Grand Slam of Darts preview: Gerwyn Price to get the better of reigning champ Michael Smith

Ahead of this year’s Grand Slam of Darts, there has been much speculation over who has what it takes to knock Michael Smith of his perch.

In this year’s tournament, all the big names will be battling it out for a slice of the £650,000 prize pool, £150,000 going to the winner, and the runner-up pocketing a hefty £70,000.

We preview three contenders below.

Gerwyn Price 4/1 

Gerwyn Price, three-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one, is backed as 4/1 favourite for this year’s edition over last year’s winner Michael Smith. “The Iceman” is looking for some more silverware to add to his collection, which he has been curating since turning professional in 2012.

His most recent win was at the Players Championship 29 beating Dave Chisnall on November 1st to secure his seventh title in the PDC of 2023. Price will face-off against Gian van Veen, Ryan Searle, and Nathan Rafferty in Group D and is 8/13 to top the group stage.

Price is always a strong contender at big events, and he will certainly be up for the challenge this time around.

Michael van Gerwen 9/2 

“Mighty Mike” van Gerwen is no stranger to the big stage and grinding out top performances, he is fancied as second-favourite at this year’s Grand Slam. He has won this competition three times in the past, with the last Grand Slam victory coming in 2017, so he will be looking to refresh his record at this year’s event.

Van Gerwen is a three-time PDC World Champion and has cemented himself as a legend in darts’ history books. He sat at world number one for seven years from 2014 to 2021, currently placed at number three in the rankings, although is favourite at 4/1 to win the PDC World Darts Championship 2024.

Van Gerwen is 8/13 to win his group and, should he succeed in doing so, 9/2 to take home the Grand Slam Trophy. Van Gerwen’s experience coupled with his love for the crowd means he will be looking to raise the roof in Aldersley next week.

Michael Smith 12/1 

Last year’s victor Michael Smith commands respect coming into the tournament this year and is well worth a look at 12/1. Not only did he win this tournament last year, beating Nathan Aspinall 16-5 in the 2022 final, but is currently sitting at number one in the PDC Live order of Merit with £1,308,750 in prize money. The bulk of it come from his win earlier in the year at the PDC World Darts Championship taking home £500,000.

Smith is the heavy favourite at 8/13 to make it out of the group stage as winner, which he should do comfortably against James Wade, Krzysztof Ratajski, and Nathan Girvan in Group A.

He is also third in the running to win the PDC World Darts Championship 2024 at 7/1, so will be looking to prove his worth next week and retain his title, staying on top of the competition as number one in the world.

The 2023 Grand Slam Darts tournament will undoubtedly bring forth some ultimate entertainment for darts fans everywhere for this major event in the darts calendar.