Luke Littler Must Follow Unusual 'Double In' Rule to Win World Grand Prix
Luke Littler and other players will have to follow the unusual 'double in, double out' rule when they compete at next week's World Grand Prix darts event in Leicester.
Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen all feature in a star-studded field looking to win arguably the most unique event in the PDC calendar, which gets underway on Monday.
Belgium's Mike De Decker is the defending champion, having claimed a surprise 6-4 victory over Humphries in the 2024 final.
The 32 players featuring at the 2025 tournament are made up of the 16 best-ranked players from the PDC's Order of Merit, combined with the best 16 from the last 12 months via the Order of Merit who had not already qualified.
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A total prize fund of £600,000 is up for grabs with the winner pocketing £120,000.
The World Grand Prix is unlike any other major PDC event as it is the only one that features the 'double in, double out' rule.
Players are required to hit a double to start and finish each leg of the 501 game, with standard rules only requiring them to do so with their final dart.
A player must hit a double or the bullseye on their first dart to begin scoring points in the leg.
If they miss the double, they receive no score for that dart and the turn continues. As is the case with normal rules, a player must hit a double or the bullseye with their final dart to bring their score to exactly zero.
The opening round of the tournament sees world No 1 Humphries take on 2022 runner-up Nathan Aspinall.
Meanwhile, world No 2 Littler will face rising Dutch star Gian van Veen, and 2019 semi-finalist Glen Durrant predicts the match will be tougher than most expect.
"Gian van Veen has beaten Littler the last two times they have played on the European Tour, one with a 110 average, so their opening-round match is a fascinating one," Durrant told Sky Sports.
"Gian is not frightened of Luke as they have been playing each other since their development days. In normal circumstances, I would say this is an awful draw for Luke.
"With this being a double start at the World Grand Prix it does feel like a different game but it is certainly not the draw Littler would have wanted.
"Luke is a genius. As a commentator, I find myself just saying wow all the time. He is unique and the total opposite preparation-wise to what I would do. He throws nine darts before a game, barely practises, but when he wants to win something, he wins it."
The World Grand Prix gets underway at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester on Monday, with the final taking place on Sunday.
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts, Luke Humphries
Rory O'Callaghan