This week, one of the biggest tournaments ahead of the end of year PDC World Championship of Darts 
takes place at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, UK. 32 of the biggest names in Darts are competing across eight groups in the opening phase of the Grand Slam of Darts and there promises to be plenty of fantastic action on the oche across the week-long tournament.
With many players using this event as their final chance for a top-level warm up before the World Championships over Christmas and the New Year, competition is expected to be fierce within the high quality field, all of whom will be vying to follow the winner of the event over both 2018 and 2019, Welshman Gerwyn Price. This year, we will also see two women in the field once again, with PDC qualifier Lisa Ashton earning one of the 32 qualifying spots, while women’s BDO Champion Mikuru Suzuki earns a spot thanks to her world title win in the BDO last January.
Darts is really gaining in popularity across the United States and there is no doubt that interest is growing in the major PDC events that are being held around the world each year. The Grand Slam of Darts is no exception to that rule and if you would like to enjoy a bet on these games and are based in Pennsylvania, then what is a good way to do this?
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So what is it about the Grand Slam of Darts that makes it a unique tournament on the PDC darting calendar each year and why do so many fans feel that this is perhaps the real “World Championship of Darts?”. Let’s take a closer look at the tournament details and history to find out.
This year will be the 14th time that the Grand Slam of Darts has been contested and this year’s prize 
pool sees £550,000 up for grabs, with the winner taking home a cheque for £125,000. Gerwyn Price is aiming to follow Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in becoming a successive three-time winner of the tournament.
The tournament is famous for allowing players from both codes, the PDC and BDO to compete against each other and as such, many feel that it is perhaps a better quality tournament than either of the respective organisations World Championship. PDC players have dominated the event though, winning 12 of the 13 tournaments contested so far.
Legend Phil Taylor holds the record for most wins in the event with six, followed by Michael van Gerwen with three. Gerwyn Price’s two wins in the last two years puts him third on that list and the only other players to have won it are Raymond van Barneveld and the sole BDO winner Scott Waites (who won in 2010).
The tournament is also unique due to its structure. The 32 players are drawn into groups of eight with one of the top eight seeds drawn into each group. The players play each other once in the group stage with the top two progressing into the Knockout Stage. From here it is a second round best of 19 to decide the quarterfinalists and from then on each match is a best of 31 contest for the remainder of the tournament.
Only two players, James Wade and Gary Anderson, have qualified for all 14 events in the competition’s history, though neither have won it (though both have been losing finalists).
Let’s now take a closer look at the draw for the group stage of the event.
(Seeds are shown in brackets)
Group A
Michael van Gerwen (1) (Hol)
Joe Cullen (Eng)
Gabriel Clemens (Ger)
Adam Hunt (Eng)
Group B
Gary Anderson (8) (Sco)
Simon Whitlock (Aus)
Ryan Searle (Eng)
Adam Gawlas (Cze)
Group C
Michael Smith (4) (Eng)
Krzysztof Ratajski (Pol)
Jose de Sousa (Por)
Lisa Ashton (Eng)
Group D
Rob Cross (5) (Eng)
Dave Chisnall (Eng)
Luke Humphries (Eng)
Justin Pipe (Eng)
Group E
Peter Wright (2) (Sco)
Ian White (Eng)
Devon Petersen (S.Af)
Dirk van Duijvenbode (Hol)
Group F
James Wade (7) (Eng)
Glen Durrant (Eng)
Jermaine Wattimena (Hol)
Damon Heta (Aus)
Group G
Gerwyn Price (3) (Wal)
Jonny Clayton (Wal)
Ryan Joyce (Eng)
Mikuru Suzuki (Jap)
Group H
Nathan Aspinall (6) (Eng)
Dmitri Van den Bergh (Bel)
Ricky Evans (Eng)
Wayne Warren (Wal)
The group stages will be played from Monday 16th to Thursday 19th November with the second round on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st, the quarterfinals on Sunday 22nd, the semis on Monday 23rd and the final on Tuesday 24th November.
The bookmakers have three players as their best priced options to win the tournament. Gerwyn Price is just about the favourite with bet365 Sport as he is a 7/2 shot to win the event, with World Champion Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen both rated as a 4/1 shot.
Outside of that top three the odds lengthen quickly with Nathan Aspinall at 11/1, Glen Durrant, Michael Smith and Gary Anderson rated at 16/1 with prices then rising quickly to 18/1 and beyond. BDO Female World Champion Mikuru Suzuki is the 750/1 outsider for he tournament with Lisa Ashton, the other female competitor, a 500/1 shot.
My pick to win the event though is Nathan Aspinall. He has been in great form of late and if he can carry that on into this event, he should go far.
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