The 2021/22 Snooker season moves on to the second event, with a look at the 2021 British Open Snooker betting odds.
This is the second ranking event of the campaign and the player heading back to the event to try and retain his title is John Higgins.
It’s been 17 years since Higgins won that title because the last time the British Open was played was in 2004.
It is a star-studded field and we look at the main players in the hunt for the title this year as the event is resurrected.
2021 British Open Snooker Betting odds
Judd Trump 7/2
John Higgins 8/1
Mark Selby 9/1
Kyren Wilson 12/1
Mark Allen 12/1
Mark Williams 14/1
Stuart Bingham 18/1
Yan Bingtao 18/1
Ali Carter 20/1
Barry Hawkins 20/1
David Gilbert 20/1
Jack Lisowski 20/1
25/1 bar
* (odds recorded at 19:59 GMT on August 16th, 2021 at Coral)
When and where is the 2021 British Open Snooker?
The tournament is being hosted in Leicester at the Morningside Arena and this is a ranking event.
The event starts on August 16th and will play through to its conclusion on August 22nd, 2021.
The British Open is the second ranking event of the calendar year, following on from the Championship League.
British Open Tournament Info
This is a short-format tournament in terms of matches. The first four rounds of the British Open are the best-of-5-frames.
Things then step up to the best-of-7 for the Quarter Finals and the Semi Finals, while the final itself, to be held on August 22nd, is the best-of-11-frames.
Excitingly there is no seeding in place at the tournament.
The bracket for the British Open was set by a totally random draw for the First Round.
Can Higgins defend the title 17 years later?
John Higgins is still going strong in the game, since picking up that 2004 success in the British Open. He is the reigning champion, regardless of the long break.
That victory in 2004, which came against Stephen Maguire, was the third British Open title for Higgins, having also claimed it in 1995 and 1998.
Higgins did play in the group stage of the overly complicated Championship League recently.
He played out a W2 L1 record to get eliminated at the first stage. The loss came against Noppon Saengkham.
Higgins is a quote of 8/1 to land the title this week in British Open Snooker betting* (odds recorded at 19:59 GMT on August 16th, 2021 at Coral).
The Scotsman won the Kazoo Players Championship in February this year, his first ranking title since the 2018 Welsh Open.
He opened in style on the first day as well.
In his 3-1 victory over Alexander Ursenbacher, Higgins picked up the 12th maximum of his career.
Judd Trump the favourite for the title
It is with little surprise that Judd Trump is the current 7/2 market leader in British Open Snooker betting* (odds recorded at 19:59 GMT on August 16th, 2021 at Coral).
He’s the top man in the sport without question. This will be the Englishman’s first-ever appearance in the British Open.
There have already been a couple of ranking titles for him this year.
He claimed wins at the German Masters in January and the Gibraltar Open a month later.
Trump has won 14 of the last 16 appearances in Finals of Ranking Tournaments. That’s a phenomenal strike rate in big showcase matches.
Trump did win his Stage One group at the recent Championship League (over Anthony Hamilton, Lee Walker and Rod Lawler).
But then he slipped to a W1 D1 L1 record in the Second Group stage, the costly loss coming against Tom Ford.
Trump twice fought back from behind in the first round of the British Open on Monday to claim a 3-2 win over Mitchell Mann.
Kyren Wilson can mount a challenge
The exciting thing about the tournament is the FA Cup style random draw that happens at the start.
So a lot of luck could come into play for snooker betting this week.
Kyren Wilson is a quote of 12/1 in the outright for snooker betting* (odds recorded at 19:59 GMT on August 16th, 2021 at Coral).
He has won five ranking events in his career and “The Warrior” is currently ranked 6th in the world.
Wilson won the January to April edition of the Championship League this season, and in the August edition, he reached the Third Group Stage.
Notably, Wilson did also win the 2020 Champions League.
We note that because it’s short format stuff that may suit his style.
So Wilson does bring a little bit of form to the table and looks to have received a favourable draw in Leicester.
Last 10 British Open Snooker Champions
- 2004 John Higgins
- 2003 Stephen Hendry
- 2002 Paul Hunter
- 2001 John Higgins
- 2000 Peter Ebdon
- 1999 Stephen Hendry*
- 1999 Fergal O’Brien*
- 1998 John Higgins
- 1997 Mark Williams
- 1996 Nigel Bond
- * (two editions were hosted the same year)
Mark Allen a threat
Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen produced a good run of form in the Championship League recently.
He was runner up to David Gilbert in the Championship League. But that does put him on the radar for this tournament.
Allen is a quote of 12/1 in snooker betting for the British Open this week* (odds recorded at 19:59 GMT on August 16th, 2021 at Coral).
It’s reasonable to think that he has a chance of carrying over some of that momentum into this week’s action.
Allen took a title at the Champion Of Champions tournament in November last year (non-ranking).
One slight issue for him could be the draw.
Not only does he open against former partner Reanne Evans, but there could be a potential Third Round clash with Mark Selby or Shaun Murphy.
Mark Selby in contention
After picking up the fourth World Championship title of his career in May this year, Mark Selby’s is not a name that many will want to see come out of the draw against them.
“The Jester From Leicester” will probably want to put on a good show in his own backyard this week.
He didn’t take part in the recent Championship League.
So he is coming in cold or refreshed, whichever you want to look at absences from sport.
He gets one of the trickier opening round matches though.
Selby faces Shaun Murphy in the opening round.
It was against Murphy that Selby won the World Title earlier this year.
The winner of that First Round match will be expected to go on strongly in the section of the British Open Snooker draw.
Others to note
Mark Williams opened with a comfortable 3-0 win in the first round.
As one of the veterans in the field, the Welshman has played at the British Open before.
Williams won the title in 1997 with a 9-2 success over Stephen Hendry and is a 14/1 punt in Briisth Open Snooker Betting* (odds recorded at 19:59 GMT on August 16th, 2021 at Coral).
The 2004 runner up to John Higgins was Stephen Maguire, who is back for another crack at the tournament.
That was the only time in four attempts that Maguire had made it past the third round of the tournament. He lost in the first group stage at the Championship League recently.
Yan Bingtao makes his British Open debut. The young Chinese star, the surprise winner of the Masters last year, recently made a run to the Second Stage of the Championship League.
He will make for a dangerous player in the field for British Open Snooker Betting at a quote of 18/1* (odds recorded at 19:59 GMT on August 16th, 2021 at Coral).
