Grand Slam of Darts Tips: Day 1 Saturday Best Bets & Predictions
Lewis Watson 
Saturday afternoon sees the start of the 2025 Grand Slam of Darts, as all 32 players take to the oche looking to state their intentions for the week ahead.
In a race to five legs it’s more important than ever to get off to a fast start in Wolverhampton, and it also opens the door to shocks, twists and turns.
It's a big week of darts, and here at Free Bets we will have you covered every step of the way with daily tips.
Grand Slam of Darts Tips: Day 1
Reigning and defending champion Luke Littler is paired with Czechia’s Karel Sedlacek in his opening match, before he moves into the more dangerous waters of Connor Scutt and Daryl Gurney over subsequent days.
And world number one Luke Humphries opens his campaign against the USA’s Alex Spellman whose greatest triumph in the sport so far is claiming two CDC Continental Cup titles.
Let’s take a look at some of the best darts betting tips for Day 1 of the Grand Slam of Darts.
Tip 1: Ricky Evans +1.5 handicap vs Gerwyn Price at 11/8 with bet365
We actually fancy Gerwyn Price for a deep run at this tournament — one he has won on three previous occasions — but “Rapid” Ricky Evans strikes us as a player that could get up and running quickly in this format.
The 35-year-old is still to make it out of the group-phase in his two Grand Slam of Darts appearances, but he’s come on leaps and bounds since 2020 and in a race to five legs, he’s more than capable of running Price close.
We’re not going to back Evans to get the win here, but a +1.5 handicap gives us a safety net if Price takes it in the deciding leg.
Tip 2: Nathan Aspinall vs Michael Smith - Over 7.5 legs at 4/5 with Paddy Power
Neither Nathan Aspinall nor Michael Smith are where they want to be at the moment.
Both players are used to contending for and winning major titles on the PDC Tour, but have both experienced a bit of a barren run in recent months, coupled with some recurring injuries.
This group-stage fixture could have graced the final a few years back — in fact it did in 2022, with Smith coming out on top as a 16-5 winner — but we expect this one to be a lot closer than that route from “Bully Boy”.
Aspinall is in better form than Smith, but both are capable of dealing major blows in this short format.
We’re backing a 5-4 or 5-3 either way.
Tip 3: Luke Littler 5-0 Karel Sedlacek at 5/1 with William Hill
Luke Littler racked up a 5-0 and a 5-1 in the groups last year and we’re not expecting the teenager to take his foot off the gas in defence of his title.
If he wins the bull, he’ll only need to break Sedlacek twice in order to sweep him 5-zip, something more than doable against the world number 73.
5/1 is a pretty meaty price here for Littler to get off to the perfect defence of his title.
Grand Slam of Darts Day 1 Schedule
Here's a look at the day one schedule so you know what games you can bet on with betting sites and how the sessions are split across the day.
Afternoon Session
Group Stage x8 - Groups B-D-F-H First Games
Danny Noppert v Lukas Wenig (H)
Damon Heta v Martin Lukeman (B)
Chris Dobey v Jurjen van der Velde (B)
Gerwyn Price v Ricky Evans (D)
James Wade v Stefan Bellmont (D)
Jonny Clayton v Cam Crabtree (H)
Josh Rock v Wessel Nijman (F)
Gian van Veen v Lisa Ashton (F)
Evening Session
Group Stage x8 - Groups A-C-E-G First Games
Daryl Gurney v Connor Scutt (E)
Martin Schindler v Luke Woodhouse (C)
Nathan Aspinall v Michael Smith (A)
Gary Anderson v Niko Springer (G)
Luke Humphries v Alex Spellman (A)
Luke Littler v Karel Sedlacek (E)
Michael van Gerwen v Beau Greaves (G)
Stephen Bunting v Alexis Toylo (C)
For more betting predictions on the darts, make sure you're back with us every day to get the best value from Lewis!
