Defending champion Michael van Gerwen is the favourite in the betting for the 26th edition of the World Grand Prix Darts that takes place for the third year running in Leicester's Morningside Arena. The tournament gets underway on Monday, October 2 and ends with the final on Sunday, October 8.
The top 16 in the PDC Order of Merit will collide with 16 further qualifiers from the PDC ProTour, and a plethora of big names will be in attendance including former winners Van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney.
The Dutchman, however, is the 10/3 favourite and it's hard to look past him on current form. He has claimed his 46th and 47th PDC Major Title in recent weeks securing the 2023 Premier League and the 2023 World Series of Darts. In addition, he has won the US Darts Masters and Poland Darts Masters this season, and was runner-up at the World Championship and UK Open.
The two seed has a tough route to the final though. He faces Josh Rock in round one, Dimitri Van den Bergh or Chris Dobey in the next if he is successful, before a likely quarter-final matchup with Jonny Clayton. He should overcome all obstacles in the bottom half of the draw, so the 15/8 bet to reach the final is enticing.
Van Gerwen is a 4/9 favourite in his opener, but the 2-1 scoreline in favour of the Dutchman is appealing at 5/2.
Price, a two-time winner of the Grand Prix in 2021 and 2022, is the 7/2 second favourite, but has yet to win on the 2023 PDC Tour. His best performance this campaign is a runner-up finish at the Premier League, with early exits on his copybook at the World Championships, UK Open and World Matchplay.
Price clashes with Danny Noppert, before a potential second round tie against James Wade. Price is 4/11 to succeed in his opening round matchup, and 5/2 to win 2-1 in sets.
World Champion Michael Smith is a handsomely priced 7/1 in the betting. The number one seed has the Bahrain Darts Masters on his 2023 resumé, as well as semi-final appearances in the Premier League and The Masters.
Smith has potentially the easiest route through the opening rounds. Round one sees him face Callan Rydz, before a round two tie with either Drik van Duijvenbode or Brendan Dolan. Smith will likely be on a collision course with Price in the semi-final.
The 2-0 scoreline at 11/10 looks favourable for better than double-your-money odds. A win and the Most 180s in the contest pays at 6/4.
If you're looking for a big price to upset the applecart, the bottom quarter of the draw is the likely place to look. Australian Damon Heta is a 40/1 shot to win the tournament, and has been competitive in the three majors so far this season. The stronger bet may be the 13/2 shot to win his quarter of the draw.
