Grand Slam of Darts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts |
|
|---|---|
| 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 Humphries |
|
The Grand Slam of Darts is a major darts tournament. It is run by the PDC. For sponsorship reasons, it's also known as the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts.
This tournament used to invite top players from both the PDC and its former rival, the BDO. This was a special chance for players from different groups to compete. It was the first time such a big darts event happened in the United Kingdom. The BDO stopped operating in 2020. Now, the Grand Slam of Darts mainly features PDC players.
Since 2015, the tournament has been a "ranking" event. This means players earn points towards their world ranking based on how well they do. Before 2015, it was just for fun and prestige.
Contents
History of the Grand Slam of Darts
The Grand Slam of Darts began in 2007. Until 2017, it was held every November at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
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 beat James Wade in the final.
Phil Taylor won again in 2011. Then, Raymond van Barneveld won in 2012. Taylor took the trophy back in 2013 and 2014. After that, Michael van Gerwen won three times in a row, from 2015 to 2017.
In 2018, Gerwyn Price won the trophy for the first time. That same year, the tournament moved to a new place. It went to WV Active - Aldersley in Wolverhampton because the Civic Hall was being fixed up. Gerwyn Price won there three times (2018, 2019, 2021). In 2020, because of the pandemic, the event was held in Coventry without fans. José de Sousa won that year. The tournament returned to WV Active - Aldersley in 2021 and has been there since. In 2023, Luke Humphries became the champion.
The Grand Slam of Darts trophy was renamed in May 2018. It now honors Eric Bristow, a famous darts player who had recently passed away.
Grand Slam of Darts Champions
This table shows all the winners and runners-up of the Grand Slam of Darts.
| 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) |
||||||
| 2013 | Phil Taylor (98.14) |
16–6 | Robert Thornton (97.02) |
||||||
| 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 |
|||||
| 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 |
||||
| 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 | |||||
Tournament Records and Statistics
Players with Most Final Appearances
This table shows which players have reached the Grand Slam of Darts final 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 | 15 |
| 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 | 4 | |
| Michael Smith | England |
1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| José de Sousa | Portugal |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 8 | James Wade | England |
0 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
| Peter Wright | Scotland |
0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | |
| 10 | Gary Anderson | Scotland |
0 | 2 | 2 | 15 |
| 11 | Nathan Aspinall | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Dave Chisnall | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| Rob Cross | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| Andy Hamilton | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| Terry Jenkins | England |
0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| Robert Thornton | Scotland |
0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
- Players who are still active are shown in bold.
Champions by Country
This table shows how many times players from each country have won the Grand Slam of Darts.
| Country | Players | Total | First title | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 England |
4 | 9 | 2007 | 2023 |
 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 darts using the fewest possible darts, which is nine. It's very rare and exciting! Five nine-darters have happened at the Grand Slam of Darts. The first one was 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 |
Highest Averages in Matches
In darts, an "average" is the average score a player gets per three darts thrown. A higher average means a player is throwing very well. These tables show some of the highest averages recorded in Grand Slam of Darts matches.
Top Winning 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 |
| 114.65 | 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 |
| 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 |
| 112.30 | Gerwyn Price |
2023, Group Stage | Gian van Veen |
5–1 |
| 112.16 | Phil Taylor |
2013, Group Stage | Stuart Kellett |
5–0 |
Top Losing Averages
Sometimes, a player can throw a very high average but still lose the match. This shows how tough the competition can be!
| Five highest one-match losing averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
| 110.99 | Adrian Lewis |
2013, Semi-Final | Phil Taylor |
9–16 |
| 108.68 | Adrian Lewis |
2016, Group Stage | Chris Dobey |
3–5 |
| 107.92 | Michael van Gerwen |
2018, Group Stage | Jonny Clayton |
4–5 |
| 106.70 | Stephen Bunting |
2021, Group Stage | Ryan Joyce |
4–5 |
| 106.50 | Kim Huybrechts |
2015, Group Stage | Michael van Gerwen |
1–5 |
Players with 100+ Match Averages
This table lists players who have achieved an average of 100 or more in a single match at the Grand Slam of Darts.
| Different players with a 100+ match average (Updated 19/11/23) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
32 | 112.54 | 2018, Group Stage |
| Gerwyn Price |
17 | 112.30 | 2023, Group Stage |
| Michael Smith |
16 | 113.62 | 2019, Group Stage |
| James Wade |
15 | 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 |
9 | 107.04 | 2022, Group Stage |
| Dave Chisnall |
7 | 109.84 | 2015, Group Stage |
 Simon Whitlock |
7 | 108.86 | 2018, Group Stage |
| Scott Waites |
6 | 103.79 | 2012, Group Stage |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh |
5 | 114.85 | 2020, 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 |
| Stephen Bunting |
4 | 106.70 | 2021, Group Stage |
| Kim Huybrechts |
4 | 106.50 | 2015, 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 |
| Ian White |
3 | 108.04 | 2020, Group Stage |
| Scott Mitchell |
3 | 107.78 | 2016, Group Stage |
| Glen Durrant |
3 | 106.05 | 2017, Group Stage |
 Krzysztof Ratajski |
3 | 104.18 | 2020, Group Stage |
| Danny Noppert |
3 | 103.88 | 2016, 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 |
| Ross Smith |
2 | 107.92 | 2022, 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 |
| Wesley Harms |
2 | 103.98 | 2018, Group Stage |
| Josh Rock |
2 | 103.93 | 2022, Last 16 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Martin Schindler |
1 | 101.66 | 2021, 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 |
| 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 a player across an entire Grand Slam of Darts tournament.
| Five highest tournament averages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Player | Year | ||
| 105.42 | Michael van Gerwen |
2015 | ||
| 105.12 | Michael van Gerwen |
2017 | ||
| 104.91 | Phil Taylor |
2014 | ||
| 104.89 | Gary Anderson |
2013 | ||
| 104.20 | Phil Taylor |
2013 | ||
Players Who Always Qualify
The Grand Slam is an invitational tournament. This means players are invited if they have done very well in other major darts events. It's a big deal to qualify! Some players have qualified many times. For example, Gary Anderson and James Wade qualified for 15 tournaments in a row, from 2007 to 2021.
Watching the Grand Slam of Darts
The TV channel ITV showed the first four Grand Slam of Darts events. This was a return to darts coverage for them after many years. The tournament was very popular on ITV4. In 2011, Sky Sports took over broadcasting the event. Sky Sports still shows the tournament today.
Sponsors of the Tournament
Over the years, different companies have sponsored the Grand Slam of Darts. These sponsors help make the tournament possible. Some past sponsors include PartyBets.com, PartyPoker.com, the Daily Mirror newspaper, William Hill, Singha Beer, bwin, and BoyleSports. Since 2021, Cazoo has been the main sponsor.
