It is the time of year when the PDC schedule gets serious, as the Grand Slam of Darts kicks off in Wolverhampton five weeks ahead of the World Championship.
With the Players Championship Finals sandwiched between the two, there is a lot of ranking money to be defended over the next two months, and the Order of Merit could look very different at the end of it all.
PP’s darts guru Ben Smith is here to give us his three top tips in the Outright Market.
PDC Grand Slam of Darts betting tips
James Wade to win (each-way)
Dimitri Van den Bergh to win (each-way)
Connor Scutt to win Group D
WHERE: WV Active Aldersley, Wolverhampton
WHEN: November 9-17th
TV: Sky Sports Mix
One thing that won’t change heading into the tournament is Luke Humphries’ status as the world number one. Cool Hand is the reigning champion of all three upcoming majors and arrives in the West Midlands as the favourite to make it back-to-back Grand Slam triumphs.
Humphries is undoubtedly the most likely man to win the event, but that doesn’t make him a bet. He went off at a higher price at the World Grand Prix, but having lost the final and suffered a quarter-final exit at the European Championship, I can’t see a reason to get on board here with the short format jeopardy of the groups.
Mickey Mansell, who has been playing very well recently, will be a tricky customer for the world champion in Group A, but another member of that foursome appeals as the best bet to lift the title.
James Wade to win (each-way)
He may sound like a broken record, but James Wade has made it very clear that when he is concentrating, he is extremely difficult to beat. Since The Machine rallied to qualify for the World Matchplay, there has been a level of focus on Wade that we have not seen since he was a Premier League regular.
Oddsmakers still seem to view him as the 95-averaging plodder that we have seen him be over the past few years, but that is far from the reality. It took the eventual champion to knock Wade out of the Matchplay and Grand Prix, and I believe he would have won the European Championship were it not for his last 16 opponent Jermaine Wattimena finding the bullseye with his last dart to take out 124 in a final leg decider.
Wade ranks 10th on the circuit regarding average over the past month and second for checkout percentage. Even his maximum hitting has taken a huge leap.
The 41-year-old has reached the semi-finals in his last three Grand Slam appearances, making the final once. He didn’t qualify in 2022 and, therefore, has no ranking points to protect as he rocks up at Aldersley Leisure Village.
Perhaps once Wade is in and around the top 10 again, which he almost certainly will be soon, we will stop being offered such inflated odds on him at majors. Until then, we will keep snapping them up and hope we get rewarded.
Dimitri Van den Bergh to win (each-way)
What a bizarre year it has been for Dimitri Van den Bergh. With the exception of a completely out-of-the-blue victory at Players Championship 12, his Pro Tour form has been abysmal. His last three tournament entries have resulted in first-round exits, and that is in keeping with his performances in 2024.
It is a different story at PDC premier events. The Belgian was sent packing early at the World Championship and World Series Finals, but aside from that he has made a quarterfinal, three semi-finals including the World Cup team event, and The Dreammaker won the UK Open, defeating Humphries in the final.
Likewise, his Pro Tour efforts were nothing special in 2023, but he found himself in three major semi-finals that year too.
The added value of this selection is Van den Bergh’s draw. He is alongside Luke Littler, Keane Barry, and Lourence Ilagan in Group F, and he will surely fancy his chances to get the better of the latter two, at least. There is nothing particularly daunting ahead of him in the round of 16, either, if he gets there.
Connor Scutt to win Group D
He has yet to make an impression on television, but Connor Scutt is someone we will be seeing a lot more of.
The Sniper finished second to Gary Anderson at PC22 in September, but his performances on the Challenge Tour earned him the Grand Slam. He topped the Order of Merit and reclaimed his tour card.
Scutt posted 18 ton-plus averages during the Challenge Tour season and recorded a staggering 120.24 MODUS Super Series in July. He takes his darts very seriously, and his copious hours on the practice board are paying off – so much so that he may well win this group.
Darts betting tips
James Wade to win (each-way)
Dimitri Van den Bergh to win (each-way)
Connor Scutt to win Group D
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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