TOP STARS have adopted varying preparations for the Blue Square UK Open, which begins on Thursday.
Bolton's Reebok Stadium will once again host "The FA Cup of Darts", where 129 players will compete for £200,000 in prize money from Thursday to Sunday.
Gary Mawson - last year's UK Open runner-up - John Kuczynski, David Fatum and Larry Butler all took part in the North American Darts Championship on Sunday in Boxborough before heading to the UK.
Mawson reached the quarter-finals before losing to Chuck Pankow, Kuczynski was a last 16 loser to Chris White and Fatum and Butler were defeated in the last 32.
With no PDC ranked event in the UK, a number of players travelled to the Hampshire Open to gain some match practice ahead of Bolton.
Basingstoke's Colin Monk won the tournament for a second successive year, defeating former PDPA member Tony Randell in the final, with Dennis Smith and Andy Jenkins being quarter-final losers ahead of the UK Open.
Many stars travelled to Newcastle for the Eddy Cox Memorial evening, held in tribute to the late PDC official, who passed away last December.
Phil Taylor, Colin Lloyd and Colin Osborne, who will all enter the UK Open at the third round stage on Friday, took part in exhibition games on the night, and Mark Dudbridge, Mark Walsh, Dave Honey, Stephen Hardy, Ken Dobson and Robbie Parker also travelled to the north-east.
Taylor joined Jelle Klaasen, Paul Nicholson and Anastasia Dobromyslova in the PartyPoker.com Sports Stars Challenge Poker event on Friday, with the event being televised later in 2009.
Adrian Gray became a father for a second time on Saturday morning, with wife Abi giving birth to a daugher, Lyla-Rose.
One player whose focus is not wholly on the UK Open is teenager Michael Smith, who will take his driving theory test on Thursday afternoon before heading to Bolton from his home in nearby St Helens.
Tickets are still available for the Blue Square UK Open, with prices starting at £10 via 0844 871 2932 or in person at the Reebok Stadium Box Office.