Players Championship Betting Predictions & Winner Odds

Trump can add another title to the season

Snooker Betting

Ronnie O’Sullivan is the reigning champion in the Players Championship and he will be stepping out at the Preston Guild Hall looking to shake off a bit of a slump in form. This will be the sixteenth ranking event of the season and things are starting to really gear up now ahead of next month’s World Championships.

O’Sullivan is the 7/2 outright favourite for this week’s action* (betting odds taken from bet365 on March 1st, 2019 at 11:22 pm)

Players Championship Odds*

Ronnie O’Sullivan 12/5
Judd Trump 7/2
Neil Robertson 17/2
Mark Selby 17/2
Mark Allen 9/1
Mark Williams 14/1
Kyren Wilson 16/1
Stuart Bingham 16/1
John Higgins 16/1
Barry Hawkins 28/1
33/1 bar
* (betting odds taken from bet365 on March 1st, 2019 at 11:22 pm)

O’Sullivan & Trump the big two

The season is definitely gearing up towards April’s World Championships now, so that makes every drop of action between now and then so highly important. It is Ronnie O’Sullivan then who is the outright favourite for this one and he could use a bit of an upturn in form.

It hasn’t quite happened for him lately with his loss in the final of the Masters to Judd Trump being followed by early exits at the World Grand Prix and Welsh Open. Despite his a win last year over Shaun Murphy, this is a tournament which The Rocket has only played three times before.

Judd Trump is the player with the hot hand of form on the circuit at the moment. His big win at the Masters over Ronnie O’Sullivan was, frankly, spectacular. He got himself on the front foot early and never looked back, destroying his opponent.

That wasn’t a one-off in his form either from him, having collected the Northern Ireland Open and the World Grand Prix since November last year. He did crash early at the recent Welsh Open, but other than that, it looks as if he has finally starting to bring that consistency to the table as well as his talent.

Other contenders

Neil Robertson is a two-time losing finalist at the Players Championship, back in 2012 and 2013. He has shown a good bit of form recently and is a good solid option at 17/2 odds for Players Championship 2019 betting* (betting odds taken from bet365 on March 1st, 2019 at 11:22 pm).

He was a losing semi-finalist at the 2019 Masters and he claimed the recent big ranking title at the Welsh Open. That was his second title this season. He has been a losing quarter-finalist in the last two editions of the Players.

Mark Selby is going into the tournament at the same price as Robertson, however, he looks just a shade low on confidence as the result haven’t been happening for him. Since claiming the China Championship earlier this season, he hasn’t been back to a final since. Selby lost in the first round last season of this tournament as well. His best ever effort at the event was in the 2010/11 season when he reached the semi-finals.

Mark Allen is the top seed for the draw and he was the 2016 Players Championship winner. He has been to the final in three of his last six ranking events. That 2016 title at the Players though was, head and shoulders, his best ever effort. Last season he went out in the first round.

Draw Details

The top half of the draw looks the most difficult for a player to come through. Top seed Mark Allen is up there, opening against Stephen Maguire and Allen is the 11/8 favourite to win the first section* (betting odds taken from bet365 on March 1st, 2019 at 11:22 pm).

The second quarter of the draw though is the one which is the most dancing. Ronnie O’Sullivan opens against Barry Hawkins and the winner of that will face the winner of the top game of the first round, Mark Selby v John Higgins. So there’s quite the battle in the top half of the draw. O’Sullivan is 10/11 to win that congested second quarter* (betting odds taken from bet365 on March 1st, 2019 at 11:22 pm).

Down in the bottom half Neil Robertson, the third seed looks to have received a fairly comfortable draw. He is going off in the third quarter and that leaves Judd Trump bossing the fourth quarter. Trump opens against Jimmy Robertson and will face either Kyren Wilson or Jack Lisowski in the quarters. Trump is 4/7 and Robertson is at 7/5 to win their respective quarters* (betting odds taken from bet365 on March 1st, 2019 at 11:22 pm).

Predictions

That top half of the draw looks to be a bit of a minefield. The draw looks really wide open for Robertson and Trump and those are the two with the most appeal. Because it is Trump who has been really going well lately, then he looks the best fit overall to come away with the title.