Our Guide to the 2023 World Snooker Championships
Posted by Harry Kane on Tuesday, June 7, 2022
The 2023 World Snooker Championships are scheduled to take place between April 15th and May 1st, at the usual venue of the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. This iconic venue will host the event for the 47th consecutive year in 2023, while defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will go in search of an 8th world crown.
However, this event could be one of the most open and keenly contested in years, with the brilliant O’Sullivan currently only the third favourite behind Neil Robertson and Judd Trump. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll preview the tournament and look at the main contenders, while offering some expert betting tips to help you make the most of your bankroll!
The World Snooker Championship – A Brief History
The World Snooker Championships is the longest running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker, having been officially established way back in 1927. The event was initially designated for amateur players, with Joe Davies winning the first 15 iterations of the tournament without losing a match before he stopped appearing after the 1946 Championships.
It was in 1977 that the tournament moved to The Crucible, with the venue having remained in Sheffield ever since. The standard of snooker and levels of professionalism associated with the World Championships have increased throughout this time, while the event has also become increasingly lucrative with every passing year.
The World Championships are now the richest snooker tournaments on the professional tour, with total prize money in 2022 totalling £2,395,000. This included a first prize of £500,000, while even players eliminated in the last 32 were able to bank an impressive £20,000 for their efforts. Interestingly, the tournament also comprises one leg of the so-called “Triple Crown”, which also includes the UK Championship and invitational Masters.
During the Crucible era, both O’Sullivan and Scotsman Stephen Hendry have won seven world titles, with the latter claiming five successive crowns between 1992 and 1996. Conversely, ‘Rocket’ Ronnie’s titles have come over a 21-year period, lifting his first world title in 2001 and most recent last year at the 2022 tournament.
Englishman Steve Davis also won six World Snooker Championships between 1981 and 1989, but the tournament has been much more open and competitive through the noughties. In fact, there have
been seven different event winners in the 13 championships since 2010, while the 2023 iteration may be similarly competitive and hard to call.
The 2023 World Snooker Championships Format and Prize Fund
The qualifiers for the 2023 World Snooker Championships will take place at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield between April 3rd and April 12th. Here, up to 144 players will compete over four rounds for the final 16 places in the tournament, with the first 16 places already claimed by the top 16 players in the world.
The first-round proper will commence on April 15th at The Crucible, with the 16 seeded players drawn against random qualifiers in the last 32. These matches are contested over two sessions and the best of 19 frames, with the winners progressing to the round of 16.
The second round and quarterfinals are contested over three sessions and as the best of 25 frame encounters, before four players are left standing ahead of the semi-finals. These lengthier matches are played across four different sessions and will include a maximum 33 frames, with the victor the first to win 17 frames.
The final is also played over four sessions, although this match is contested as a best of 35 frame encounter. The final commences on the last Sunday of the tournament and concludes on Monday, which as usual will be the May Day Bank Holiday.
This year, all participants will be competing for their share of a £2.4 million prize fund, which is slightly higher than the 2022 iteration. However, the winner will once again bank £500,000 for their efforts, with the runner-up cashing a cheque for £200,000 and each semi-finalist collecting £100,000 in cash.
What are the Ante Post Odds for the 2023 Tournament?
While the 2023 World Snooker Championships are set to be open and keenly contested, a few players stand out as the early, ante post favourites. We’ve published a comprehensive list of most likely winners and their average price below, but first let’s look at the best value odds and moneyline markets ahead of the tournament.
#1. The Best Value Bet – Ronnie O’Sullivan (11/2)
Not only has Ronnie O’Sullivan won the joint-highest number of world crowns, but his tally of 39 ranking titles is unmatched in this history of the sport. O’Sullivan has won three more ranking titles than Stephen Hendry, while John Higgins is the closest active top 16 players with 31 ranking titles to his name in a similarly impressive career.
Interestingly, he has also won two of the last three World Championships contested, claiming the title in 2020 and 2022. This highlights the Rocket’s elite mindset and penchant for performing on the biggest of occasions, and there’s no reason to think at the 2023 World Championships will be any different at all.
Of course, O’Sullivan hasn’t enjoyed his most successful season in 2022/23, while he’s without any ranking title at all this campaign. In fact, his only two successes came in the invitational Hong Kong Masters and Champion of Champions events, while he was eliminated at the quarterfinal stage of both The Masters and UK Championship.
However, he’s a big game player who often reserves his best form for the major tournaments, while an average price of 11/2 offers immense value when you consider his pedigree. Also, this price is
likely to shorten ahead of the event, so betting now will help you to maximise any potential returns on your stake.
#2. The Best Short Price Bet – Judd Trump (5/1)
If you want to back a short price favourite that has the best possible chance of winning, you may want to consider betting on Judd Trump. This may sound a little strange, especially with Trump having endured a difficult couple of seasons that have seen him go without a ranking tournament win, but he at least managed to reach the World Championship final in 2021/22.
Trump has also won two non-ranking tournaments during the last two seasons, including the Champion of Champions event last year and the 2023 Masters in January. So, although his world ranking has dropped to fifth as his form has dipped, he remains an obvious threat at any major tournament.
Like O’Sullivan, Trump also reserves his best form for the biggest tournaments, and he was particularly impressive during his Masters win at the beginning of 2023. He also had to recover from 8-7 down in the final against Welshman Mark Williams, reeling off the final three frames while closing out a famous win with a superb century.
You can currently back Trump to win at an average price of 5/1. Once again, however, this price is likely to shorten as the tournament draws closer, so it’s worth approaching the betting market proactively and placing you wager as soon as possible.
#3. The Best Outside Bet – Mark Allen (33/1)
Mark Allen has enjoyed a stellar couple of years, with a superb run of form coinciding with his decision to lose weight and become physically fitter. The Ulsterman won his native Northern Ireland Open in 2021/22, before retaining his title this season and adding the World Grand Prix and coveted UK Championships to his haul.
He was also the losing finalist in the 2022/23 British Open, while he reached the semi-final of the English Open last autumn. Overall, his form has been both consistent and exceptional, helping Allen to rise up the rankings to third in the world as of February 27th.
Despite Allen’s meteoric rise from top 16 contender to regular title winner, Allen is priced as long as 33/1 with some bookmakers to win the 2023 World Snooker Championships. This could unlock significant value, especially if you’re able to wager now and leverage this ante post market to your advantage.
We’d definitely expect Allen’s price to shorten ahead of the tournament, especially given the open nature of the tournament and lack of a dominant favourite. Of course, Allen has never won a World title, but he’ll arguably never have a better chance to end his barren run at The Crucible.
What are the Best Snooker Championship Betting Markets?
This leads us neatly onto a broader investigation of the best World Snooker Championship betting markets. There are certainly a number of ways in which you can wager on this tournament, which option offers the best value for your hard-earned bankroll? Here are three to keep in mind!
#1. Outright Winner
We’ve already discussed the favourites for the 2023 World Snooker Championships, with Neil Robertson edging Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan in the eyes of the bookmaker. Neither of these players have performed particularly well through the season, however, making it one of the most open and competitive fields in recent memory.
The odds seem to reflect this, while there’s clearly some value be found in backing defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, four-time winner and world number two Mark Selby and the rank outside (but in-form) Mark Allen. John Higgins can also be backed at an average price of 12/1, with the seasoned Scotsman always competitive in the world’s biggest events.
Regardless of who you intend to back, you should look to place your outright wager sooner rather than later. This is because the ante post odds tend to be the most competitive, with prices having a tendency to drift as the tournament draws closer. So, be sure to plan your wagers now and place them as soon as you’ve made your decision.
#2. Handicap Betting
Match betting is another popular option, especially during the first and second rounds of the tournament. The reason for this is simple; as the opening rounds pit top-16 ranked players against qualifiers, creating potential mismatches and easier to predict outcomes.
Handicap betting also enables you to create higher value wagers, as you apply a theoretical handicap to a heavy, short-price favourite and enhance the odds in your favour. For example, if Ronnie O’Sullivan was drawn against a qualifier who was ranked outside of the top 100, he’d be odds-on favourite to prevail in a best-of-19 frame encounter. However, you could improve the odds by applying a handicap of -4 to the favourite, and your bet will come in if the Rocket wins by five frames or more.
You’ll need to be selective when placing this type of wager, as the nature of the match and quality of its participants are key considerations. We’d also recommend restricting this type of bet to the early rounds and before the tournament’s lowest ranked players are eliminated.
#3. Accumulator Betting
We’ll close with accumulator or “acca” betting, which is a multi-fold wager that sees you combine several selections in a single bet. Typically, you can include between four and 20 selections in an accumulator bet, while each of these outcomes must occur if the best is to be successful (unless you access acca insurance that can provide as safety net if one selection fails).
When building acca bets, we’d recommend limiting your number of selections to between six and eight, as this helps you to optimise your chances of winning while maximising any potential returns. Also, try to prioritise short-price favourites, as the odds of selection are multiplied together to create a single, extended price in any accumulator wager.
Once again, accumulator bets arguably offer better value during the first and second rounds, where there are more matches to choose from and a larger number of contests that are relatively easy to predict. Match selecting is definitely key here, so keep this in mind and take care when building your acca bets.