO player in this section is Ross Montgomery.
Group B
The 2012 winner Raymond Barneveld heads the names in this particular group. He will be looking to win the group and potentially avoid MVG for as long as possible. Gerwyn Price and Steve Lennon are the other PDC players in opposition to the big Dutchman with local lad Jamie Hughes the BDO participant.
Group C
Phil Taylor begins his quest for a final Grand Slam of Darts title from this group and he is given the task of taking on James Wade and Robbie Green from the PDC in what is a tricky looking group. BDO World Trophy winner Peter Machin is the representative from across the darting divide.
Group D
Daryl Gurney is the fourth seed courtesy of his win in the World Grand Prix and he is in this group. He is joined by the Webster pair of Darren and Mark from the PDC with one of the most underrated players in the game joining the trio in BDO star Danny Noppert.
Group E
You always get a ‘Group of Death’ in this tournament and we have stumbled across it here. Peter Wright is the seeded player in the section with UK Open semi-finalist Alan Norris and Auckland Masters finalist Corey Cadby the other PDC players. The BDO world champion Glen Durrant joins this group to make it a belter.
Group F
If Group E wasn’t the ‘Group of Death’ then this one could easily lay claim to being it. Dave Chisnall is the seeded player in it even though he hasn’t won an event of any significance over the last 12 months. A returning to form Stephen Bunting and a Jeffrey de Zwaan who banged out Robert Thornton, Ian White and Jonny Clayton to qualify for this, are the other PDC stars. Former Lakeside champion Scott Mitchell is the BDO star in this group.
Group G
This group isn’t a bad one either it must be said. The Champions League winner Mensur Suljovic is the seeded player in the group but in Michael Smith and James Wilson he faces a couple of very talented PDC players looking to progress. World Masters finalist Mark McGeeney is the BDO player making up the quartet.
Group H
On paper the final group is the weakest group in terms of competitiveness to qualify. Gary Anderson is the seeded player in the group with World Grand Prix runner-up Simon Whitlock the next best alternative in it. World Youth Championship star Berry van Peer and BDO ace Cameron Menzies appear to be making up the numbers, on paper at least.
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Outright Betting
When you look at the top half and see the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor, Raymond Barneveld, Daryl Gurney, Rob Cross and James Wade in it, it becomes a pretty obvious move to look to the bottom half when it comes to outright bets.
That isn’t to say that a half with Peter Wright and Gary Anderson in it should be taken lightly but Wright has never been beyond the semi-final of this event and Anderson only made the final once so there records aren’t fantastic.
They are the two to beat but you get weird knockout draws in this with seeds not always winning their groups. The key is to get a man through and then anything can happen and Simon Whitlock should make it through his group either in first or second. He would then face someone from the Mensur Suljovic group which would be tricky but we’re still not running into a global superstar. After that the draw could easily open up so with the draw he has this week Whitlock has to be backed outright.
Glen Durrant is firmly in the ‘Group of Death’ but if he can escape it then I can see his draw opening up. He would face someone from the Dave Chisnall group which could finish in literally any order so it might be that the group is the hardest part of the event for Durrant before the second Sunday. If he can come through it I can see him going a long way. He’s quality and he can show it here.
Group Betting
I always like to have a flutter on the group markets. Each match is the best of nine legs so they rarely go to plan when it comes to finding the winners of them. The big thing is to take the value especially as someone has often qualified prior to the final match and goes on easy street.
My main group bet is going to be on Michael Smith to win Group G. I keep on saying it but Mensur Suljovic is not a fast starter in tournaments and he has not got a group he can ease his way into. Mark McGeeney will give him problems first up and then his issues really begin. Smith on the other hand often flies out of the traps but then can’t sustain it. There is something about this format that he likes though as he has won his group the last two times he has played in this event. He has overcome Peter Wright and Adrian Lewis on those occasions and he can win this group too.
Group F is as wide open as they come if you ask me but I can’t ignore the price on Scott Mitchell. Dave Chisnall is the seeded player but in the last two tournaments he has barely been able to stand up let alone throw a dart so how he’ll cope with this rat-a-tat format remains to be seen. Even if he is fit he misses so many doubles you couldn’t trust him. Stephen Bunting is back in form on the floor but still seems to lack a little confidence on the outer ring and if Jeffrey de Zwaan stuns them all so be it. Mitchell always seems to get a rotten draw in this but he’s a class act and if Chisnall isn’t at it first of all and Mitchell beats him one more win could be enough to land a big priced punt.
Talking of big prices the 12/1 on Jamie Hughes winning Group B is very much it. Hughes is a local lad so he’ll have the crowd on his side and he’s a better player than both Gerwyn Price and Steve Lennon so it could well be 12/1 that he beats Barneveld in the opening match of the group. He’s only 9/4 to win that match and he certainly isn’t without a chance in it. At 12/1 I’ll take him to come through the group as even if he loses to Barneveld the Dutchman always has a slip up in him.
Tips
Back S.Whitlock to win Grand Slam of Darts (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 81.00 with Coral (1/3 1-2)
Back him here:
Back G.Durrant to win Grand Slam of Darts (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 67.00 with Bet365 (1/2 1-2)
Back him here:
Back M.Smith to win Group G for a 3/10 stake at 3.50 with Paddy Power
Back him here:
Back S.Mitchell to win Group F for a 1/10 stake at 6.50 with BetVictor
Back him here:
Back J.Hughes to win Group B for a 1/10 stake at 13.00 with Boylesports
Back him here:
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