After back-to-back shock winners at PDC premier events, Luke Littler restored some order at the Grand Slam of Darts as he notched his first televised ranking title – his third major overall – to move up to number five in the Order of Merit.
The short format in the group phase saw several top seeds dumped out early, including Luke Humphries, who defends his Players Championship Finals crown in Minehead this weekend.
For the first two rounds here, it’s best of 11 legs, which will inevitably produce surprise results. This represents the perfect opportunity to take a chance on a handful of capable dartists at bigger prices.
Players Championship Darts Tips
Mike De Decker to win (Each-Way)
Wessel Nijman to win (Each-Way)
Damon Heta to win (Each-Way)
Martin Lukeman – 3rd quarter winner
WHERE: Butlins Resort, Minehead
WHEN: November 22-24th
TV: ITV4
Mike De Decker to win (Each-Way)
Even though he didn’t finish the job from 8-4 up against Littler in Wolverhampton, Mike De Decker has proven over the past five weeks that his World Grand Prix triumph was no fluke.
The Belgian defeated former world champion Michael Smith 5-0 to secure his passage to the last 16 of the Grand Slam, and missed a dart at bullseye for the match, to take out the Nuke. It took the absolute best of Littler to rally and complete the comeback, as De Decker’s power scoring rarely relented.
It was the world number 24’s finishing that proved costly at times throughout that epic encounter, and it’s the one area of his game that needs ironing out. He was in fine form on the outer ring at the Grand Prix, particularly in the early rounds, but he might have had more success this year if his doubling, which is at sub-40% for 2024, was more reliable.
De Decker is in the same quarter as Michael van Gerwen and Littler, hence the attractive odds. He could meet the former as early as round two, but given how Mighty Mike has performed as of late, that’s no reason to be put off.
If Rob Cross or perhaps Ritchie Edhouse could take Littler out before the format extends to best of 19, that would be much welcomed for the sake of this selection.
Wessel Nijman to win (Each-Way)
De Decker and Edhouse have had their breakout wins and Wessel Nijman may be next in line. This is not just a hunch based on narrative – the Dutchman boasts the third-highest overall average and the third-best checkout percentage in the PDC since the beginning of August.
Because he is ranked as low as 60 in the PDC, opportunities on the stage have been few and far between for Nijman this season. He’s only participated in four European Tour events, reaching the quarter finals in one of them, and three majors, including last week’s Grand Slam where he averaged over 105 in all three narrow group defeats.
Even though he was winless in Wolverhampton, it was a valuable experience, and he will surely be able to shrug off those losses. The 24-year-old, who won his first Pro Tour title last month, has been placed into a wide open section of the draw, from which the struggling Gerwyn Price is favourite to emerge.
There is always a fear of the unknown when betting on players who are unproven in the big tournaments, but Nijman has too much talent to continue floating under the radar.
Damon Heta to win (Each-Way)
Not qualifying for the Grand Slam will have hurt Damon Heta, especially as he dropped out of the world’s top 10 as a result.
The Australian enters the Players Championship Finals as a top-three seed for the third consecutive season, having won twice during the series in each of those campaigns.
Heta won the World Cup with Australia in 2022, but has never made it to an individual televised final. He hasn’t done much wrong in those competitions this year, though. After appearing in the Masters quarter finals and UK Open semi finals, some of the Heat’s tournament exits have been rather unfortunate.
In the World Matchplay and World Series Finals he lost with ton-plus averages, and at the Grand Prix, he lost in a final-leg decider to eventual champion De Decker, despite posting the fifth-highest average of anyone in the first round.
As long as he keeps up the consistency, his luck must turn eventually. He will have had three weeks away from competitive darts by the time he faces Mervyn King on Friday. A victory there, which is much expected, can set him up for a proper run at this.
Martin Lukeman – 3rd quarter winner
Multiple players in the third quarter are overrated in the market, meaning Martin Lukeman’s price to reach the semi-final is too good to refuse.
There are doubts about pretty much everybody in that section. Michael Smith is not playing anywhere near well enough to justify such a short price, while Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock still can’t quite be trusted at majors.
Peter Wright has no business being as short as he is, and I’m happy to swerve the others in favour of the Grand Slam finalist, who I expect to be given more credit for his recent form.
Grand Slam of Darts betting tips
Mike De Decker to win (Each-Way)
Wessel Nijman to win (Each-Way)
Damon Heta to win (Each-Way)
Martin Lukeman – 3rd quarter winner
*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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