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2013 Snooker World Championship Betting Info
The Crucible in Sheffield will see the return of Ronnie O’Sullivan to the game after his self imposed exile. There was doubts over whether or not he would return to defend the crown he won last year, fortunately for snooker fans, he has. But his return should not overshadow the fact that there is a very strong, competitive field in contention for this year’s prestigious title, with the action starting on April 20th. Which Ronnie O’Sullivan will turn up, and will he really be able to mount a title defence?

2013 Snooker World Championship Betting Favourite
The bookies have been quick to install O’Sullivan as one of the favourites, but online bookmaker Unibet have put Australia’s Neil Robertson at the head of the field at 6/1. Robertson goes as third seed for the event which he won back in 2010. He made a quarter final run last season, butheads into this year’s edition in some pretty strong form. Only once in the last seven ranking tournaments has Robertson failed to make it to the quarter finals. In his last three, he went to the semis of the World Open, the final of the Players Tour Championship and then trended all the way to the win at the China Open. That was his third ranking final of the season, taking just the one title. But generally he has been pretty solid and consistent, and makes a much more sensible outright favourite for your 2013 Snooker World Championship betting.

Other Contenders
Ronnie O’Sullivan is in the field and if the world class player that he is shows up, then he will be a contender. He could either crash and burn or hit the headlines here. The thing about Ronnie O’Sullivan is that he has been out of the game for so long now that you just don’t know what you are going to get. He has the natural talent of course in his game, but lack of competitive snooker could hinder him. The four time World Champion hasn’t played for the last twelve months and naturally there is a big media circus around him and his return. Perhaps just too short of a price to back with a lot of confidence.

The world number one Mark Selby, the 2013 Masters champion goes as number two and will be on the opposite side of the draw from O’Sullivan. Along with the Masters he won the UK Championship as well this season and recently made the final of the China Open. While there have been some highs on his season, in between there has been a lot of falling in the early rounds of ranking tournaments. So can be a bit hit and miss, but still a class act when it comes down to it. He has yet to get his hands on the World Championship, and bombed in the first round of last season’s event at the Crucible. Not to be counted out.

Judd Trump is in the top half of the draw alongside Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2013 Snooker World Championship betting. Trump won the International Championship but his recent form in ranking tournaments has dropped, losing in the first round of the Player Tour Championship Finals and the China Open. This is only his fourth appearance in the main draw of the World Championship and he famously went to the final back in 2011 where he lost to John Higgins. Such an exciting talent though and as he avoids Selby and Robertson in the draw, then does make a decent proposition.

You are really looking at the big guns of Selby, Trump and Robertson as the front runners, followed by O’Sullivan.

Best Outside Bet
Well in terms of looking for value, it has to be John Higgins. He won the World Championship for the fourth time in his career in 2011, beating Judd Trump in the final. He claimed just one ranking title in 2012, the Shanghai Masters and hasn’t gotten his hands on one in 2013. He is a proven winner of the event of course and that may make him a threat. He could line up against O’Sullivan in the quarter finals, which would be a fascinating clash. Not in the best of form at all, but he is at home in the Crucible and worth a look at long odds of 11/1 with online bookmaker Unibet.

Latest 2013 Snooker World Championship Betting Prices at online bookmaker Unibet
Neil Robertson 6/1, Ronnie O’Sullivan 13/2, Mark Selby 13/2, Judd Trump 13/2, Ding Junhui 10/1, John Higgins 11/1, Mark Allen 12/1, Stephen Maguire 14/1

Online Bookmaker Promotion
There is a fantastic offer running at Unibet for the 2013 Snooker World Championship betting. All eyes of course will be on the reigning champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in Sheffield. Unibet are thinking that O’Sullivan isn’t going to have enough in the tank to come back and win the title, nor do they think they think that he’ll even reach the final. Place a bet of at least £20 on the Snooker World Championships outright market and if Ronnie O’Sullivan reach the final, then online bookmaker Unibet will refund all losing bets up to £20. There is a risk free £20 bet for new customers registering an account as a welcome bonus at Unibet.

The 2013 World Open snooker betting could well be wide open after some below par performances from the big guns at the recent Welsh Open. The 2013 World Open starts on February 25th and based on recent performances there could be plenty of value in looking beyond the front runners.

There appears to be a bit of a breakaway of four players from the rest of the snooker world at the moment, with Judd Trump, John Higgins, Mark Selby and Neil Robertson generally leading the way as pre-tournament favourites. Everyone else then falls back behind them. But with Stephen Maguire coming through the pack to win the recent Welsh Open, there could be an open field.

As can be seen from the odds below it is business as usual in the betting markets, however, only Judd Trump went to the semi finals of the Welsh Open, with Selby and Robertson both gone by the close of the second round, with John Higgins going the same way too. So there is any great top form from the big guns at the moment, even though Selby and Robertson would take preference. Selby has been in pretty decent shape but perhaps has been running out of steam a little bit after success at the UK Championship and the Masters in January. As for Neil Robertson, the Australian has been trending very consistently, well up until Newport anyway and looked to be heading towards a title. But he couldn’t capitalize on his form and maybe he has missed his chance after crashing out of the second round of the Welsh Open.

John Higgins has been well below his best, actually losing in qualification for the German Masters and not even making the main draw. So wouldn’t look at the Scot with any kind of confidence at the moment, and not even snooker’s bright young thing Judd Trump has been firing on all cylinders. He did win the International Championship at the start of last November, but had crashed out in the first rounds of the UK Championship and the German Masters following that. His run to the semi’s of the Welsh Open, where he lost to Stephen Maguire, may see him trending in the right direction again though.

Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen is the defending champion of the event, so may attract some interest. But really, he hasn’t been anywhere near threatening to win a tournament for a long time now. Indeed, his last and only major ranking tournament win was the victory twelve months ago at the World Open. Being way out at 12/1 in the market to defend his title, he doesn’t instill a lot of confidence.

If you are looking further down the betting order, then it should probably be at Ding Junhui. China’s star did go to the semi finals of the Welsh Open where he was just edged out by Stuart Bingham, and he will be on home soil in Haikou, China for this one. Aside from that, it was a really understated affair at the Welsh Open from the big guns.

2013 World Open Snooker Betting odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Judd Trump 6/1, John Higgins 7/1, Mark Selby 7/1, Neil Robertson 8/1, Mark Allen 12/1, Ding Junhui 12/1, Shaun Murphy 14/1, Mark Williams 20/1

Online betting site Bet365 offer up to a free £200 bet as a welcome bonus for new customers, as they will match the value of your first stake on a new account. They make a great choice for following your live snooker betting with as well, with a generous amount of new markets opening up while the action is on.

The 2013 German Masters snooker betting is being well covered at online betting exchange Betfair. Not only can you find great market value in the outright betting, but you can tune in to some of the live action from Berlin through the Betfair Live Video service. This is a great way to get closer to the snooker action, something which will naturally aid your live in-running betting, all of which can be done at the betting exchange Betfair. Not only does the exchange offer great value in its peer to peer betting platform, but now their fixed odds markets as well can be enjoyed to get the best of both worlds.

Sadly for many, reigning champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is not back to defend his crown in Berlin, so 2013 Masters champion Mark Selby heads into the tournament as narrow favourite. He has rediscovered his top form over the last few months or so and is looking the man to beat. After his third Masters title in January, he looks a sound bet to follow it up in Germany. However, the playing field in snooker at the moment is pretty level. Selby’s best run at the relatively new German masters was a run to the final in 2011. He was beaten then in a thrilling match 9-7 by Mark Williams but exited in the quarter finals last year. He is the man in form and full of confidence at the moment and is trading around 6.2 with Betfair to take the title.

But the expectation is that there will be a close fight. Australia’s Neil Robertson is bang on his game at the moment and is trading at very good value around 7.4 to back at online betting exchange Betfair. It was Robertson who Selby beat in the final of the Masters back in January and therefore that should make him good trending value at the German masters for the former World Champion.

Also around the same mark, inevitably is Judd Trump. The youngster, like Selby, crashed out of the 2012 German masters in the quarter finals and did take the International Championship title at the back end of 2012 (beating Neil Robertson there) but has since struggled to make his market in the UK Championship and the Masters, to many people’s surprise. He’s not the type of player that you are likely to keep down for long though and should be in the mix and isn’t a bad quote to back a 7.8, but because he has just looked a little short, laying him at 8.2 could be more valuable.

Another contender this year will be Ding Junhui who has taken a good deal of action on the 2013 German Masters snooker betting outright winner market. He looks the best challenger beyond the big three, but Mark Allen, Shaun Murphy, Stephen Maguire and Ali Carter also show a lot of value in a wide open field. 2011 winner Mark Williams is back out at a quote of 26 with online betting exchange Betfair. There was  big surprise in qualifying as John Higgins a two time winner of the tournament when it was the German Open, was beaten by Peter Lines.

2013 German Masters Snooker betting odds at online betting exchange Betfair
Mark Selby 6.5, Judd Trump 7.8, Neil Robertson 7.4, Ding Junhui 13.5, Mark Allen 9.6, Shaun Murphy 11, Stephen Maguire 11.5, Ali Carter 22, Mark Williams 26

2013 Masters snooker betting will kick off on January 13th, with the top sixteen players looking to get their hands on the famous trophy. Arguably the most coveted and prestigious trophy in the world game, the Masters is a non-ranking event, but the action at the Alexandra Palace in London will see the best compete for the £175,000 prize money on offer for the winner, as well as a place among the illustrious rankings of those who have won it before.

Australia’s Neil Robertson goes into the 2013 edition as the defending champion after beating Shaun Murphy in last year’s final. Going in as the top seed, Robertson has been handed a favourable draw for 2013 Masters snooker betting and he will open against China’s Ding Junhui. Robertson is in the top half of the draw, avoiding a cluttered bottom half where the biggest threats will come from. Robertson, a former World Champion too, looks in pretty good shape for his title defence, after reaching the final of the International Championship and then hitting the quarter finals of the UK Championship. Last year’s title run was the first time that he had been beyond the quarter finals at The Masters. Because of the draw, he’s not a bad option at a price of 7/1 with online bookmaker Sportingbet.

Judd Trump starts the tournament as the outright favourite with the bookmakers, and a strong one at that. Trump is in at 4/1 with online bookmaker Sportingbet in 2013 Masters Snooker betting. The 2011/12 UK Championship winner recently beat Neil Robertson in the final of the International Championship and that was directly after reaching the final of the Shanghai Masters. Trump though crashed badly in his UK Championship title defence, exiting at the first round. But he is the new hot ticket in the game and will be the one to watch out for. What makes the draw for 2013 Masters Snooker betting fascinating, is that he is on a collision course for a semi final clash with Mark Selby.

Selby, the Jester from Leicester, is trading at a price of 7/1 with online bookmaker Sportingbet, and will make a good case for himself. Selby too is in good form, and could be peaking at the right time after winning the UK Championship recently. Selby of course is a two time winner of the Masters, after some famous battles with Ronnie O’Sullivan. He reached the quarter finals last season and has been in three finals of the five Masters events he has entered. Very good value in a tight field.

Also trading at the same price is Scot John Higgins, who goes in the top half of the draw along with Neil Robertson. The two would meet in the semi finals there. It’s been a long time since Higgins won the Masters (back in 2005/06 for the second time in his career). His last title came at the 2012 Shanghai Masters and although perhaps behind the other names mentioned, cannot be written off.

Sadly the action at the Alexandra Palace will not see either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Stephen Hendry in action as they failed to qualify. Can Robertson defend his title, or will the challenges from Selby and Trump be too much?

2013 Masters Snooker Betting odds at online bookmaker Sportingbet
Judd Trump 4/1, Mark Selby 7/1, Neil Robertson 7/1, John Higgins 7/1, Shaun Murphy 10/1, Ding Junhui 12/1, Mark Allen 12/1, Stephen Maguire 16/1, Mark Williams 20/1, Stuart Bingham 20/1

Online bookmaker Sportingbet have a great live in running betting promotion running for the month of January. Just place sinx in-play bets in a single day in the month of January on any market, and the bookie will give you a free bet for the following day, up to the maximum value of £20! So a fantastic live betting promotion, which will take in the 2013 Masters Snooker Betting. Online bookmaker Sportingbet offer a risk free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them as a welcome bonus.

With prize money of  £1/2million, The Masters is one of the three most prestigious events on the snooker calendar and features 16 of world’s top-ranked players.

Alexandra Palace, transformed since the end of the World Darts Championship, is the venue for the invitational tournament won last year by Australia’s Neil Robertson, who is 15/2 with Boylesports to successfully defend his title. He’s been handed a tough first-round draw, however, as he will face China’s Ding Junhui who took his first title of the season at the Scottish Open in Ravenscraig last month, beating Glasgow’s Anthony McGill in the final. Ding looks to be back on track and is only a general 12/1 to win The Masters himself while new world number one Mark Selby is a general 7/1 to follow up his victory in the UK Championship in York with another win at the Ally Pally.

Selby is clearly right at the top of his game at present as he also took the honours in last week’s Munich Open, edging out Graeme Dott is a close-fought final. Dott is given a general 40/1 quote for The Masters but is probably a bit better than that, though faces our tip Stephen Maguire in the first round.

The Scot is long overdue another ranking tournament success, his last coming in 2008, but he’s twice reached the semi-finals in The Masters though it must be pointed out that he’s also lost in the first round in the last two years. However, in a light campaign this time around, he has shown that his more cautious approach is beginning to pay dividends and the draw has been kind to the 31-year-old, who reached the semi-finals of the World Championships last year. Maguire looks value at a general 16/1 and is a general 9/4 to win the fourth quarter of the draw, where the chief opposition should come from Judd Trump.

The Leicester cue-man lost his number one ranking and UK Championship title to Mark Selby in York when making a surprising exit against Mark Joyce. He’ll be keen to get back on track as the tour moves to the capital but looks a little out of sorts at present, though supporters might want to take advantage of Coral’s offer to return all losing stakes up to £100 if Trump wins The Masters. The 23-year-old faces Barry Hawkins in the opening round and is a best 9/2 with Paddy Power to win The Masters ahead of John Higgins, 7/1 in most places.

Current world number and defending UK Championship titleist Judd Trump looks to be the man to beat. Trump had a tremendous run at last year’s Championship, as he beat out Ronnie O’Sullivan, Neil Robertson and Mark Allen. Trump is in pretty good form heading into this season’s event as he took a win in the International Championship back in October after finishing runner up in the Shanghai Masters. Trump also hammered John Higgins in the final of the Bulgarian Open, a Minor Ranking final. But Trump is just a man on fire and he will be the one to catch at this season’s UK Championship and the player that everyone else will want to avoid. That is why Trump is trading as very strong 7/2 favourite at SkyBet. Trump is naturally number one seed here and doesn’t have a bad half of the draw ahead of him. Fortunately, the main contenders to Trump’s title defence at the Barbican Centre, York are all down in the bottom half.

John Higgins’ form is likely to put the Scotsman closest to Trump. Higgins has been there or thereabouts at the business end of tournaments this season. Higgins is back up to world number three and will be eyeing up wrestling the top spot back from Trump come the end of the season. Higgins can churn out the consistent, defensive, percentage snooker that should see him go deep again. Higgins is a three time winner of the UK Championship, his last title coming back in 2010/11 season. Higgins got the better of Judd Trump in the Shanghai Masters in a tremendous battle, winning the deciding frame back in September. The tactical master could have a tricky path, because he would likely meet Mark Selby, Ding Junhui or Neil Robertson in the final.

Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui, Mark Selby and Mark Allen all look around the same mark, very evenly matched. What is fascinating is that they are all compressed into the bottom half of the draw, with Roberto, Junhui and Selby all in the same quarter. Former world champion Neil Robertson isn’t in the hottest form. The current Masters Champion looks to be just below his best, but he could be coming into some form. he took a run to the final of the International Championship where he lost to Judd Trump. That is the form he is capable of and hopefully that shows up. Mark Selby goes as second seed for the tournament and there could be a massive second round match against Ding Junhui to come for him.

A great outside shot may be Ricky Walden who is carrying some solid form. He took the Wuxi Classic title and after a couple of poor showings at the subsequent ranking tournaments, he went to the quarter finals at the International Championship.

There will be some great live in-running snooker betting for the UK Championship available at online bookmaker SkyBet. The bookie, recent winner of the eGaming Review Operator of the Year Award offers a free £10 bet for new customers registering an account, as they automatically credit new accounts with the free bet. Open an account before December 7th and new customers will be able to get a free £5 bet every week. Just place a £5 wager each week and you will get a free £5 back to enjoy.

UK Championship Snooker Betting Odds at online bookmaker Skybet
Judd Trump 7/2, John Higgins 7/1, Ding Junhui 10/1, Neil Robertson 13/2, Mark Selby 12/1, Mark Allen 12/1 Shaun Murphy 14/1, Stephen Maguire 16/1, Mark Williams 16/1, Stuart Bingham 22/1, Allister Carter 25/1

Online bookmaker Ladbrokes are running a couple of great Snooker betting promotions for the 2012 Snooker World Championship this week. Alongside their great promotion which paid out any outright winner selection if they hit a 147 in the tournament, regardless of whether they won the event or not, Ladbrokes have a match betting special as well. The tournament outright winner promotion has already been paid out on, as Steven Hendry nailed a 147, so any punters who had a pre-tournament bet on the Scot winning the tournament, has already been paid out as a winner. It doesn’t matter if Hendry goes on to win the World Championship or not. But as that applied to pre-tournament bets only, punters still have some great insurance on offer from Ladbrokes, for match betting at The Crucible.

If you backed selection in Match betting at the 2012 Snooker World Championship loses out in that match in the deciding frame, then Ladbrokes will refund your lost stake. So nice extra coverage, and the bookie has already paid out on this promotion as well, as Liang Wenbo lost 9-10 against John Higgins, and therefore, any punters who had backed him to win the match, will have gotten their lost stakes refunded. So great coverage for the rest of the match betting from Ladbrokes Coverage on this promotion is up to £100.

The highly rated online bookmaker offer a free £50 welcome bonus offer for new customers registering an account. Simply follow the link here to get the special registration code, and after signing up with it, when you make your first bet on a new account, Ladbrokes will match the value of that first stake with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £50!

2012 Snooker World Championship Outright Winner Betting at Ladbrokes
Judd Trump 5/1, Neil Robertson 6/1, Ronnie O’Sullivan 7/1, John Higgins 8/1, Mark Selby 8/1

Online bookmaker Ladbrokes are offering a Money Back Special for the 2012 Snooker World Championship. The top players in the world are gathering at The Crucible in Sheffield again, for this curtain closer on the 2011/12 season. This is the last ranking event of the season and one of the most prestigious events on the snooker calendar. Young star Judd Trump is leading the way in the betting markets, priced at 5/1 to win the Snooker World Championship this year. Just behind him is the established and proven talent that is Ronnie O’Sullivan at 8/1, while Neil Robertson, John Higgins and Mark Selby are all around 9/1 in the outright winner market.

It is in the outright winner market that Ladbrokes have focused their great Money Back Special. If your backed selection in the market makes a maximum 147 break at the event, Ladbrokes will pay you out as a winner, even if he doesn’t win the tournament. So, as long as your player hits a 147 at The Crucible, you will have the insurance of being paid out as a winner regardless. This is great coverage for your snooker betting, and the maximum value of the stake is £50, but that translates into great profit when you look at the above prices.

Online bookmaker Ladbrokes offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. Just follow the link here to get the special registration code, and when you make your first bet on a new account, Ladbrokes will match the value of that first stake with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £50!

John Higgins has won the World Snooker Championship three times in the last five years and four times in total. However, he’s never won back-to-back titles (nobody has since Stephen Hendry landed the sixth of his seven world titles in 1996) and the Scot has been woefully out of form so far this season. Of course, a return to the Crucible could spark a revival but, after defeat by the likes of Li Yan, James Jones, David Morris and Dechawat Poomjaeng since last May’s triumph, no-one in their right mind could view the general 9/1 as any kind of value. Indeed, it would probably come as no surprise if he failed to get past general 150/1 outsider Liang Wenbo in the first round.

Judd Trump was immediately installed as favourite after the draw was made and remains market leader (a best 11/2 with bodog). Last year’s losing finalist is the new golden boy of snooker and is currently ranked second in the world. The 22-year-old won the UK Championship in York earlier this season but has not scaled the same heights since, despite reaching the semi-finals of the Masters. A quarter-final defeat by Stephen Lee in the recent China Open suggests Trump has problems at present and he simply looks too short in the betting. Lee, incidentally, could give supporters a run for their money at the Crucible at the general 28/1 as he’s staged something of a revival this season and ended a six-year barren run this season by winning the PTC in Galway.

Another who is often still in contention in the final week in Sheffield is Welshman Mark Williams. Winner in 2000 and 2003 and still the only left-hander to have won the World Championship, he’s approaching the veteran stage now and hasn’t been at his best in recent tournaments but the format at the Crucible plays to his strengths as he likes to grind down the opposition. He’s well worth a saver at 22/1 on Betfair behind my tip Shaun Murphy.

Ranked an incredible 48 in the world when winning the tournament as a 22-year-old in 2005, ‘The Magician’ has been a regular fixture at the Crucible since and his record this season is among the best on the circuit. His only victory came in the Brazil Open, but he also reached the final of the Masters and at least the last eight of every other ranking tournament in which he’s competed. Murphy is hugely popular with the Crucible crowds and looks a stand-out at the general 16/1 with several of his higher-ranked rivals coming into the event in indifferent form. Of course, no World Championship preview would be complete without mentioning Ronnie O’Sullivan. But can ‘The Rocket’ keep a lid on things for the duration? At the 9/1 with Boylesports, sportingbet and William Hill, quite frankly, it’s not worth the risk.

Bet365 and Boylesports have also opened a book on who, if any, will record a 147 break in the World Championship this year with O’Sullivan a 15/2 chance with the former. England is 6/5 with Betfred and totesport to provide the winner of the tournament with Scotland a general 4/1.

Snooker World Championship Betting Info
This prestigious ranking event is played between April 21 and May 7 at the famous old Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. This is the 75th edition of the Snooker World Championships and this is the event which wraps up the 2011/2012 season. Neither legends Jimmy White or Steve Davis made it through qualifying sadly, but Stephen Hendry did manage to clinch his place back at the finals, for the 27th consecutive season.

Online Bookmaker Promotion
Online bookmaker BetFred have a Snooker World Championship betting promotion running for the 2012 edition. There are actually two offers here being presented by BetFred, which provides some fantastic coverage for your snooker betting. Firstly, if Judd Trump wins the tournament outright, then BetFred will refund all losing single bets placed on the outright market. That alone is good coverage, but their snooker special continues.

If your backed selection in the Outright Winner market hits a 147 break during the tournament, BetFred will pay you out as a winner of the tournament, regardless of whether they win or not. Better still, if that player hits a 147 and goes on to win the World Championship, then you will get double the original outright winner odds taken. So some truly fantastic snooker betting coverage BetFred offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £50.

Snooker World Championship Betting Defending Champion
Scotland’s John Higgins in the defending World Championship champion. He beat rising star Judd Trump in the final 18-15 to take his fourth title. So can he deliver again? Well, somewhat surprisingly after the strong comeback he made to the came, Higgins looks a bit short of confidence Higgins is now down in sixth in the world rankings after a disappointing season and he admitted too that he had lost some passion for the game. He made a timely recourse to suggest that he has just re-discovered his hunger in time for his return to the Crucible. He is not playing as good as what the John Higgins everyone knows can. No-where near it and has failed badly in the big ranking events this season. So he isn’t in the kind of form that would suggest that he will step up and defend his title.

Snooker World Championship Betting Favourite
The thing about the state of snooker at the moment though, is that there really is not a stand out performer. No go-to guy who you expect to stand out from the crowd time and time again. But Judd Trump is the nearest thing to that as he leads the way as favourite in snooker betting. This is only Trump’s fourth appearance at the Crucible for the Snooker World Championships, but he is the brightest spark in the pack. We were waiting for him to take the game by the scruff of the neck, after he fulfilled his true potential by taking the UK Championships. He hasn’t won a ranking even since then though. He had a great experience in Sheffield last year when he came from nowhere to make it to the final, which all started by knocking out the defending champion Neil Robertson in the first round. He has the game, he has the confidence. He is in the same half of the draw as Higgins, and really that looks to be his biggest threat in not getting to the final. Good draw and should go well at 11/2 with Stan James.

Other Contenders
The field is deep of course here and all pretty evenly matched. Aussie Neil Robertson seems to be trading very well. He has a couple of Players Tour Championship wins under his belt this season, but his big highlight came in winning The Masters against Shaun Murphy. Here is a man who has been here and done it before and should be in the mix. Like most in the field though, can be hit and miss.

Ronnie O’Sullivan, for all dramas and time away from the game has still managed to put in a decent season. He scored a big success a the German Masters at the start of the year, beating Stephen Maguire in the final. He also lifted his 10th Premier League title as well. He still has the game, maybe not the same degree of consistency as he used to have in his prime, but people will still eye him up as the man to beat. After the German Masters win, which was his first ranking final since the 2010 World Open, he crashed in the semi final of the Welsh Open and then in the quarter finals of the China Open. Tricky start for O’Sullivan at the Snooker World Championships though, as he opens against China Open winner Peter Ebdon. Could possibly line up against Neil Robertson in the quarter finals.

There is also the presence of Mark Selby in the same half as Ronnie O’Sullivan. Mark Selby has proven plenty of times that he is one of the greats of the game. His only title this year though was a win at the Shanghai Masters, but did put in a final appearance at the Welsh Open. Again, the ranking titles have been spread out quite a bit among players this season, showing just how even the playing field is. Selby, along with the likes of Higgins and Trump should be in the latter stages.

You can carry on down the field and look at names like Ding Junhui, Mark Allen and Shaun Murphy and simply take your pick. Welsh Open and Championship League winner Ding Junhui is probably the pick of the bunch.

Best Outside Bet
We are heading to Scotland for our outside pick, and it’s not John Higgins or Stephen Hendry. It is Stephen Maguire, who seems to have rediscovered his best game this season in the build up to the 2012 Snooker World Championship. He reached the final of the German Masters and the China Open as well, losing on both occasions granted but is showing pretty solid form. Those losses at the crucial stage is what keeps him as an outside bet. Could meet John Higgins in the quarter finals, but would back Maguire if that happens. Plenty of value in Maguire at 16/1 with Boylesports.

Latest Snooker World Championship Betting Prices

Judd Trump: 11/2 at Stan James
Neil Robertson: 9/1 at BetFred
Ronnie O’Sullivan: 9/1 at SportingBet
Mark Selby: 10/1 at SportingBet
John Higgins: 10/1 at Bet365
Ding Junhui: 12/1 at Totesport
Mark Allen: 14/1 at Bet365
Shaun Murphy: 16/1 at SkyBet
Stephen Maguire: 16/1 at Bet Victor