Ronnie O’Sullivan

Former World Number One Ronnie O’Sullivan has confirmed that he will be playing at the World Championships which start on Saturday at Sheffield’s Crucible. The three times world champion has become almost an anonymous figure in the season, with his last victory coming in the Premier League back in November. O’Sullivan has withdrawn already from two major ranking events this year, and has missed most of the Players Tour Championships. This is the not the same Rocket which thrilled fans for so many years, the interest in the competition is not there, and he has pretty much came out and said so. Were this to be his last appearance at The Crucible, right now in his career it would not be any big surprise at all. Interestingly, the bookies have finally recognised this, as O’Sullivan has fallen into the realms of the chasing pack, instead of being outright favourite. Ronnie O’Sullivan World Championship Snooker Betting Odds and Tips have to reflect the current state of his game, although he is apparently seeking help at a sports psychologist. His non favourite status is understandable, as there is no real way that you can back him confidently at the moment. He just has not been at the races even when he has turned up to play, and with his interest visibly waning in the game, punters who do back him will be doing so on reputation and past glories as opposed to seeing him stand a valuable chance of winning the World Championships again this year. Is he worth an each way bet though? What is the value of Ronnie O’Sullivan World Championship Snooker Betting Odds and Tips? Well, Boylesports are paying out 1/2 odds on each way placing 1st or 2nd or you can opt for 1/5 odds for four places. An each way punt will likely be the best option here. O’Sullivan’s last triumph was in 2008 and frankly, he looks a long way short of being able to cope with the pressure on such a big stage again at the moment. He is fully beatable and going as tenth seed for this year’s tournament, he would run into favourite John Higgins as soon as the quarter finals. O’Sullivan starts his campaign against Dominic Dale, who himself is really all fired up for the contest, and will see this as a big opportunity to claim a major scalp. Dale has never beaten O’Sullivan competitively.

World Championship First Round:
Ronnie O’Sullivan: 2/9 at Boylesports
Dominic Dale: 7/2 at Bet365

Ronnie O’Sullivan is priced 8/1 at BetFred to win the 2011 World Snooker Championship

Snooker is back on the betting calendar this week, as the top stars turn out for the Welsh Open, which runs from February 14th to 20th. It’s been a busy year for the sport this year, with the new attractions coming into place in order to make the sport more popular to viewers. The Masters was its usual elegant affair, in stark contrast to the Snooker Shoot Out, and now the Welsh Open early rounds have had an overhaul, as it is played over the best of seven frames, but with no interval. The players just go straight through. There have been a couple of squeezers through the first round, with Masters champion Ding Junhui eking out a 4-3 win after being 2-0 down in the short format of the round, and making his first appearance since the death of his father, John Higgins also nailed a victory by the narrowest of margins. Allister Carter also progressed through the first round, along with Ryan Day, who put a rapid end to the appearance by Jimmy White, as Day ran out a 4-0 winner. The snooker season really is wide open this year, with any number of players having the potential to win these top tier tournaments. We’ve just had Mark Williams recapture some of his past glory in Germany, while Marco Fu and Ding Junhui battled out the Masters final (with the latter winning). John Higgins returned to the game with a bang at the UK Open, so winners really can come from anywhere. While Higgins remains the one man to beat really, the rest of the chasing pack are so tightly bunched, it is getting a tough call. However, we will cast an eye over form and history as the Welsh Open ensues, as well as taking a look at that all important draw.

John Higgins: 6/1 at Paddy Power

John Higgins, the UK Open Champion will be the favourite to take the first quarter, even though Ronnie O’Sullivan is in there. Yes, you read that right. John Higgins, even though he must be emotionally drained, is a better player than O’Sullivan right now. Higgins looks hungrier and determined, and probably the most focused he has even been in his successful career. The thing about Higgins is that he has been told to show up at the Welsh Open and make his father proud. What more of an emotional story could you want to pick a winner? Higgins will face Dave Harold in the last sixteen of the tournament, and it is a little hard to judge just what type of mindset he will be in for the tournament really after his period of grieving. He is still the best player at the table at the moment, but was clearly tearful and emotional after winning his first round match. Maybe this is just too much on his plate? But his top quality, has been through it all, and that has to count for something when it comes to be able to defend his title at the Welsh Open.
Potential ¼ Final Opponent: Ronnie O’Sullivan

Ronnie O’Sullivan: 6/1 at BetFair

There has been a bit of a shift in betting towards O’Sullivan on this one. He hasn’t looked at his best for some time now, and has failed to pick up tournament victories, even when expected. He faces Ryan Day in the last 32 and while he will be expected to win that, it is hard to see him going all of the way here. The quicker format of the early rounds may just suit him, and after pulling out of the German Masters, it is hard to assess just where he is at. He won’t really care too much about the critics admonishing him for leaving the German Masters, but still, that same old hunger and desire which saw him race around the table, just doesn’t appear to be there any more. He is a rocket not firing on all burners at the moment is O’Sullivan. Is he worth a bet though, that’s the question. He is reasonably priced, and therefore he will. Because of his slip down the rankings, he could meet John Higgins in the Quarter Finals but his career seems to be going backwards, and unless he picks up, it is only going to get tougher. Worth a flutter though, simply because of the price and the fact that John Higgins may stutter.
Potential ¼ Final Opponent: John Higgins

Ding Junhui: 15/2 at Boylesports

Forget about his struggle in the first round, Junhui is a player in decent form at the moment. There is the exciting prospect of him meeting Mark Allen in the Last 16, which should be an interesting one to watch. After winning the Masters in consummate fashion, Junhui really looked the complete player. Still doesn’t have the consistency of a John Higgins, but nonetheless, the Chinaman is a major threat. He may have just got his tricky tournament match out of the way, and will go from strength to strength here. Well worth a punt at the moment, especially because he is in the same half as Higgins and O’Sullivan, and there are question marks hanging over both of them at the moment. Could be in with a good chance at picking up the Welsh Open here, as the draw could really be blown wide open for him to have easier passage than expected to the final. With the form he is, you wouldn’t bet against him from there really. Strong presence and it really should be felt.
Potential ¼ Final Opponent: Ali Carter

Mark Williams: 6/1 at Paddy Power

It is hard to argue about the talk of him being back to his old World Championship winning best. The Welshman is going very well at the moment, reaching the final of the UK Championship, and then winning the German Masters in Berlin recently against Mark Selby. It is worth having a punt on him, even though Williams really hasn’t had a great record in his home tournament. He is in good form though, and showing consistency to go deep into competitions. Has landed in a quarter of the tournament which has a great chance at winning, and would be well worth a wager on him winning just the quarter at the very least. Stephen Hendry and Stephen Maguire are in there, but he’s in much better form than either of those are at the moment. If you are betting with form, then Williams will be your man to get behind.
Potential ¼ Final Opponent: Stephen Maguire

Mark Selby: 8/1 at Paddy Power

Reached the final of the German Masters and will be looking for another strong performance from the Jester from Leicester. Great competitor and great player, and you have to fancy his chances for winning the quarter. Has a great game, showing plenty of patience when it is necessary, as well as stepping up the pace in building big breaks. Should be in good confidence following his run in Germany, and the defeat in the final to Mark Williams is just the kind of thing which will spur him on. The two times Masters winner is worth considering in your snooker betting really, even though he is not in a particularly easy section of the draw. Has proven time and time again he can rise to the occasion, and could really bounce back from the blow in Germany with aplomb. There is the big potential of a semi final appearance against Mark Williams who beat him in Berlin. Selby is the Incentive and motivated snooker bet and has won this before, back in 2008.
Potential ¼ Final Opponent: Neil Robertson

Neil Robertson: 9/1 at Boylesports

Will really be looking to get a good win under his belt, but in a tough draw, so will have to be on top of his game. Has Graeme Dott (who is the best outside bet of the tournament at 25/1 with BetFair) and Mark Selby in the same quarter, but for the World Champion  you expect progress. Great on his day, but beatable by the opposition in his quarter of the draw. Strong chaser in the pack for the title, as things stand though, if he meets Selby in the quarter finals then you would probably edge Selby to nick it. Quality performer, maybe not quite on top of his game at the moment. Won the Welsh Open in 2007.
Potential ¼ Final Opponent: Mark Selby

BetFair are a betting exchange and will be worth looking at for your snooker betting at the Welsh Open. They have a great live in play betting service as well, and you will able to find some great prices at the award winning website. BetFair offer a no loss first bet up to the value of £20 when you open an account with them. The Betting Exchange, which means that you are essentially betting directly against other punters instead of a bookmaker, works very well for your snooker betting. Follow the action live with in play frame to frame betting, and get to chose the prices you want, and limit your risks. BetFair come highly recommended and are well worth checking out and learning the backing and laying system.

The Snooker season trundles on, and it is back to a full ranking event after the excitement of the Snooker Shoot-Out, which was won by Nigel Bond who rolled back the years. The world’s best are out in Berlin for the 5th German Masters, with one notable name missing from the list. Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the event. World Champions Neil Robertson is also gone from the competition, but at least he took part. The Aussie star suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of Scotland’s Andy Hamilton in the first round. Hamilton was sluggish from the start really, and had to fight his way back to level the match at 4-4, but Hamilton produced a fine 116 break in the deciding frame to move ahead. The upset here, was that Hamilton was not in any great form himself, failing to event make it to the main draws of any of the three preceding ranking events this year. So that is O’Sullivan and Hamilton out, so the door should be wide open for anyone to step up and take this title with a strong run in the tournament. Topping the list will be John Higgins now, who picked up the UK Championship on his return to the game after his six month ban. He has looked far more determined and focused than before, and doesn’t seem to be taking things for granted anymore. He seems to have a lot more respect for his peers and the tournaments he is playing in, not taking wins for granted before the match even starts, and that makes him a dangerous threat. He has a good draw for the tournament, and should expect to see him in the semi finals really. Higgins also won the tournament twice when it was in its prior ranking status as the German Open from 1995 to 1997. Now it is back at the German Masters, he makes for a strong bet. Update: Higgins has withdrawn from the tournament to be with his dying father.

Stephen Hendry looked as if he could go well in this one, as his place in the world’s top sixteen is in doubt. He really needs pick up the pace with his play, the level of which has dropped over the past twelve months, in order to remain in the rankings. Hendry beat Judd Trump 5-2 in the first round, and the Scot was mightily relieved, knowing what a big win that was under pressure. Can he pull out the stops and help himself out here? Well, when players have their backs against the wall, that is when they usually perform their best. Not so, as Hendry lost out to Mark Selby. You can’t ignore the presence of Ding Junhui, recent winner of The Masters and who Selby meets next. The Chinaman is in great form, and didn’t hand around as he thrashed Matthew Stevens 5-1. Ding Junhui is such a cool and collected talent, and it looks as if he is in for a major season. He moves on to play Peter Ebdon, who, like usual, took his fair old time to progress to the second round. Have a lot of respect for Ebdon as a player, but his tactical thinking can slow a game down a bit. Still, it works for him and he ground out a victory over Andrew Higginson. You just never know with Ebdon. He is still so capable of taking titles, but by the same taken, hasn’t quite got that cutting edge.

The only other big upset from the first round, was Joe Swail taking out Mark Allen in the battle of the two Northern Irishmen. Swail actually looks in decent shape after winning his wildcard round match 5-0. Two times Masters winner Mark Selby fired in a very confident performance in the first two rounds, as he thumped Snooker Shoot Out winner Nigel Bond 5-1 and then Hendry. Selby is a good tip to go all the way here, never short on confidence, and the new experience of the ranking event in Germany will suit him. Also winning by that score line was Graeme Dott, who could make for the best outside bet here in Germany. Would have avoided Higgins in the draw until the final, and Dott beat his fellow countryman in the first round of the 2011 masters. Dott deals well with pressure and could make a good run here in a field which looks pretty evenly matched. Ali Carter, who was playing some great snooker last year, but has had a dip in form lately, and he got thumped by Joe Perry in the second round. Overall the field is evenly matched, and the ranking events this year are going to be tough to call out a winner from the start. If Higgins is in the field, then that really should be the starting point, but behind him, including Ronnie O’Sullivan who is not as focused as he once was, the chasing pack is evenly matched. There is no real stand out talent from between the likes of Robertson, Selby and Junhui and anybody can take titles right now. There is a big opportunity for someone to really step up and claim a lot in snooker right now. Go with form, and that has to be Ding Junhui, if not, Mark Selby. Best outside shot is Graeme Dott.

German Snooker Masters Open Winner

Ding Junhui: 4/1 at Boylesports
Mark Williams: 4/1 at BetFred
Mark Selby: 9/2 at Extrabet
Marco Fu: 15/2 at Unibet
Stephen Maguire: 8/1 at Bet365
Graeme Dott: 8/1 at Paddy Power

The Snooker Shootout, part of the new revolution of the snooker world, heads to its final day on Sunday. The final sixteen are ready to go, in this very odd, but thrilling format. There is a ten minute time limit on each match, and each match lasts just one frame, so there really is no room for errors. There is also a shot clock in play, meaning that players have 20 seconds to make a shot within the first five minutes of the match, and just 15 seconds in the last five. A player must also hit a cushion, or pot a ball with every shot, so snookering is made just that little bit more difficult. Caution pretty much has to be thrown out the window, and half chances really need to be played for. World Champion Neil Robertson pushed the time limit to the very edge in beating Alan McManus. The Aussie star sunk the final black, which went in after the time was up on the match, but because he had just got the shot away with a second remaining, his result stood. Robertson has that little bit of speed and flair to take this tournament.

But so does Ronnie O’Sullivan. We haven’t seen the great master on top of his game really for some time, but if there was a tournament built for him, then this will have been it. O’Sullivan cruised through his match against Rod Lawler, but there was not so much luck for UK Champion John Higgins, as he was sunk in one of the shocks of the tournament against Peter Lines. They join Robertson in the last sixteen, along with Mark Selby who moved past Stuart Pettman in dominating fashion with an 89-6 score. The draw for the last sixteen is completely open, the players all wear their names and numbers on the back of their shirts, and the draw will be made at random, with the winners of the round moving through to the quarter finals, then the semi and eventual final of course. A couple of names which will be worth looking at as outside chances here, are Judd Trump, who has the confidence to storm through this, and Mark King looks in very good shape. You just never know with this inaugural tournament. The action is quick and thrilling, perhaps not something usually associated with snooker, but these are modern times.

With the open draw, the odds at your online bookmaker will be pretty generous. Ronnie O’Sulllivan, who has the tournament’s highest break so far, is outright favourite at 7/2 with SportingBet. He has to be worth a punt really, and it would kind of be fitting if he won this first version of power snooker. But World Champ Neil Robertson has to be a worth a look, as he is relaxed and confident. Robertson is priced 7/1 at William Hill, the same price which Stan James are offering for Mark Selby. Judd Trump makes for the best outside shot really, priced at 11/1 at Bet365, while Mark King, who is surprising a lot of people at the tournament, is out at 16/1 with Totesport. Watch out for the draw tomorrow, the final day of this exciting snooker tournament and go from there.

The new snooker season heads towards The Masters on January 9th, heaving been treated to a new sponsorship deal by Ladbrokes. The famous Wembley event, which gathers together the best snooker players in the world, will have a prize pot of half a million for the 16 invited players. Heading the bill really will be Mark Selby, who has won The Masters twice in the past three years. Selby, otherwise known at the Jester from Leicester got his revenge over Ronnie O’Sullivan in last year’s final, when he lifted the title with a 10-9 victory. O’Sullivan had downed Selby 10-8 in the 2009 final. Three straight finals though for Selby now, is a pretty impressive run in the tournament, and it is why he is pencilled in as one of the favourites again to go all of the way and lift it for the third time. It is hard to judge players form at this stage of the year, and you need to really look back to the UK Championship in December, where Mark Selby exited at the second round stage. Selby though has just progressed through to the final group of the 2011 Championship League Snooker after coming from behind to beat Ali Carter. It was more of a grinding effort than anything substantial and now Selby looks ahead to his tournament. Other than The Masters, the only other ranking tournament that Selby has won in his career has been the Welsh Open. Still, he looks in good spirits, and well worth a bet, even though he is back in the betting. Here we take a look over Selby and the other front runners for the 2011 Masters.

2011 Masters Snookers Draw
Mark King v Mark Selby
Ali Carter v Peter Ebdon
Mark Williams v Ding Junhui
John Higgins v Graeme Dott
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Allen
Stephen Maguire v Marco Fu
Neil Robertson v Stephen Hendry
Shaun Murphy v Jamie Cope

Ronnie O’Sullivan: 4/1 at SkyBet

Not so much of a rocket over the last season, but more of a steady transatlantic flight where you can sit back and relax. Ronnie O’Sullivan has changed the priorities in his life to parenthood. He has missed ranking tournaments and has therefore slid down the World Rankings. He is no longer number one in the world, but that does not mean that the genius is dead and buried yet. There is almost a sedate and more mature presence about Ronnie O’Sullivan lately, and he didn’t get going in the recent UK Championships at all, losing to Stuart Bingham in the first round. In his affable way, O’Sullivan is completely unperturbed about all of this. It is remarkable that he is still the front runner with the bookies, but maybe those fires have dimmed just a little bit too much for the four time Masters winner.

John Higgins: 13/2 at Bet365

Completely has to be in the frame to win this one. After a six month ban, Higgins strolls back in to town and wins the UK Championship. It took a lot to, for the Scot was 9-5 down in the final against Mark Williams, who needed just one more frame to wrap things up. Higgins looks to be the best bet here, certainly the strongest anyway, as not only has he blitzed his way back onto the scene, he is currently top of the world rankings as well, knocking of World Champion Neil Robertson. Not bad going for someone who had been away from the game. Like him or not, he is a talent, and he looks stronger than ever. There’s no reason why he couldn’t carry this momentum forward now, and Higgins in the fourth on the list of most tournament wins among active snooker players. Has won the Masters twice, once in 1999 and again in 2006 when he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in a classic.

Neil Robertson: 7/1 at Stan James

Australian Neil Robertson is the only Australian to win a ranking, and if he gets to the final, then you would back him heavily, and this is because he has never lost in the final of a ranking tournament. The 2009/10 season was particular good for Robertson, winning the World Open and the World Championships. That World Championships victory sealed his position as world number one in the ranking, and although he slipped at the start of the 2010/11 season by crashing out of the Shanghai Masters in the first round, he followed up by successfully defending his World Open title against Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final. A run to the quarter finals of the UK Championship saw him in decent form, and should be watched out for here. It is fair to say that he is probably at the peak of his career, and although he hasn’t shown at the Masters too much (two quarter final places behind his best finishes), this year represents his big chance of making an impact.

Mark Selby: 15/2 at Totesport

The Jester from Leicester is out in the betting, but he is still worth a bet. Enjoys this tournament so much, and he always looks more relaxed here, and really on top of his game. After reaching the last three consecutive finals, he has set the bench pretty high for himself, and has a lot to live up to. He is keen, he is confident as he always is, and he will need to be on top of his game this year to get back there. Should still be one of the front runners, and his form is ok, but not being as hotly tipped as he has been in previous years.

Shaun Murphy: 10/1 at SkyBet

Had been hanging around at a ranking of 3rd in the world for some time, but has slipped down the order for the new season to seventh. A great player to watch, nonetheless, and went the semi finals of the UK Championship (beating world number one Neil Robertson along the way) where he was edged out by Mark Williams. Very solid break builder and a superb cuing action. Really has everything needed to win The Masters for the first time. Makes for a great outside bet.

Mark Williams: 14/1 at William Hill

Enjoyed something or a resurgence to the good old days, when he reached the final of the UK Championship. Leading 9-5 though, he threw it away to John Higgins. Williams is a two times winner of The Masters, the final time coming back in 2003 when he beat Stephen Hendry. Found himself a bit of form, but still you would expect him to get outgunned somewhere along the line.

Others:
Stephen Maguire: 14/1 at SkyBet
Ding Junhui: 16/1 at BetFred
Ali Carter: 19/1 at Unibet
Mark Allen: 20/1 at SportingBet
Graeme Dott: 28/1 at Bet365
Marco Fu: 33/1 at Boylesports
Jamie Cope: 45/1 at Victor Chandler
Peter Ebdon: 50/1 at SportingBet
Stephen Hendry: 50/1 at 888Sport
Mark King: 125/1 at SportingBet

After qualifying for the UK Snooker Championships, Jimmy White enters the arena at Telford, still a crowd pleaser and he squares off against Stephen Hendry. This really is a great match up in the first round of snooker action from Telford, as the Whirlwind suffered four World Championship final heartbreaks against the Scot. This is a great way to warm up for the UK Championships, which runs from December 4th through December 12th. Also adding to the drama is the return of John Higgins, who has served out his 6 month suspension from the game amid reports that he failed to report an approach made to him over match fixing. The sport has been cleaned up in the light of all that furore, and it is time to get straight back into business for Higgins.  He hasn’t missed the competition level clearly, and has been practicing, because he won a tournament on his comeback in November. Higgins lost in the final of the UK Open last year to Ding Junhui. Higgins could be a seriously dangerous sleeper bet here at the UK Snooker Championships. Here we take a look over the main contenders for the honours, and share some snooker betting tips.

Ronnie O’Sullivan: 11/4 at SportingBet

It doesn’t happen very often, but O’Sullivan isn’t going to be the betting tip for this one. O’Sullivan has slipped down to eighth in the World Rankings, and remarkably has not picked up a ranking title this year. The four time UK Championships winner, O’Sullivan doesn’t seem overly bothered about his falling standards. He admits that he has had a fantastic career, and because of issues in his personal life and being a single parent, he has been missing ranking events around the world. Admirably he is not bothered about those rankings either, certainly not at the expense of his kids. May not be sharp enough or hungry enough to win this one, and could end 2010 without a big win under his belt. Still favourite at the bookies mind you, and he goes against 23rd ranked played in the world, Stuart Bingham. Probably worth taking in the Highest Break market for a price of 4/1 at Boylesports.

Neil Robertson: 8/1 at BetFred

The World Number One. Yes, the Australian is the World Champion and World Number One, so he is going to take some stopping. Has enjoyed a great year and really is at the pinnacle of his career. Should get through his first round ok, and Peter Ebdon may wait for him in the second, but Robertson should go deep into the tournament. Proving to be a very stubborn, yet very talented and brave player that really is confident enough to take the game to his opponent. At 8/1, he certainly is not a bad price for the best in the world going into a snooker tournament. Would take him over O’Sullivan really in the market, as it makes more sense.

John Higgins: 10/1 at Boylesports

What will we see from Higgins. He has to be pencilled in as one of the big threats. Comes in at a pretty good price for someone who has been away from the competitive game for six months. Just because we haven’t seen him at the ranking events, doesn’t mean that he’s not been practicing. Is still one of the best players in the world, and reached the final here last year. He really could go either way. He will blow out and take the tournament by storm, or blow up and exit early. Either way, at this price, he is worth a punt, and he makes the best tip going into the UK Championship.

Shaun Murphy: 11/1 at Bet365

Generally take a long hard look at Murphy going into any tournament, as he is a great player, and usually consistent enough to get to at least the quarter finals of big events. From then on, you never know with him. Can be a world beater on his day, but then sometimes he just looks a little out of sorts. Again though, there is no reason not to back him. He really is one of the stronger outside bets in the field, and as he has proven in the past, he can take on and beat the best.

Mark Selby: 11/1 at Victor Chandler

The Masters champion, winning a thrilling tournament against Ronnie O’Sullivan way back at the start of the year. All that seems so long ago. The assets that Selby as is his confidence and his bravery. He will get stuck in and take a chance in order to get ahead, and he is pretty spunky and lively around the table. He has the game to win this here, so along with Murphy really, he has to represent a very good, strong outside bet. Solid bet for a big break, and Highest Break Odds on him is 10/1 at Bet365

Ali Carter: 18/1 at Bwin

Is a much improved player these days, and interestingly priced. This is a seriously competitive field, and Carter has shown this year that he can be more competitive. Can he produce against all of the big guns here? The Odds on him are decent enough to really consider a long stretch on him. Huge potential and could carry it off, if he brings his A-game and gets that extra bit of a competitive edge in him.

Stephen Maguire: 25/1 at SportingBet

This guy is a tough, solid grinder. Has the potential to win major tournaments, but has that “always the bridesmaid” feel about him when you look at him in betting. Hard to see him going all the way. Close, but not close enough.

Mark Allen: 33/1 at Totesport

Yes, the Northern Ireland star is out there in the odds, but he is going to break his duck soon. He will pick up a big title sooner or later and it will be worth keeping an eye on his progress. Great player to watch, quick and tremendously brave with his shot selection. Is the time right for him now?

Others: Mark Williams: 12/1 at ExtraBet, Ding Junhui 18/1 at Boylesports

SportingBet are running a Snooker Betting Special for the UK Championships. When you have a bet on their Match Prices throughout the tournament, if the player you have backed in a match loses a deciding frame, then SportingBet will generously refund your lost stake as a free bet! This is a great offer to take advantage of, as well as being able to get a free £50 bet when you open a new account with the popular bookie.

First round draw:
Ding Junhui v Matthew Stevens
Mark Allen v Tom Ford
Marco Fu v Barry Hawkins
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Stuart Bingham
Stephen Maguire v Ken Doherty
Mark Selby v Ricky Walden
Graeme Dott v Martin Gould
John Higgins v Stephen Lee
Ali Carter v Mark Joyce
Jamie Cope v Judd Trump
Stephen Hendry v Jimmy White
Mark Williams v Mark Davis
Shaun Murphy v Patrick Wallace
Mark King v Ryan Day
Peter Ebdon v Andrew Higginson
Neil Robertson v Rory McLeod

The exciting snooker (yes, there’s an adjective and noun you may not have expected to see together) World Open tournament is here and snooker betting has never been so open. Being a huge fan of the game, the World Open is a unique tournament to look forward to. To start with, the draw for the tournament is completely at random, so there are no seedings or anything to worry about, and the unique thing about this tournament is the format. The matches for the tournament are simply the best of five frames, and it stays that way until the final, which is the best of nine frames. This means that there is no margin for error in such short matches, and snooker fans at the SECC in Glasgow will be thrilled with the action, which is all played on one table and with only five minute intervals between the matches. After the birth of Premier League snooker, and with Power Snooker to come, the World Open is indicative of the impact new head of the game Barry Hearn. Hearn is trying to revolutionise snooker, in an attempt to really raise the popularity of the sport again. Just like cricket had to adapt and change with the Twenty20 game, sports fans want speed and excitement, and the World Open is a step in the right direction for that, although snooker purists may disagree. Players will have to take chances and make their own luck, which will make for a great spectacle.

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There are ranking points up for grabs in the tournament, and money of course. If you get the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan to the table in the best of five matches, you could see a match over in the space of half an hour. This is Barry Hearn’s new vision for snooker and for the 64 men starting the draw on Saturday, anything could happen, and a win will simply throw a player’s name in the hat for the next round, to be drawn out FA Cup style. Because of this unique and random format, there is a great chance for an outsider to win this one, so don’t automatically be drawn to the top stars. Naturally the best players will be topping the odds, and after winning the Shanghai Masters (the first ranking event of the year) Ali Carter is well worth a look, and Neil Robertson should be well prepared and Mark Selby can also ramp up the speed and style. Certain players may well be more suited to this event than others. Naturally you think of a fast paced game, you look towards Tony Drago, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jimmy White. One notable outsider is Judd Trump who won the Championship League last year, and won the Paul Hunter classic back in August. Amateur champion Igor Figueiredo is also one of the outside bets to look watch for. But really, the tournament in Glasgow really is wide open, as you don’t know who is going to get drawn against who, which makes it very exciting.

There are some great matches lined up for the top players who are playing their last 64 matches (most of this round has already been played, but some matches involving the top stars were held back in order have their matches televised), which can bee seen Saturday 18th through Monday 20th. Steve Davis v Peter Ebdon is a stand out one, along with World Champion Neil Robertson taking on Graeme Dott. You also have Ronnie “The Rocket” O’Sullivan taking on Mark King, and Mark Selby v Barry Hawkins. Jimmy White goes against Paul Davison, and White, a supporter of Barry Hearn, is looking forward to the tournament and is pretty confident in his mood after putting in lots of practice in preparation. How good would it be to see the Whirlwind this one? Or the legend that is Steve Davis? The green baize will be alight on Saturday, and this exciting tournament is set to thrill the crowds. The tournament lasts all week, with the Final being held on Sunday, September 26th. All of the players are in the same boat in regards to the shortened format, and no one really knows what to expect, especially with the open draw for all of the rounds. There will be challengers from the outside which may not be expected, so pay close attention to the players who are cruising through rounds to nil, as they will be settled into the quick format in which, anything could happen.

World Open Snooker Outright Odds

Ronnie O’Sullivan: 6/1 at Ladbrokes
Mark Selby: 9/1 at Ladbrokes
Ding Junhui: 14/1 at Totesport
Neil Robertson: 16/1 at Bet365
Shaun Murphy: 16/1 at Victor Chandler
Mark Williams: 16/1 at Coral
Stephen Maguire: 16/1 at Boylesports
Mark Williams: 16/1 at Victor Chandler
Allister Carter: 19/1 at Paddy Power
Judd Trump: 25/1 at Totesport
Jamie Cope: 25/1 at SkyBet
Marco Fu: 28/1 at Bwin
Matthew Stevens: 33/1 at Totesport

Selected World Open Match Outright Odd Highlights

Neil Robertson: 5/6 at SkyBet
Graeme Dott: 11/10 at Totesport

Peter Ebdon: 4/6 at Stan James
Steve Davis: 13/10 at SportingBet

Jimmy White: 8/13 at Totesport
Paul Davison: 8/5 at SportingBet

Ronnie O’Sullivan: 4/11 at Ladbrokes
Mark King: 5/2 at Boylesports

The Roewe Shanghai Masters, the first ranking event of the new snooker season, will be without Ronnie O’Sullivan when it starts on Monday. The current title holder, who beat Liang Wenbo 10-5 in last year’s final has withdrawn from the event, citing that he needs to spend more time with his young family. O’Sullivan pulled out of a tournament in Germany last week for the same reasons, but did make his Premier League Snooker appearance on Monday night when he drew 3-3 with Marco Fu. This means that snooker betting will be wide open now, as players jostle for position in early in the ranking event. Going as outright favourite for the tournament, which starts of September 5th, will be Masters winner Mark Selby. He enjoys a pretty good draw actually, sitting in the fourth quarter of the draw, and the first real test for him should come in the quarter finals where he will likely meet either Peter Ebdon or current reigning World Champion Neil Robertson. The other players that may cause a threat to his chances of getting to the final will be Shaun Murphy and Allister Carter who go in the third quarter of the Shanghai Masters draw. While Selby and Carter start their campaigns against a qualifier, Shaun Murphy squares off against Stephen Lee in the first round.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan’s absence will of course influence betting in the top half of the draw. Sitting in what would have been his quarter, is Ryan Day, Marco Fu, Stephen Maguire and Judd Trump. With the Rocket not landing in China, there is a great opportunity for someone here. The most likely candidate? Stephen Maguire would just edge the betting. He generally shows up well at the big ranking events and a very steady and consistent performer. Maguire would have been the one expected to face O’Sullivan in the quarter finals, but that won’t happen now and the first quarter of the draw really is there for Maguire to take by the scruff of the neck. As he will be favourite to now win quarter one, who can he expect to run into in the semi finals? Well, looking at the second quarter of the Shanghai Masters snooker draw, it looks to be something of an open field. Most of the focus and expectancy may be on China’s top player Ding Junhui as he will look to delight the home crowds. He has a nice draw and realistically it may just come down to Graeme Dott standing in his way come the quarter final stage of the tournament. What may work against him though, is he hasn’t been getting in as much action as other players. Because of problems with his visa, he wasn’t able to get to tournaments in the UK and Europe and so maybe won’t have the match sharpness of some of his competitors.

Roewe Shanghai Masters Outright Odds
Mark Selby: 11/2 at Stan James
Ding Junhui: 11/2 at Blue Square
Neil Robertson: 11/1 at Victor Chandler
Shaun Murphy: 12/1 at 888Sport
Mark Williams: 14/1 at Blue Square
Stephen Maguire: 16/1 at SkyBet
Mark Allen: 16/1 at Ladbrokes
Allister Carter: 25/1 at Stan James
Graeme Dott: 33/1 at Totesport

World Championship Snooker Betting Preview: Let’s take a look at the low-down on the snooker quarter final showdowns at the Crucible, Sheffield for the World Snooker Championships. Topping the quarter final bill, is the match between Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan, who contested an epic Masters final earlier in the year, with Selby winning an absolute thriller after a stunning comeback. There should not be too much to choose between the two players, and therefore the winner of this match seriously could be pencilled in as favourite to lift the title. Why? Primarily because Mr Consistency, John Higgins fell by the wayside. Ronnie O’Sullivan put out one of his decent and impressive performances to get past the potential banana skin of Mark Williams, with O’Sullivan winning 13-10 in the end, which included two century breaks in the last two frames. After being tied at 8 frames each, it was O’Sullivan who held on majestically to win in style.

The title, at the start of the tournament, and in snooker betting with online bookmakers, fancied the World title would either go to Higgins or O’Sullivan. Well, if you were basing your snooker betting on that, then your chances of picking a winner will have doubled, with the Rocket being the only one of the two left in the tournament at the Quarter Final stage. O’Sullivan has won the title at the Crucible three times, and is now favourite for his fourth. Surprisingly John Higgins lost in one of the great matches to Steve Davis 13-10. The departure of Higgins from the tournament, has seemingly left the way open for O’Sullivan to claim his fourth World Championship. But there are still seven other players in contention, to some extent, and the threats are coming from many angles. England’s Mark Selby is certainly of the main contenders, and is likely to push O’Sullivan all the way. The two players were tied at 4-4 after their first sessions, with O’Sullivan having to win the last frame of the session to go their break in parity.

So where are the threats coming from? Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen is a serious contender, as he has a fast arm and lots of control. He is one of the modern crop of players who are really enjoyable to watch, as he plays with a smile on his face and a lot of confidence at the table. He is rapidly gaining stature, and would make a great and very popular Champion at the Crucible, but first he will need  to get past Scotland’s Graeme Dott, which the Irishman, on form, should not have too much trouble doing. Scotland’s Dott, who beat tough fellow Scot Stephen Maguire comprehensively in the second round, is a former World Champion, winning the title in 2006. There is little to suggest though that he will be able to go all of the way this year.

Australia’s entertainer Neil Robertson is firmly in the driving seat against Steve Davis, who has been rolling back the years and entertaining the crowds at the Crucible. Davies had pulled out a thriller in the last frame of his first round match against Mark King, and then saw off tournament favourite John Higgins 13-10 in the second round. Davis, a veteran at the Crucible, was playing down his chances of winning the title for a seventh time, and rightly so as it seems for he fell behind 8-1 at the time of writing this. Davis was of course, involved in probably the greatest World Championship final ever, back in 1985 when Dennis Taylor beat him on the final black of the deciding frame. It doesn’t appear as if he is going to be able to get back there again, but it would be quite a landmark for Robertson to win it, as he would become the first player outside of the UK to win the World Championships, since Canada’s Cliff Thorburn nailed it thirty years ago, back in 1980.

The remaining quarter final clash is between Shaun Murphy and Allister Carter, who should get wrapped up in to a fairly close battle. If you are looking to pick a winner for the betting though, a lot of the favourite betting will lean on Murphy, who has been all the way at the World Championships before, winning the title back in 2005. Murphy also reached last year’s final, but in a disappointing appearance to lost 18-9 to John Higgins. Murphy opened up a 5-3 lead in the first session of the match, and the Quarter Finals from the Crucible, Sheffield will play to a conclusion on Wednesday. With O’Sullivan yet to produce his best against Selby yet in the match, it seriously could go down to the wire between them, and it is a fair bet that the winner of the 2010 World Snooker Championship will come from the winner of the thrilling quarter final.

Current World Champions Snooker Scores
Mark Selby 4, Ronnie O’Sullivan 4
Allister Carter 3, Shaun Murphy 5
Grame Dott 4, Mark Allen 6
Steve Davis 1, Neil Robertson 8

World Championship Outright Betting Odds
Ronnie O’Sullivan: 11/5 at ExtraBet
Neil Robertson: 4/1 at Totesport
Markl Selby: 4/1 at SkyBet
Shaun Murphy: 5/1 at Boylesport
Mark Allen: 9/1 at Totesport
Allister Carter: 22/1 at Paddy Power
Graeme Doot: 25/1 at BetFred
Steve Davis: 1000/1 at Boylesports