One of the more unusual Darts tournaments of the year begins tonight at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England as 32 of the top players in the world, including all of the top 16 ranked players in the PDC, compete to land the 2022 World Grand Prix darts title.
This tournament is a little different to the usual as it involves players not only having to finish the leg with a double or bullseye, but they must also start the leg with a double, or a bullseye too.
What that means is that while players can achieve a nine-dart finish, it is more difficult but also that if you cannot hit a double relatively quickly in any leg of darts, then you will likely be far behind your opponent when you do.
Having the double start requirement in each leg can negate the big advantage players have when throwing first, especially if a player finds hitting doubles tricky.
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World Grand Prix Darts – Tournament History
The 2022 World Grand Prix darts tournament will be the 25th time the event has been held.
Traditionally, the tournament was held in Dublin in Ireland, but due to the pandemic, it has been played in Leicester in the United Kingdom for the past three years.
This year sees the largest prize fund for the tournament ever offered, with £600,000 up for grabs and the winner will take home £120,000 of that.
Players play set-based darts, with players required to win three legs in a set to take the set.
Additionally, every leg will see the players have to hit a double, or the bullseye, in order to start scoring, as well as to finish the leg.
The double-In format means that the big advantage players normally have when they throw first in a leg is lessened somewhat and these misses at the start of a leg can be as important in deciding who wins it than the final double.
Previous Winners
The tournament has been contested 24 times previously since 1998 and the following players have won the event:
- Phil Taylor (Eng) – 11 wins
- Michael van Gerwen (Hol) – 5 wins
- James Wade (Eng) – 2 wins
- Colin Lloyd (Eng), Alan Warriner (Eng), Gerwyn Price (Wal), Robert Thornton (Sco), Daryl Gurney (N.Ir), Jonny Clayton (Wal) – 1 win each.
Jonny Clayton is the defending Champion having beaten Gerwyn Price 5-1 in last year’s final.
Players to have reached the final, but not won the tournament include: Rod Harrington (Eng), Shayne Burgess (Eng), Roland Scholten (Hol), John Part (Can), Terry Jenkins (Wal), Raymond van Barneveld (Hol), Adrian Lewis (Eng), Brendan Dolan (Ire), Mervyn King (Eng), Dave Chisnall (Eng), Gary Anderson (Sco), Simon Whitlock (Aus), Peter Wright (Sco) and Dirk van Duijvenbode (Hol).
A total of three nine-darters have been achieved in the tournament. Brendan Dolan landed the first in his 2011 semi-final success over James Wade, Wade then landed the second in his 2nd round win in 2015 over Robert Thornton and then in the very same game, Thornton landed the third in a later leg against James Wade.
All three nine-darters have been made the same way:
- Double 20, 2x Treble 20; 3 x Treble 20; Treble 20, Treble 17, Bullseye
2022 Tournament Format
The top 16 ranked players in the PDC qualify for the tournament automatically alongside 16 players that qualify via their performances on the ProTour Order of Merit by the 26th September 2022.
The top 8 players are seeded in the draw, with the remaining 24 players drawn randomly to face either a seeded player, or another unseeded player in the draw.
- The 16 First Round games are best of three sets.
- The 8 Second Round and 4 Quarter Final games are best of five sets.
- The Semi-finals are best of seven sets.
- And the Final is a best of nine set match.
The World Grand Prix is a special tournament on the calendar as it is the only ‘double-in’ tournament that the players play over the course of the season.
Prize Money
The £600,000 prize money for the tournament is divided up as follows:
- Winner – £120,000
- Runner Up – £60,000
- Semi Finalists- £40,000
- Quarter Finalists – £25,000
- 2nd Round Losers – £15,000
- 1st Round Losers – £7,500
The Draw For The First Round
As seen in the YouTube video above, the draw for the First Round of the tournament was made by PDC Chairman Barry Hearn and the draw provided the following 16 First Round ties.
The eight seeded players have their seed for the tournament shown in brackets following their name;
Monday 3rd October – First Round Matches
- Callan Rydz v Kryzysztof Ratajjski
- Brendan Dolan v Stephen Bunting
- Chris Dobey v Luke Humphries
- Dmitri Van den Bergh v Dave Chisnall
- Jonny Clayton (7) v Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Peter Wright (2) v Kim Huybrechts
- Michael van Gerwen (3) v Gary Anderson
- Jose de Sousa (6) v Adrian Lewis
Tuesday 4th October – First Round Matches
- Madars Razma v Ryan Searle
- Ross Smith v Andrew Gilding
- Danny Noppert v Gabriel Clemens
- Joe Cullen v Damon Heta
- Rob Cross (8) v Daryl Gurney
- James Wade (5) v Martin Lukeman
- Gerwyn Price (1) v Martin Schindler
- Michael Smith (4) v Nathan Aspinall
Latest Tournament Betting With Bet365 Sport
Alongside a number of pre-match betting markets for all games in the tournament, bet365 is also offering extensive In Play betting on each of the games when they are in progress, as well as some excellent outright betting markets too.
In the outright winner market for this year’s tournament you can back World Number 1, Gerwyn Price at 9/2, along with third seed Michael van Gerwen.
Peter Wright is a 7/1 chance, with last year’s winner Jonny Clayton at 15/1.
Prices then drift somewhat to Michael Smith and Luke Humphries at 12/1, Dmitri van den Bergh at 14/1 and Joe Cullen at 16/1.
It should be noted here that while the double-in format is a great leveller, the top players do tend to come through the tournament to land the win and as such, punters looking for a longer odds option to win beyond those at 16/1, may be being a little too optimistic.
For me, this is Michael van Gerwen’s tournament to lose, if he can navigate the early rounds. If he manages to get to the quarters, then that 9/2 price, if you took it, will look very appealing indeed.
Tip – Michael van Gerwen to win – 9/2.
World Grand Prix Darts – FAQs
What Is The World Grand Prix Darts Tournament?
The World Grand Prix Darts tournament is a ‘double-in, double-out’ tournament contested by 32 players in the PDC.
It is the only ‘double-in, double-out’ tournament on the darts calendar each year.
Who Is The Most Successful World Grand Prix Darts Player?
Phil Taylor is the most successful player in the history of the World Grand Prix Darts tournament.
Taylor reached 11 finals in his career, winning all of them.
The most successful currently active professional is Michael van Gerwen of the Netherlands who has won the tournament five times (up to the 2022 tournament).
What Does A ‘Double-In” Start Mean At The Darts World Grand Prix?
Double-In means that players must start the game by hitting any double, or the bullseye.
Once they have hit a double or a bullseye, then their darts will then start scoring and subtracting from their total, including the shot that hit the double or bullseye.
Until a player hits a double with a dart in a new leg, any darts that hit any single number or treble, or the 25 ring, do not count.
Can You Still Land A Nine-Darter With A “Double-In Start?
Yes, but you need to hit a high value double or the bullseye with your very first dart in order to be able to do so.
A nine-dart finish has been achieved three times in the tournament, including twice in one match by both players when James Wade and Robert Thornton met in the second round in 2014.
Prior to that Brendan Dolan landed the first ever nine-dart finish at the Grand Prix in Dublin in 2011, ironically against James Wade in the semi-final.
All three Nine-Dart finishes were achieved in the same way:
Starting with a score of 501 each player hit:
1 x Double 20 (40) – 461
2x Treble 20 (60+60) – 401-341
3x Treble 20 (60+60+60) 281- 221 – 161
1x Treble 10 (60) – 101
1x Treble 17 (51) – 50
1x Bullseye (50)
