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Luke Littler (Picture: PDC)

Grand Slam of Darts 2024: Day six predictions, betting tips, acca, order of play and TV time

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Thu November 14, 2024 · 2w ago

The 2024 Grand Slam of Darts continues on Thursday night with four more last 16 games so check out Chris Hammer's match-by-match predictions, best bets and a suggested acca.

Darts betting tips: Grand Slam of Darts day six

1pt nine-dart finish in any match this session at 7/1 (Sky Bet)

1pt De Decker (+2.5) legs to win and Littler to hit most 180s at 5/2 (Sky Bet)

2pts Anderson and Bunting to hit four 180s & a 100+ checkout each at evens (Sky Bet)

SL Acca: 1pt Van den Bergh (+2.5), De Decker (+2.5) & Joyce (+2.5) at 5/1 with Sky Bet

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Evening Session (1900 GMT)

TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Format: Second Round, best of 19 legs

Session Tip

There are a lot of in-form players in this section of the knockout stage and this could be a prime night for it to happen while they're playing to such a ridiculously high standard and aren't yet feeling mentally jaded.

Gian van Veen, Luke Littler, Gary Anderson and Stephen Bunting are all averaging well over 100 and firing in 180s for fun while the first two of those names have already had a dart at a double for a perfect leg during the group stages.

Mike De Decker is coming into form after averaging over 100 in a 5-0 thrashing of Michael Smith in his final game while Jermaine Wattimena has never been more confident and Dimitri Van den Bergh has a lucky penny! Sod's law it's Ryan Joyce who manages it.

There's a maximum of 76 legs to be played tonight and the way these guys are playing, there should be plenty that start off with a maximum to give us a run for our money at the very least.

CLICK HERE to back a nine-dart finish in any match this session with Sky Bet

Jermaine Wattimena (4/6) v Dimitri Van den Bergh (11/10)

Tournament Ave: 98.92 - 94.30
Tournament 180s per leg: 0.23 - 0.17
Tournament Checkout %: 57.69% - 47.83%

If darts wasn't hard enough to predict at the moment, Dimitri Van den Bergh throws another factor into the mix for us to consider; his lucky penny.

Dimitri Van den Bergh explains his lucky penny after his win over Keane Barry 🪙 pic.twitter.com/PMTTHaB2Vo
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) November 12, 2024

Before finding the shiny one pence, this year's UK Open champion had been in the midst of an alarming slump of which had seen him average in the 80s - or less - in 12 of his last 15 matches.

His manager's last-gasp piece of advice ahead of VDB's winner-takes-all showdown with Keane Barry was to find a penny for luck and despite the fact nobody carries cash around these days - let alone coins - he remarkably achieved the feat and went on to average 104.6 in a 5-1 victory.

Obviously (and I only say this just in case you think I've gone mad) the penny has no special powers but in a sport of such fine margins that can change so dramatically with confidence and belief, could we be about to see a return of the old Van den Bergh?

When we talk about confidence, Jermaine Wattimena's levels are as high as they've ever been in his career having reached the final of the European Championship and then storm through his Grand Slam group with three successive wins at an average of almost 100.

However, he did get drawn into a bit of a war of attrition with a woefully out of form Mensur Suljovic in his last game and needed a superb 148 checkout in a deciding leg to come through.

Wattimena did stand up to - and beat - Luke Humphries in style during the best-of-19 leg format at the European Championship so the longer format on the big stage won't be fazing him but I just sense if Van den Bergh is turning a corner, his inner champion spirit could prove crucial.

Verdict: 7-10

Click here to bet on Wattimena v Van den Bergh with Sky Bet

Gian van Veen (1/2) v Ryan Joyce (6/4)

Tournament Ave: 108.89 - 90.29
Tournament 180s per leg: 0.50 - 0.09
Tournament Checkout %: 53.57% - 39.29%

Gian van Veen's tournament average of 108.89 is the highest ever in a Grand Slam of Darts group stage - a remarkable feat when you consider Phil Taylor entered this tournament 11 times, Michael van Gerwen 17 and Gary Anderson also 17.

Even more mind-blowing is that his averages of 114.71, 110.39 and 103.99 have come against players averaging 104.17, 105.83 and 111.1 in those respective three group matches - so nothing anyone throws at him is fazing him.

If anything, it looks like he's becoming one of these stars who find extra gears when they really have to.

This all bodes well for his future at the top, but what about when he gets dragged into one of those war of attritions on the biggest televised stages, when the standard drops into the 90s and you require a lot of mental strength?

During his previous best major run - the semi-finals of the 2023 European Championship, he battled past Michael van Gerwen in one of those matches 10-6 before bowing out 11-9 to James Wade with an average of 89 while his only decent televised run - at this year's UK Open - saw him bow out 10-8 to Damon Heta in a similarly scrappy game.

One of these contests is surely coming soon for van Veen because we can't assume he's suddenly turned into a 100+ average machine just based on one phenomenal group stage, which came a little out of the blue compared to the rest of his season.

If it is a sign of more to come then Ryan Joyce is going to struggle badly tonight despite any confidence he drew from scrapping past a below-par Michael van Gerwen on Tuesday night.

Relentless is only averaging above 90, his 180 hitting has been of a lower rate than anyone left in the tournament and his finishing has been pretty mediocre too compared to van Veen.

Since the start of October in all competitions, however, there actually isn't much between them when it comes to 180s per leg (van Veen 0.28, Joyce 0.23), and the longer format may suit Joyce, who played brilliantly to reach the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix last month.

This could be closer than you might expect.

Verdict: 10-8

Click here to bet on van Veen v Joyce with Sky Bet

Luke Littler (8/15) v Mike de Decker (11/4)

Tournament Ave: 106.16 - 95.15
Tournament 180s per leg: 0.53 - 0.26
Tournament Checkout %: 55.56% - 32.43%

Luke Littler is enjoying a dream Grand Slam of Darts debut after cruising through the groups in emphatic fashion and now we can look for another potentially explosive encounter involving the Nuke.

He's averaging over 106, hitting a 180 every other leg and finishing over 55% of his doubles so if he carries on like this then a maiden ranked TV title is on the cards but he won't have it all his way against Mike de Decker.

The World Grand Prix champion's tournament average is over 10 points less than Littler's but that was due to being embroiled in a slow, scrappy contest against Mensur Suljovic in which he managed just 88.77 in seven legs but apart from that he's been around the 100 mark and didn't even allow Michael Smith a dart at a double in a 5-0 thrashing last time out.

He clearly prefers a decent paced match as we saw in the World Grand Prix with wins over Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries, so this first televised meeting with Littler won't faze him.

These are two of the most prolific 180 hitters on the planet and although Littler should edge the maximum battle based on the tournament and seasonal stats, the match result could be even closer.

I wouldn't put anyone off another Grand Slam 'surprise' considering Littler has suffered upsets before and how confident a stage performer de Decker has become.

Verdict: 9-10

CLICK HERE to back De Decker (+2.5) to win and Littler to hit most 180s with Sky Bet

Click here to bet on Littler v de Decker with Sky Bet

Gary Anderson (4/7) v Stephen Bunting (5/4)

Tournament Ave: 103.96 - 104.51
Tournament 180s per leg: 0.36 - 0.41
Tournament Checkout %: 53.57% - 52.38%

Gary Anderson is among the most talked about players at the Grand Slam of Darts after maintaining his perfect record of getting through the group stages on his 17 appearance.

It's a remarkable achievement from the the Flying Scotsman and he's done it by playing supremely well - just like he has all season in shorter format tournaments - with an average of 104.

The acid test is whether he can mount a serious challenge over the longer format.

It didn't work out a the European Championship last month when an inspired Ritchie Edhouse brushed him aside 10-5 and tonight he faces Stephen Bunting, who has played incredibly well to get out of an insanely tough Group H.

The Bullet averaged 103, 104.2 and 106.6 while he deserves a huge amount of credit from bouncing back from the crushing 5-1 defeat to Gian van Veen to overcome Josh Rock with a breathtaking display that made a mockery of the pressure of his final match.

Since becoming the Masters champion way back in February, Bunting has finished runner-up in six other events, including four last month, so he really is relentless match-winning form, so he should contribute to a thrilling encounter.

Bunting may have the slightly higher 180 per leg rate in this tournament so far, but Anderson is bossing the seasonal stats while if we see a close encounter with plenty of legs, I'd expect both to rack up at least one 100+ checkout apiece.

Verdict: 8-10