Grand Slam of Darts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts |
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The stage at the 2022 edition
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| Tournament information | |
| Venue | Civic Hall (2007–17) WV Active - Aldersley (2018–19, 2021–) Ricoh Arena (2020) |
| Location | Wolverhampton (2007–19, 2021–) Coventry (2020) |
| Country | England |
| Established | 2007 |
| Organisation(s) | PDC BDO (until 2020) |
| Format | Legs |
| Prize fund | £650,000 (2022) |
| Month(s) Played | November |
| Current champion(s) | |
 Luke Littler |
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The Grand Slam of Darts is a big darts tournament. It's organized by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). For sponsorship reasons, it's also called the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts.
This tournament used to invite top players from both the PDC and its former rival, the British Darts Organisation (BDO). This was special because it was the first time players from both groups competed in the United Kingdom. The BDO stopped operating in 2020, so now only PDC players compete.
Since 2015, the Grand Slam of Darts has been a "ranking" tournament. This means that players earn points towards their world ranking based on how well they do. Before 2015, it was just for fun and didn't affect rankings.
The tournament has been held in Wolverhampton, England, for most of its history. It usually takes place in November.
Contents
Tournament History and Champions
The Grand Slam of Darts started in 2007. For many years, it was held at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
Early Winners (2007-2017)
The legendary darts player Phil Taylor won the first three tournaments. He beat Andy Hamilton in 2007, Terry Jenkins in 2008, and Scott Waites in 2009.
In 2010, Scott Waites became the only BDO player to win the title. He made an amazing comeback, beating James Wade 16-12 after being 8-0 down!
Phil Taylor won again in 2011. Then, Raymond van Barneveld won in 2012. Taylor took the trophy back in 2013 and 2014.
Michael van Gerwen then won three years in a row: 2015, 2016, and 2017.
New Venue and Recent Champions
In 2018, the Grand Slam trophy was renamed in honor of Eric Bristow, a famous darts player who had recently passed away.
Also in 2018, the tournament moved to a new place in Wolverhampton, called WV Active - Aldersley. This was because the Civic Hall was being renovated.
Gerwyn Price won the trophy three times at the Aldersley venue (2018, 2019, 2021). In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held in Coventry at the Ricoh Arena. It was played without any fans watching, and José de Sousa won that year. The tournament returned to WV Active - Aldersley in 2021 and has been held there since.
The current champion is Luke Littler, who won the 2024 tournament.
Tournament Finals
Here's a look at the champions and runners-up over the years:
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Ch's org |
Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | Sponsor | Venue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Champion | Runner-up | |||||||
| 2007 | Phil Taylor (101.75) |
PDC | 18–11 | Andy Hamilton (100.97) |
£300,000 | £80,000 | £35,000 | PartyBets.com | Civic Hall, Wolverhampton |
| 2008 | Phil Taylor (106.25) |
18–9 | Terry Jenkins (100.92) |
£356,000 | £100,000 | £40,000 | PartyPoker.com | ||
| 2009 | Phil Taylor (103.94) |
16–2 | Scott Waites (94.16) |
£400,000 | £50,000 | ||||
| 2010 | Scott Waites (99.86) |
BDO | 16–12 | James Wade (92.79) |
Daily Mirror | ||||
| 2011 | Phil Taylor (109.04) |
PDC | 16–4 |  Gary Anderson (98.92) |
William Hill | ||||
| 2012 |  Raymond van Barneveld (95.79) |
16–14 | Michael van Gerwen (98.55) |
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| 2013 | Phil Taylor (98.14) |
16–6 | Robert Thornton (97.02) |
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| 2014 | Phil Taylor (102.45) |
16–13 | Dave Chisnall (98.02) |
Singha Beer | |||||
| 2015 | Michael van Gerwen (100.94) |
16–13 | Phil Taylor (102.53) |
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| 2016 | Michael van Gerwen (98.74) |
16–8 | James Wade (90.73) |
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| 2017 | Michael van Gerwen (102.18) |
16–12 | Peter Wright (97.71) |
£450,000 | £110,000 | £55,000 | Bwin | ||
| 2018 |  Gerwyn Price (96.70) |
16–13 | Gary Anderson (97.25) |
WV Active - Aldersley, Wolverhampton |
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| 2019 | Gerwyn Price (107.86) |
16–6 | Peter Wright (96.28) |
£550,000 | £125,000 | £65,000 | BoyleSports | ||
| 2020 |  José de Sousa (99.95) |
16–12 | James Wade (94.26) |
Ricoh Arena, Coventry | |||||
| 2021 | Gerwyn Price (103.90) |
16–8 | Peter Wright (91.51) |
Cazoo | WV Active - Aldersley, Wolverhampton |
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| 2022 | Michael Smith (96.84) |
16–5 | Nathan Aspinall (90.94) |
£650,000 | £150,000 | £70,000 | |||
| 2023 | Luke Humphries (104.69) |
16–8 | Rob Cross (103.61) |
Mr Vegas | |||||
| 2024 |  Luke Littler (107.08) |
16–3 | Martin Lukeman (93.42) |
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Records and Statistics
This section shows some cool facts and numbers about the Grand Slam of Darts.
Most Final Appearances
This table lists the players who have reached the finals the most times.
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Won | Runner-up | Finals | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Taylor | England |
6 | 1 | 7 | 11 |
| 2 | Michael van Gerwen | Netherlands |
3 | 1 | 4 | 16 |
| 3 | Gerwyn Price | Wales |
3 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 4 | Scott Waites | England |
1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Raymond van Barneveld | Netherlands |
1 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Luke Humphries | England |
1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| Luke Littler | England |
1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Michael Smith | England |
1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| José de Sousa | Portugal |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 9 | James Wade | England |
0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Peter Wright | Scotland |
0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | |
| 11 | Gary Anderson | Scotland |
0 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| 12 | Nathan Aspinall | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Dave Chisnall | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| Rob Cross | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| Andy Hamilton | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| Terry Jenkins | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| Martin Lukeman | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Robert Thornton | Scotland |
0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
- Players who are still active are shown in bold.
Champions by Country
This table shows which countries have produced the most Grand Slam champions.
| Country | Players | Total | First title | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 England |
5 | 10 | 2007 | 2024 |
 Netherlands |
2 | 4 | 2012 | 2017 |
 Wales |
1 | 3 | 2018 | 2021 |
 Portugal |
1 | 1 | 2020 | 2020 |
Nine-Dart Finishes
A nine-dart finish is when a player wins a leg (a game) in the fewest possible darts, which is nine. It's very rare and exciting! Six nine-darters have been thrown at the Grand Slam of Darts. The first one happened in 2008.
| Player | Year (+ Round) | Method | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Wade |
2008, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Gary Anderson |
Lost |
 Kim Huybrechts |
2014, Quarter-Final | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Michael van Gerwen |
Won |
| Dave Chisnall |
2015, Group Stage | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Peter Wright |
Won |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh |
2018, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Stephen Bunting |
Won |
 Josh Rock |
2022, 2nd Round | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Michael van Gerwen |
Lost |
| Ryan Searle |
2023, Group Stage | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Nathan Rafferty |
Won |
High Averages
An "average" in darts shows how well a player is scoring. A higher average means they are playing better. Here are some of the highest averages recorded in single matches and throughout the whole tournament.
Highest Single Match Averages
| Ten highest Grand Slam of Darts one-match winning averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 115.19 | Michael van Gerwen |
2021, Group Stage | Joe Cullen |
5–2 |
| 114.85 | Dimitri Van den Bergh |
2020, Group Stage | Ricky Evans |
5–1 |
| 114.71 | Gian van Veen |
2024, Group Stage | Stephen Bunting |
5–1 |
| 114.65 | Phil Taylor |
2014, Group Stage | Christian Kist |
5–1 |
| 113.86 | Geert De Vos |
2015, Group Stage | Jonny Clayton |
5–0 |
| 113.62 | Michael Smith |
2019, Group Stage | Nathan Aspinall |
5–1 |
| 113.20 | Gary Anderson |
2024, Group Stage | Ryan Joyce |
5–1 |
| 112.66 | Michael van Gerwen |
2018, Group Stage | Gary Robson |
5–1 |
| 112.54 | Gary Anderson |
2018, Group Stage | Ian White |
5–1 |
| 112.37 | Phil Taylor |
2011, 2nd Round | Wes Newton |
10–3 |
Highest Losing Averages
Sometimes, a player can have a really high average but still lose the match!
| Five highest one-match losing averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 111.10 | Wessel Nijman |
2024, Group Stage | Gian van Veen |
4–5 |
| 110.99 | Adrian Lewis |
2013, Semi-Final | Phil Taylor |
9–16 |
| 109.15 |  Martin Schindler |
2024, Group Stage | Danny Noppert |
2–5 |
| 108.68 | Adrian Lewis |
2016, Group Stage | Chris Dobey |
3–5 |
| 107.92 | Michael van Gerwen |
2018, Group Stage | Jonny Clayton |
4–5 |
Players with 100+ Match Averages
This table shows how many times different players have achieved a match average of 100 or more.
| Player | Total | Highest Av. | Year (+ Round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Taylor |
45 | 114.65 | 2014, Group Stage |
| Michael van Gerwen |
44 | 115.19 | 2021, Group Stage |
| Gary Anderson |
35 | 113.20 | 2024, Group Stage |
| Gerwyn Price |
17 | 112.30 | 2023, Group Stage |
| Michael Smith |
16 | 113.62 | 2019, Group Stage |
| James Wade |
16 | 111.71 | 2021, Group Stage |
| Peter Wright |
15 | 107.36 | 2016, Group Stage |
| Raymond van Barneveld |
13 | 110.15 | 2016, Group Stage |
| Adrian Lewis |
12 | 110.99 | 2013, Semi-Finals |
| Rob Cross |
11 | 105.76 | 2017, Group Stage |
| Luke Humphries |
10 | 107.04 | 2022, Group Stage |
| Luke Littler |
7 | 112.16 | 2024, Group Stage |
| Dave Chisnall |
7 | 109.84 | 2015, Group Stage |
 Simon Whitlock |
7 | 108.86 | 2018, Group Stage |
| Stephen Bunting |
7 | 106.70 | 2021, Group Stage |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh |
6 | 114.85 | 2020, Group Stage |
| Scott Waites |
6 | 103.79 | 2012, Group Stage |
 Mensur Suljović |
5 | 105.85 | 2021, Group Stage |
| Andy Hamilton |
5 | 105.64 | 2008, Group Stage |
| Jonny Clayton |
5 | 104.30 | 2021, Last 16 |
| Gian van Veen |
4 | 114.71 | 2024, Group Stage |
| Kim Huybrechts |
4 | 106.50 | 2015, Group Stage |
| Danny Noppert |
4 | 106.28 | 2024, Group Stage |
| Mervyn King |
4 | 104.31 | 2015, Group Stage |
| Terry Jenkins |
4 | 103.09 | 2009, Group Stage |
| Robert Thornton |
4 | 102.42 | 2012, Last 16 |
| Wessel Nijman |
3 | 111.10 | 2024, Group Stage |
| Ian White |
3 | 108.04 | 2020, Group Stage |
| Scott Mitchell |
3 | 107.78 | 2016, Group Stage |
| Glen Durrant |
3 | 106.05 | 2017, Group Stage |
| Josh Rock |
3 | 105.83 | 2024, Group Stage |
 Krzysztof Ratajski |
3 | 104.18 | 2020, Group Stage |
| Keegan Brown |
3 | 103.66 | 2018, Group Stage |
| Ryan Searle |
3 | 103.59 | 2022, Group Stage |
| Tony O'Shea |
3 | 102.63 | 2010, Group Stage |
| Martin Schindler |
2 | 109.15 | 2024, Group Stage |
| Ross Smith |
2 | 107.92 | 2022, Group Stage |
| Ritchie Edhouse |
2 | 105.00 | 2024, Group Stage |
| Rowby-John Rodriguez |
2 | 104.82 | 2021, Group Stage |
| Nathan Aspinall |
2 | 104.65 | 2019, Group Stage |
| Dean Winstanley |
2 | 104.55 | 2011, Last 16 |
| Mike De Decker |
2 | 104.49 | 2024, Last 16v |
| Wesley Harms |
2 | 103.98 | 2018, Group Stage |
| Ted Hankey |
2 | 103.75 | 2010, Group Stage |
| Co Stompé |
2 | 103.44 | 2009, Group Stage |
| Darren Webster |
2 | 103.44 | 2017, Group Stage |
| Steve Beaton |
2 | 101.31 | 2010, Last 16 |
| Daryl Gurney |
2 | 100.80 | 2019, Group Stage |
| Geert De Vos |
1 | 113.86 | 2015, Group Stage |
| Gabriel Clemens |
1 | 110.27 | 2019, Group Stage |
| Roland Scholten |
1 | 110.21 | 2007, Group Stage |
| Ryan Joyce |
1 | 108.11 | 2021, Group Stage |
| Scott Williams |
1 | 107.46 | 2022, Group Stage |
| Jamie Hughes |
1 | 106.32 | 2016, Group Stage |
| Kevin McDine |
1 | 105.79 | 2007, Last 16 |
| Martin Adams |
1 | 104.82 | 2015, Group Stage |
| Jelle Klaasen |
1 | 104.69 | 2015, Group Stage |
| Connor Scutt |
1 | 104.38 | 2024, Group Stage |
| Jermaine Wattimena |
1 | 104.32 | 2024, Group Stage |
| Dennis Priestley |
1 | 103.53 | 2007, Group Stage |
| Martin Phillips |
1 | 103.28 | 2010, Group Stage |
| Nathan Rafferty |
1 | 103.09 | 2023, Group Stage |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode |
1 | 102.89 | 2022, Group Stage |
| Wes Newton |
1 | 102.46 | 2012, Group Stage |
 Stowe Buntz |
1 | 102.28 | 2023, Group Stage |
| Jim Williams |
1 | 101.60 | 2018, Group Stage |
| Colin Lloyd |
1 | 101.55 | 2009, Group Stage |
| Fallon Sherrock |
1 | 101.55 | 2021, Group Stage |
 Magnus Caris |
1 | 101.52 | 2011, Group Stage |
| Andrew Gilding |
1 | 101.52 | 2018, Group Stage |
| Wayne Jones |
1 | 101.48 | 2007, Group Stage |
| Mark Webster |
1 | 101.43 | 2011, Group Stage |
| Luke Woodhouse |
1 | 101.26 | 2022, Group Stage |
| Ross Montgomery |
1 | 100.96 | 2017, Group Stage |
| Vincent van der Voort |
1 | 100.92 | 2010, Group Stage |
| Benito van de Pas |
1 | 100.90 | 2016, Group Stage |
| Mickey Mansell |
1 | 100.87 | 2024, Group Stage |
| Kevin Painter |
1 | 100.74 | 2009, Group Stage |
| Mark McGeeney |
1 | 100.40 | 2017, Group Stage |
 John Part |
1 | 100.38 | 2009, Group Stage |
 Steve Lennon |
1 | 100.20 | 2017, Group Stage |
| Justin Pipe |
1 | 100.08 | 2013, Group Stage |
| José de Sousa |
1 | 100.03 | 2020, Group Stage |
Highest Tournament Averages
This table shows the highest average scores for players across an entire tournament.
| Five highest tournament averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year | ||
| 107.67 | Wessel Nijman |
2024 | ||
| 106.58 | Gian van Veen |
2024 | ||
| 105.81 | Luke Littler |
2024 | ||
| 105.42 | Michael van Gerwen |
2015 | ||
| 105.12 | Michael van Gerwen |
2017 | ||
Past PDC and BDO Matches
Before the Grand Slam, there were other times when players from the PDC and BDO competed against each other. This was allowed for a few years in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Later, in 2005, the 2005 Masters of Darts was the first big tournament to feature top players from both organizations. After Raymond van Barneveld joined the PDC, some Dutch tournaments also invited PDC players to compete with BDO players.
Players Who Always Qualify
The Grand Slam is a special tournament. Players are invited if they've done really well in other major darts events. This makes it a big deal to qualify, especially many times.
For example, Gary Anderson and James Wade qualified for 15 tournaments in a row! They played in every Grand Slam from 2007 to 2021.
How to Watch the Tournament
The Grand Slam of Darts has been shown on TV for many years.
ITV Coverage (2007-2010)
ITV showed the first four Grand Slam events. This was a big return for ITV to regular darts coverage. The tournament was very popular on ITV4, with many people tuning in to watch the exciting matches.
Sky Sports Coverage (2011-Present)
Since 2011, Sky Sports has been the main broadcaster for the Grand Slam of Darts. They continue to show the event, with their current agreement running until 2025.
Tournament Sponsors
The Grand Slam of Darts has had different sponsors over the years. These companies help fund the tournament.
Some past sponsors include PartyBets.com, PartyPoker.com, the Daily Mirror newspaper, William Hill, Singha Beer, bwin, and BoyleSports.
Since 2021, Cazoo has been a sponsor. In October 2023, Mr Vegas became the main sponsor, which is why the tournament is now called the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts.
