Ahead of the Grand Slam of Darts 2024, we take a look at everything you need to know about the tournament…
When and where is the Grand Slam of Darts?
The Grand Slam of Darts is one of the final major tournaments of the year before we head to Alexandra Palace for the World Darts Championship.
This year, the penultimate major show of the season takes place from Saturday November 9 through until Sunday November 17 as reigning champion Luke Humphries looks to defend his title.
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Humphries clinched a 91 finish to defeat Rob Cross 16-8 and win his first Grand Slam of Darts title last year
The tournament is held at the WV Active Aldersley, Wolverhampton, with bumper crowds expected at every session.
What is the prize money?
The Grand Slam sees 32 players battle it out for a whopping £650,000 in prize money and the Eric Bristow Trophy.
The winner will take away £150,000, the other finalist taking home £70,000.
The semi-finalists then get £50,000, the quarter-finalists £25,000, then those who get through to the last 16 walk away with £12,250.
If you come third in the group stage, it is an £8,000 payday, fourth in your group is £5,000. If you win the group, it is an extra £3,500 to take home.
Which players are involved this year?
Reigning champion Humphries headlines the 32-player field in Wolverhampton, which also includes 2022 champion Michael Smith and three-time winner Michael van Gerwen.
Rob Cross – runner-up to Humphries last year – will also feature alongside teenage sensation Luke Littler, who will make his Grand Slam debut, while Beau Greaves – the star of the women’s game – will also be involved.
The final qualification spot will be confirmed on November 3 before the full draw takes place the following day.
Who are the previous winners?
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Michael Smith ended his PDC major jinx in 2022 as he held aloft the Eric Bristow Trophy following his convincing 16-5 win over Nathan Aspinall
Since 2007, there has been just eight different winners of the Grand Slam of Darts, Phil Taylor the most successful in the tournament with six victories, Van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price in joint second with three apiece.
Although there has only been eight winners, 17 different players have competed in the final, the likes of James Wade, Peter Wright and Gary Anderson unable to pick up the trophy.
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Smith was overwhelmed by emotion on the stage after winning the Grand Slam Of Darts – his first major tournament at the ninth attempt
England lead the way as the nation with the most winners, four Englishmen coming away victorious, Netherlands with two winners, then Wales and Portugal with a winner each.
What is the format?
The draw will be held on November 4
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Humphries made a 144 checkout in the 2023 final against Cross
In the group stage, players receive two points for a win in a best-of-nine-legs contest. The second round is best-of-19 legs, with the quarters, semi-finals and final best-of-31 legs.
To split a two-way points tie for any position within a group, the following process will be used:
– Leg difference
– Group match winner
To split a three-way points tie for positions within a group, the following process will be used:
– Leg difference
– Legs won
– Legs won against throw
– Tournament average
– If still a tie for one or more places, there will be a nine-dart shoot-out between the relevant players to determine final standings, with the highest aggregate score over nine darts being used to separate the players.
In the event a nine-dart shoot-out finishes level between two or more players, those players who have tied on the most points will continue to throw three darts each in the same order until one player scores more points than the other player(s) with their three darts.
From the second round onwards, the tournament will be played in a knockout format, using the following bracket:
- Winner Group A vs Runner-Up Group B
- Winner Group B vs Runner-Up Group A
- Winner Group C vs Runner-Up Group D
- Winner Group D vs Runner-Up Group C
- Winner Group E vs Runner-Up Group F
- Winner Group F vs Runner-Up Group E
- Winner Group G vs Runner-Up Group H
- Winner Group H vs Runner-Up Group G
How many nine-darters have been thrown?
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Ryan Searle hit a nine-darter to win his Group D match against Nathan Rafferty last year
There has been six nine-darters thrown at the Grand Slam of Darts, the first coming from Wade back in 2008 and the latest from Ryan Searle last year.
Josh Rock, Dmitri Van den Bergh, Dave Chisnall and Kim Huybrechts have also thrown nine-darters, but none of those have gone on to win the tournament despite their moment of perfection.
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Searle said he had not been practising much lately despite hitting a nine-darter against Rafferty
How can you watch?
The Grand Slam of Darts is live every day on Sky Sports from November 9-17 as Humphries looks to defend his title, with Greaves and Noa-Lynn van Leuven also taking part.
Attention then turns to the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, which begins on December 15, as the darts calendar continues to provide excitement throughout the year – and you can enjoy the very best here live on Sky Sports.
Live Grand Slam of Darts
Saturday 9th November 1:00pm
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