World Snooker Betting – A Comprehensive Guide

Posted by Harry Kane on Friday, January 5, 2024

Ronnie O’Sullivan was once again imperious in winning the 2024 Snooker Masters at Alexandra Palace, as he came from 6-3 down in the final session to ultimately triumph against the in-form Ali Carter. In doing so, he became the oldest ever Masters champion, and won his 23rd Triple Crown title.

This has made him the pre-tournament favourite for the 2024 World Snooker Championships, which starts on April 20th at the now iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. But will ‘The Rocket’ also win a record 8th world crown here, or can a young pretender upset the odds and make their own history?

The World Snooker Championships – A Brief History

2024 will see the 89th iteration of the World Snooker Championships, and the 48th consecutive year of it being held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Interestingly, the competition was inaugurated way back in 1927 (under the guise of the ‘Professional Snooker Championship’), while it was the first ever professional snooker tournament.

The early tournaments featured a selection of the world’s best professional players and leading billboard practitioners in England. These iterations were also dominated by snooker star Joe Davis, who won the first 14 Championships between 1927 and 1940 and before the breakout of the Second World War.

He even won the title in 1946 after the cessation of conflict, claiming his 15th and final world crown at London’s Royal Horticultural Hall. Incredibly, he retired after this title win, and to this date, he remains the only ever player to remain undefeated in the World Snooker Championship during their career.

It’s fair to say that Davis’ retirement damaged the prestige of subsequent tournaments, especially with no outstanding rival to claim his mantle. Davis had also become synonymous with the competition, and without his talismanic and unifying presence, there was a subsequent split between the Professional Billiards Players’ Association (PBPA) and the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC).

The PBPA subsequently launched their own world title tournament in 1952, with this branded as the World Professional Match-play Championship the following year. Obviously, the number and quality of entrants was compromised during this period, although Fred Davis (Joe’s brother) won five titles in six years through 1956 and took his personal haul of world crowns to eight.

The world snooker scene remained uncertain for the following decade. However, following negotiations and the approval of the BACC, the Championship was finally revived on a ‘challenge’ basis in 1964. This saw the defending champion take on an invited challenger in one or a series of games, with Brit winning eight successive titles through 1968.

It wasn’t until 1969 that the Snooker World Championship returned to a fully competitive knockout format, with John Spencer defeating Gary Owen at Victoria House in London. However, it was Ray Reardon who dominated during the 1970s, winning six world titles and enjoying fascinating rivals with both Eddie Charlton and the mercurial Alex Higgins.

The tournament moved to The Crucible in 1977, with Reardon winning his final title here the following year. It’s this venue that has seen the halcyon days of the tournament too, with Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan (who are arguably the best professional players to ever pick up a cue) plying their trade during this time.

These two have claimed 14 world titles between them, sharing seven apiece since 1990. However, Hendry’s titles were won during a sustained period of dominance between 1990 and 1999, whereas O’Sullivan won his initial Championship in 2001 and his most recent in 2022. Remember, he’ll go in search of his eighth crown and a modern era record in April!

2024 World Snooker Championship Odds: Pre-Tournament Favourites

As usual, 32 contenders will compete for the Snooker World Championship in Sheffield, including the top-ranked 16 players on the tour and a further 16 qualifiers. The latter will have to make their way through four rounds of qualifying in some instances, while seeded players will be kept apart during the draw to afford them the best possible chance of progressing.

While the final lineup for 2024 has yet to be confirmed, however, some players have already qualified through their ranking and the points that they’ve accumulated to date. We also expect most of the current top 16 to appear at the Crucible, so most of the market leading snooker betting sites have already published their pretournament odds.

Of course, O’Sullivan is the world number one and player in form, as he looks to win an eighth Crucible title and complete the hattrick of Triple Crown titles in a single season for the first time in his career. But which other players are expected to contend in Sheffield in 2024? Let’s find out!

Player Profiles – Analysing the Three Favourites

Next, we’re going to take a brief look at the three pre-tournament favourites in a little more detail, including the outstanding O’Sullivan. Each of these three players have been in relatively good and consistent form through 2023/24 so far, but which is more likely to win the coveted world crown?

• #1. Ronnie O’Sullivan: ‘Rocket’ Ronnie remains the player to beat on the circuit, having already won three major titles this season and the first two legs of the coveted ‘Triple Crown’ (the Masters and UK Championship). He even managed to win the former without really getting out of first gear, eventually overcoming Ali Carter in the final through sheer grit, mental strength and O’Sullivan’s trademark competitive spirit. If he can work on his game further and arrives in Sheffield anywhere approaching his best levels, he’ll be the man to beat in 2024.
• #2. Judd Trump: Trump has also won three titles in 2023/24, claiming consecutive honours at the English, Welsh and Wuhan Opens in October 2023. He’s also one of the few players with the game and temperament to beat O’Sullivan at the highest level, with the ‘Juddernaut’s’ immense attacking style hard for any opponent to cope with when it’s executed well. However, he has just won world title to his name despite his undoubted ability, while O’Sullivan beat the Bristol man 18-13 in the 2022 final.
• #3. Mark Selby: World number five Mark Selby is always tipped to do well at The Crucible, despite only winning a single ranking title during the last three seasons. There’s good reason for this; as he has four world titles to his name and always saves his best form for the World Championships. He also retains a consistent and reliable game, with the ‘Jester from Leicester’ renowned as an expert tactician and superb safety players. Certainly, he has immense pedigree in the Championship and should never be overlooked.

Our Snooker Betting Tips and Insights

Given the respective form, qualities and historic performances of O’Sullivan, Trump and Selby, it makes sense that these players should be among the favourites to win the 2024 World Championships. Regardless of how you bet and who you back to win, however, here are some insightful betting tips to help you make the most of your bankroll!

Avoid Backing Luca Brecel to Repeat his 2023 Success

Belgian Luca Brecel surged to a thrilling World title win in 2023, playing an aggressive and fearless brand of snooker that wowed fans and pundits alike. However, he has struggled manfully since this success, failing to progress beyond the third round of any ranking title since the beginning of the 2023/24 season.

So, although Brecel is still ranked fourth in the world and certain to defend his title in Sheffield, the odds are against him successfully achieving this objective. History is also against the likeable Belgian, who did at least showcase some flashes of brilliance when losing the Shanghai Masters to Ronnie O’Sullivan recently.

Since the Snooker World Championship was restored as a knockout tournament in 1969, just five players have successfully defended and retained their titles. These players are Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby, while Reardon and Hendry are the only professionals to achieve this feat more than once.

However, no first-time winner has ever retained their title at The Crucible, while many defending champions have been eliminated in the first round as part of what’s colloquially referred to as the ‘Crucible Curse’. John Pulman was the last first-time winner to defend his crown successfully, with the eight-time champion achieving this way back in 1964.

So, we’d recommend that you avoid backing Brecel to win the 2024 World Snooker Championship, despite his 2023 success and enhanced price of 14/1. Instead, focus your attentions on other, more in-form players and alternative betting markets.

Follow the Form, But Consider Other Factors

Form is one of the most important considerations when betting on a tournament such as the World Snooker Championship, especially as the competition’s long and highly competitive nature makes it hard to prevail simply by grinding out results. So, player who are cueing well and competing in tournaments are more likely to fare well, with this favouring the in-form Judd Trump at the time of writing.

Of course, there’s a slight exception to this rule in the form of the seemingly indefatigable O’Sullivan. As the seven-time winner showed during the Masters, he’s able to stay the course in and even win high calibre tournaments regardless of his form, with opponents often intimidated by the Rocket’s aura and famed ability to perform in clutch moments.

Sure, we’d like to see O’Sullivan improve his game if he’s to fully justify his status as the pre-tournament favourite, but his presence and record highlights the fact that form isn’t the only consideration when picking your 2024 Snooker World Championship winner. Pedigree and past performances must also be taken into account, while the final draw may also impact who you back to reach the final and prevail.

For this reason, Mark Selby is also worthy of consideration as tournament winner. While he has struggled both mentally and with his cueing action in the last three seasons, he has won four Crucible titles and has the tactical ability to thrive in longer form matches. He also showcased glimpses of form at The Masters, so he’s likely to contend in Sheffield.

Consider Handicapping in the First and Second Rounds

When it comes to individual match betting, you may be able to unlock optimal value by leveraging handicapping during the formative rounds. After all, the rounds of 32 and 16 are more likely to see mismatches, particularly as seeded players are segregated in the draw and generally take on lower ranked qualifiers early on.

When you engage in handicap or ‘spread’ betting, you’ll essentially apply a virtual deficit to a heavy betting favourite before backing them to win. For example, the 10th ranked John Higgins was drawn against world number 53 David Grace in the first round of the 2023 tournament, eventually winning 10-3. So, if you’d backed Higgins to win with a handicap of –3.5 frames, you’d have accessed enhanced odds and (in this instance) been successful.

With this type of handicap, your pick simply needs to win by four clear frames for the bet to come in. The key is to be selective and target first and second round matches when utilising handicap betting, while also setting reasonable handicaps that strike the delicate balance between risk and reward. You can also use recent form and head-to-head analysis to inform your selections!

Also, set the handicap to suit the length of the game. First round matches are contested as the best-of-19-frame encounters, so handicaps of around –3.5 or -4.5 frames are most commonly used. Second round matches are contested as the best-of-25-frame encounters, so you may be able to increase the handicap margin slightly here.