Premier League Darts 2023: Prize money, format, how to watch, who is playing, who is favourite to win and when are the Glasgow and Aberdeen legs?

The Cazoo Premier League Darts tournament kicked off in Belfast recently and will visit 17 venues – including Glasgow and Aberdeen – in the coming months.

Michael van Gerwen is hoping to the win the Premier League Darts title for a record seventh time.

First held in 2005, the competition is part of the sport’s Triple Crown alongside the World Championship and the World Matchplay.

The 9th edition kicked-off in Belfast’s SSE Arena on Thursday, February 2, with Chris Dobey defeating favourite 6-5 Michael van Gerwen in the final to take first blood.

Van Gerwen is bidding to become the most successful Premier League player of all time – currently tying Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor’s six titles.

Here’s everything you need to know about the competition.

Who plays in the Premier League Darts?

Originally the tournament featured seven players, but that has since been expanded to eight – made up of the top four players in the PDC Order of Merit and four wildcard selections. This year the players who appear at every leg of the tournament are Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, Chris Dobey, Peter Wright, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith and Jonny Clayton.

What’s the format?

Introduced in 2022, each night sees an eight-person knock-out tournament, with all seven games played over the best of 11 legs.

The players are guaranteed to meet each other twice in the opening quarter-final matches between weeks 1-7 and 9-15, with the draw for weeks 8 and 16 based on the league standings at that point.

Players will receive two points per semi-final finish, three points per runner-up finish, and five points per final win.

At the end of the first 15 weeks, the top four players will contest two knock-out semi-finals, before the final determines the overall winner.

Which venues does it visit?

Here’s the full schedule for the Premier League Darts 2023:

Thursday 2 February: SSE Arena Belfast

Thursday 9 February: Motorpoint Arena CardiffThursday 16 February: OVO Hydro, Glasgow

Thursday 23 February: 3Arena, Dublin

Thursday 2 March: Westpoint Arena, ExeterThursday 9 March: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool

Thursday 16 March: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham

Thursday 23 March: Utilita Arena, Newcastle

Thursday 30 March: Mercedes-Benz Arena, BerlinThursday 6 April: Utilita Arena, BirminghamThursday 13 April: Brighton Centre, BrightonThursday 20 April: Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam

Thursday 27 April: First Direct Arena, LeedsThursday 4 May: AO Arenam ManchesterThursday 11 May: Utilita Arena. SheffieldThursday 18 May: P&J Live, AberdeenThursday 25 May: The O2, London

How to watch the Premier League Darts in the UK

All Premier Leage Darts matches are broadcast live on Thursday nights on Sky Sports. Those who don’t subscribe to Sky Sports can watch by purchasing a pass from NOW TV.

Who is favourite to win?

Defending champion Michael van Gerwen is favourite with the bookies with odds of 7/4, followed by Michael Smith (10/3), Gerwyn Price (5/1), Peter Wright (13/2) and Chris Dobey (12/1).

What’s the prize money?

The overall winner receives a cheque for £275,000, with the runner-up earning £125,000, semi-finalists £85,000, 5th place £75,000, 6th place £70,000, 7th place £65,000, and 8th place £60,000.

Each of the 16 weekly winners also receives a bonus payment of £10,000.