2021 Grand Slam Darts Preview and Tips

James Punt has been in unbelievable form recently and now it is time for his 2021 Grand Slam Darts preview. Check it out below.

The Grand Slam of Darts was traditionally the tournament where the PDC players crossed swords with the BDO players. Since last year, the BDO is no more and instead we have eight qualifiers from the PDC Development tours, Challenge Tours, World Youth Championship and Women’s Series.

The first stage of the tournament is played in eight groups of four players. They all play each other and the top two in each group go through to the knockout phase. The group stage matches are short and sweet best of nine legs, and this is one event where you can lose a match but win the tournament.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Group A

Gerwyn Price R2/GS/W/W/R2  4.50

Number one seed and a two-time tournament winner. Price has won seven of his last ten matches but since winning the World Championship in January, the big televised titles have eluded him. He has picked up two players championship titles and both Euro tour titles, but the majors have gone elsewhere, usually to the other Welshman, Jonny Clayton.

Krzysztof Ratajski R2/-/GS  29.00

One of the form players coming into this event. The Polish Eagle won the final Players Championship event of the year, he has won his last ten matches and in the televised events Ratajski has reached four quarter finals and two semi-finals.

Martin Schindler GS/GS/-  151.00

The diminutive German dropped off the radar in the last year or two, but he is very much on the way back. He has won seven of his last ten and is averaging just under 95 in 2021, six points better than 2020. His win rate is a shade under 70% and with heavy scoring, he is a dangerous opponent. He has failed to get out of the group stage in his previous two appearances and he has found himself in a tough group, but he cannot be written off.

Nathan Rafferty  Debut  501.00

Development Tour runner up, Rafferty is the rank outsider in the group. He is averaging just 83.9 in 2021 and has won nine of his last ten matches, but that was at Development Tour level. He has taken a few big scalps in the past, including knocking Peter Wright out of the UK Open in 2018 but he has landed in a very tough group with three very heavy scorers.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Likely qualifiers – Price and Ratajski

Group B

Jonny Clayton GS/-/-/QF/-/R2  6.50

The winning most player of 2021, Clayton has picked up four televised titles and over £600000 in prizemoney. His win rate is nearly 77% and his annual average is 98.7. The Ferret is arguably the best player on the planet right now and he has got a reasonable draw.

Merv King R2/SF/R2/R2/GS/R2/R2/SF/GS  51.00

This is The King’s first appearance since 2015 and an indication that he has been playing near the top of his game in the last year or so. He reached the quarter final of the World Series of Darts finals two weeks ago but pulled out of the recent Super Series after the first day. He averaged 115 when beating James Wade 6-0 at the World Series and while it is hard to see him going all the way, he is a dangerous opponent in this group stage.

Bradley Brooks Debut  401.00

The 2020 World Youth Champion has had a tour card since 2018 but he is still only 21 and plays on the Development tour as well as the pro tour. He has won three development tour titles in 2021. His 2021 average is just 87 and it is fair to say that he struggles at the senior level.

Rusty-Jake Rodriguez Debut  301.00

The European Development Tour winner Rusty-Jake also plays on the Pro tour and Challenge tour. He has won seven of his last ten but like all these young, up and coming players he lacks consistency at senior level, but he can hit hard. His A game is very strong, and he can hit big numbers. He is unlikely to have a long run, but do not rule him out of getting into the knockout stage.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Likely qualifiers – King and Clayton. King is a bit of a bogeyman for Clayton.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Group C

James Wade R2/R2/R2/RU/R2/GS/QF/R2/R2/RU/R2/R2/R2/RU  51.00

Wade has played in every Grand Slam and only once gone out at the group stage. He is a three time runner up, including last year against De Sousa. His recent form has seen just four wins from his last ten and while there is some very good performances, he is lacking consistency.

Rob Cross QF/R/2/R2/R2  21.00

It might be too soon to say that Cross is back at the top level, but his win at the European Championship has turned his career around. It was a strange win as outside of his win over Joe Cullen in the semi-final, Cross wasn’t at his best, but his opponents just didn’t bring their A-games and he found himself holding the trophy at the end.

What it has done is boost his confidence, and that was probably all that was missing from his game. Since that major win, Cross has won a players championship title and reached two further semi-finals. He has hit 15 ton plus averages in the 33 matches he has played since that big win, and he is one of the real form players coming into this tournament. Cross says that he is now able to play more freely, just letting the darts flow and not worrying about missing a double. A serious contender.

Boris Krčmar Debut  301.00

Boris came through the tour card holders qualifying tournament. That was something of a surprise given that he had lost five matches in a row before the qualifier. He played well in his four qualifiers, and he is not a player to take lightly. He has lost his three previous matches vs. Rob Cross and is 1-2 vs. Wade. Boris is not without a chance to qualify but he is not a serious tournament contender.

Jim Williams GS/GS/-  251.00

Former BDO stalwart Williams is making his third appearance at the Grand Slam. He has failed to get out of the group stage so far, winning one and losing two matches in 2018 and 2019. He now plays on the Challenge tour and topped the OOM to win his place here and a tour card for the next two years. Williams has won five of his last ten matches, but he has had no competitive matches for two months. His A game is good, but it just doesn’t get out very much.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Likely qualifiers – Cross and Wade

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Group D

Dimitri van den Bergh GS/-/QF/GS/SF  12.00

A semi-finalist last year, only just losing to James Wade in a great match which went to a deciding leg. Dimitri’s most recent form is poor, winning just three of his last ten matches. He reached the final of the World Series but sadly for our bet, lost 6-11 to Jonny Clayton, despite averaging 101.9. Van den Bergh averaged 99.75 at the World Series finals but then went to the Super Series last week and lost all three first round matches, averaging 99, 81 and 72.

From winning PC 24 a month ago and being runner up at the World Series, he just went down the plug hole in Barnsley. It is very hard to say where his game is, but that 72 average was his worst performance since his development tour days, more than three years ago.

Late News – Van den Bergh has failed a Covid test and will not take part. He will be replaced by Chris Dobey.

Stephen Bunting QF/-/-/R2/R2  67.00

Two major semi-finals this season is a sign of progress for Bunting. He has won seven of his last ten and if he can just improve his consistency, a decent run would not be a surprise. He has every chance of going through to the knockout stage once again, but his tournament odds are a fair reflection of his chances.

Ryan Joyce GS/  126.00

0-4 down in his final qualifying match against Daryl Gurney, Joyce would not have been expecting to be here this week. Joyce played last year and took both Clayton and Price to a deciding leg, but ultimately came up short and didn’t progress. This isn’t the hardest group and Joyce has the ability to go through, but his form doesn’t look like that of a title contender.

Rowby-John Rodriguez GS/GS  251.00

Another of the Rodriguez clan. Rowby-John qualified for being one half to the Austrian team that came second in the World Cup of Darts. This will be his third appearance and he failed to get into the knockout stage in either of his previous attempts, the last back in 2015. He is a player with a very good A game but a poor B game. He can hit a ton plus in one match and a sub 80 in the next. Rodriguez could be a disruptor but unlikely to make a great progress.

Chris Dobey QF/-/-/-/-/  41.00

What is bad news for Van den Bergh is good news for Chris Dobey. ‘Hollywood’ is playing really well recently and deserves his place, having won two players championship titles in 2021, finally realising his potential. His three month average is 100.4, second only to MVG.

His performance to win PC28 less than 2 weeks ago was outstanding. He averaged 102 across seven matches and his opponents’ 3 dart average was 97.5. He was up against it and just kept on producing the goods. It was one of the performances of the season in my book.

Dobey has won seven of his last ten and he beat De Sousa, Cross and Searle in the last three matches of PC27, averaging 105 in the process. He reached the quarter final on debut in 2016 and his return is long overdue. He has an 8-1 record against Bunting and looks more than good enough to get through as group winner.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Likely qualifiers – Dobey and Bunting

Group E

Peter Wright GS/R2/R2/SF/RU/R2/RU/GS  11.00

Snakebite won PC 23 in early August, not long after he won the World Matchplay, and he was looking like the Cock o’ the North. Since winning that last title, Wright has played 29 matches and won 16. That sort of win rate is not going to win tournaments. He has lost six of his last ten and looks very poor value at 11.00 to win the title for the first time.

Gabriel Clemens R2/GS  81.00

It has been slim pickings for Clemens in the televised tournaments since reaching the sixth round at the UK Open. Four first round exits have followed in the majors. He did reach a player’s championship final last month but doing it on the TV stage is proving difficult. Clemens has won seven of his last ten matches, but his scoring has been inconsistent at best. This is a soft looking group so he may still progress, but a good run seems unlikely.

Mike de Dekker Debut  301.00

Another player who came through the tour card holder’s qualifier last week. He needs to get to the knockout stage to get within range of keeping his tour card. His win rate in 2021 is just 43% and while he played well in the qualifier there are too many sub 90 averages in his game for him to make any great progress.

Fallon Sherrock Debut  301.00

Fallon could not have hoped for a better draw. The seeded player is out of form and low on confidence and the other two non-seeded players are going to be more nervous than she is in front of the TV cameras. Sherrock lost her last TV match 1-6 against Ratajski two weeks ago and the reality is that she must bring her A game or hope that her opponents freeze in the spotlight.

She has the advantage of the crowd being on her side and that should not be underestimated. Getting through to the knockout stage would be another big story and she does have good scriptwriters.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Likely qualifiers – Clemens and Wright.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Group F

Jose de Sousa W  19.00

The defending champion, De Sousa hasn’t really kicked on in terms of the big TV tournaments in 2021. He was runner up in the Premier League and reached the quarter finals of the European Championship but not much else of note. He has won three players championship titles in 2021 but he lost form a couple of months ago and was playing without glasses for a while. However, while he is starting to rediscover better form, he is not quite there yet, but a good run is more than possible.

Luke Humphries GS  51.00

Humphries didn’t progress from the group stage last year and he finds himself in a tricky group, but he is not without a chance of qualifying for the knockout stage. His most recent form isn’t great with just five wins from his last ten matches, and he isn’t playing as well as he was in the first half of the year. He has no easy matches here and he will have to improve on his recent efforts.

Mensur Suljovic GS/QF/SF/-/-  101.00

Since returning after a four-month layoff, Mensur has shown some good form but no great consistency. He has won six of his last ten matches, but he averaged between 85 and 103 across those matches. It is hard to see a long run this week, but he is in contention to get through this very tricky looking group. He is a player for whom the draw could open up nicely for him and just like reaching the World Cup of Darts final looked unlikely, he got there. A dark horse.

Matt Campbell Debut 301.00

The Canadian debutant qualified via winning the European Challenge tour. He also gets a two-year tour card and he looks a very interesting prospect. We have seen him at a couple of World Cups and two first round defeats at the World Championships, but he showed enough to suggest that he will win matches and start making a name for himself. This first to five format in the group stage will make him a dangerous opponent. This a step up in class, but he is not shy and will enjoy taking on the big names.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Likely qualifiers – De Sousa and Suljovic

Group G

Michael van Gerwen GS/GS/-/GS/R2/RU/R2/QF/W/W/W/SF/SF/QF  4.50

MVG is making progress. He reached the final of the European Championship but put in another under par performance and lost 8-11 to Rob Cross. Further progress was seen at the recent super series when he won PC 29, his first ranking title in 2021. He went on to reach the semi-final of the last PC event of the year, losing 4-7 to Joe Cullen. MVG has won twelve of his last thirteen matches, is scoring very heavily and his confidence will have been boosted by that players championship title. He is very much a possible winner of the tournament, but his odds remain too short.

Joe Cullen GS/  34.00

Cullen was runner up in the final players championship event last week, losing in the deciding leg to Krzysztof Ratajski. He played some good stuff that day, not least his 111 average against MVG. Rockstar went out at the group stage on debut last year, making a mess of his last match vs. Van Gerwen which cost him dear. He has a chance for redemption, and he has a great chance to make the knockout stage and have a good run.

John Henderson GS  301.00

Still dining out on that World Cup of Darts win. Henderson played in this event once before, back in 2010 when he failed to get out of the group stage. Hendo has lost his last six matches and since that World Cup win, he has played eleven and won just two, one of those wins was against Joe Cullen. Henderson is up against it here and hard to fancy.

Lisa Ashton GS  501.00

Ashton played in this last year and lost two matches 1-5 but was nearly gifted a win by Ratajski who had a meltdown on the doubles to very nearly blow a big lead. Since Lisa won a tour card, her game has improved, and her win rate is up from 50.9% to 62.5%. However, her record at players championship level in 2021 is played 39 and won 8. Her chances of progressing are slim.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Likely qualifiers Cullen and MVG

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Group H

Gary Anderson SF/SF/R2/QF/RU/R2/R2/R2/R2/SF/SF/RU/QF/R2  34.00

Anderson has a proud record of having played in every Grand Slam and always made it out of the group stage. He never won it however and that may explain why he was so narked when beaten in the 2018 final by Gerwyn Price. That may have been his last chance. Anderson’s win rate in 2021 is down to 53% and he has lost six of his last ten matches. He can still score well, but just finds winning harder these days.

Michael Smith GS/QF/SF/-/R2/R2/QF/QF  29.00

This will be Michael Smiths 85th televised tournament, not counting World Cups. He has never won one. He is a 29.00 shot. That’s bad value. Well, he did win a World Series event which was televised, but they are non-ranking exhibitions. He has ten senior PDC titles and has won two players championships events this season, the last one just three weeks ago. He has got a decent draw and he can have another decent run, bank some good cash but history suggests he will not win.

Raymond van Barneveld R2/QF/SF/R2/GS/W/GS/R2/SF/QF/R2/GS/-/-  101.00

Barney came through last week’s qualifying tournament and has won seven of his last ten matches. His comeback season started with a bang, winning PC3 in February. Since then, he has made two PC quarter finals and not a lot else. His season average is a decent 94.5 and his win rate is a healthy 64%. He has a reasonable chance of qualifying for the knockout stage, but it is hard to see a long run in the tournament.

Joe Davis Debut  501.00

World Youth Championship runner up, 24 year old Davis plays on the Development and Challenge tours. He is averaging 83.4 in 2021 which isn’t going to cut it at this level. In the first to five leg matches in the group stage, everyone has a punchers chance, but his punch is the weakest in the group by some way.

2021 Grand Slam Darts: Likely qualifiers – Smith and Anderson.

Ante Post Selections

Outright betting

Of the fourteen previous stagings of this event Phil Taylor won six, Michael van Gerwen three, Gerwyn Price two and one each for Jose De Sousa, Raymond van Barneveld and Scott Waites. Maybe one or two minor surprises there.

What we don’t have in 2021 is the one BIG player. Since Taylor retired, that was MVG’s job, but he has become diminished in the last year or two. He has not won this since 2017. Since then, Gerwyn Price has won two and De Sousa one, last year. Nobody is dominating the world of darts, and this brings more players into the equation. The short lists are not so short anymore.

Favs Look Vulnerable

Gerwyn Price and MVG are the joint 4.50 favourites, and both have reasonable claims, but are either in great form? Not really. Good form but not great and as such, a little overrated and not good value at the odds.

The winning most player in 2021 is Jonny Clayton, the 6.50 third favourite. He has won more ranking titles than MVG and Price put together in 2021 and four televised titles. He should at least be the same odds as Price and MVG, arguably he should be the clear favourite. At 6.50 he is being underestimated.

Price and Clayton are in the same top quarter of the draw so they should meet relatively early. Clayton has had the better of Price in their last two matches and he makes more appeal as a potential winner. Ratajski is the dark horse in the top quarter. He is bang in-form, but he has yet to reach a big final and his tendency to lose the plot on doubles at times is just enough to pass him over, reluctantly. To see Clayton win another title would be no surprise but there are quite a few players at much bigger odds which make more appeal in terms of value.

Snakebite Struggling

Third favourite is Peter Wright. He is not in any sort of form and hard to fancy for that reason. Van den Bergh was the fourth favourite, but he is out and replaced by the in-form Chris Dobey, who is easier to fancy than Dimitri was.

Dobey now finds himself in the second quarter of the draw should he make it through the group, which he should. The other group in that quarter sees Rob Cross as the most likely group winner. Cross has returned to great form, and he is very happy on and off the oche.

Playing with freedom and confidence he is a potential title winner and very much underrated at the odds. A Cross vs. Dobey quarter final looks more than possible, both are decent odds and their H2H record is very close. It was Dobey who won their match last week. Dobey lacks the experience of winning a major, but his form is deserving of one.

2021 Grand Slam Darts Tip: 1 point e/w Rob Cross to win the Grand Slam of Darts @ 21.00 with BET365, Boylesports, SpreadEx

2021 Grand Slam Darts Tip: 0.5 point e/w Chris Dobey to win the Grand Slam of Darts @ 41.00 with Ladbrokes

Groups E and F provide the quarter finalists for the third quarter. This is an interesting quarter and very open looking. Peter Wright is the big favourite to progress but given his recent form, he is hard to fancy and poor value. Defending champion De Sousa may not have been in great form of late but he has been showing signs of getting there.

Also in his group is the mercurial Mensur Suljovic. Could he ‘do a Cross’, win a major and turn his career around? That might be asking too much, but this draw does give him a path to having a good run at huge odds. De Sousa will be fancied to come through this quarter but his record vs. Suljovic? 1-3 and Mensur has won their last three, including a match just last week.

2021 Grand Slam Darts Tip: 0.5 point e/w Mensur Suljovic to win the Grand Slam of Darts @ 101.00 with Betvictor, Sportingindex

The final quarter includes Michael van Gerwen who will be most people’s idea of the group G winner. Joe Cullen will have a different opinion and he has been in good form recently. Surely it will be those two who progress to face the top two of Group H which features the veteran pair of Anderson and Van Barneveld, the underachieving Smith or rank outsider Joe Davis.

Smith and Anderson to progress for me, but to reach the quarters, MVG and Cullen. In their three matches this year, its 2-1 to Cullen and the value lies with the Rockstar.

2021 Grand Slam Darts Tip: 0.5 point e/w Joe Cullen to win the Grand Slam of Darts @ 41.00 with SpreadEx

-JamesPunt