2018 UK Championship snooker – November 27th to 9th December
The UK Championship will see Ronnie O’Sullivan step out to try and defend his title at the Barbican Centre in York. O’Sullivan is the 3/1 outright favourite to defend his title* (betting odds taken on November 26th, 2018 at 3:21 pm). The title twelve months ago for O’Sullivan pulled him level with the record six-titles that Steve Davis had earned at the tournament.
Can O’Sullivan become the all-time UK Championship leader?
At Boylesports for the UK Championship get Double Winnings if there is a century in the final frame.
Applies to single bets on pre-live match betting, offer is available of each match throughout the tournament. one qualifying bet per customer,max stake £50 per customer, max Bonus per customer £500 free bet. Offer ends on 9th of December 2018.
The UK Championship is the ninth ranking event of the year and is part of the famous triple crown of snooker along with the World Championship and the Masters.
Snooker UK Championship Odds*
Ronnie O’Sullivan 3/1
Mark Selby 6/1
Judd Trump 8/1
John Higgins 10/1
Mark Williams 14/1
Kyren Wilson 16/1
Ding Junhui 16/1
Mark Allen 16/1
Neil Robertson 18/1
Barry Hawkins 22/1
Stuart Bingham 33/1
Shaun Murphy 33/1
Jack Lisowski 20/1
66/1 bar
* (betting odds taken on November 26th, 2018 at 3:21 pm)
Table of Contents
O’Sullivan for seven?
Will “The Rocket” be able to make it to seven UK Championship titles? He took a 10-5 win over Shaun Murphy in last year’s finals which was after the two had been level at 5-5 at one point. O’Sullivan has been in form with a win at the Champion of Champions tournament before losing to Judd Trump in the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast. He has also gotten his hands on the Shanghai Masters this season but it all does leave him without a ranking title this season. Still, he will turn up in York as the one to beat without question and is the 3/1 outright favourite to get the win* (betting odds taken on November 26th, 2018 at 3:21 pm).
Judd to Trump the field?
Some renewed interested will be there on Judd Trump now after winning the Northern Ireland Open. That was a huge boost for him and was the ninth ranking title of his career. His style continues to frustrate punters probably though. He is one of the most attack-minded players on the circuit and while it worked out for him in Belfast it can often be his downfall. Trump though is a former UK Championship winner having claimed the crown back in the 2010/11 season and he got back to the final in the 2014/15 season. He hasn’t been past the third round in the last three attempts though. But he starts in single figures at 8/1 odds* (betting odds taken on November 26th, 2018 at 3:21 pm).
Selby with strong track record
Selby is looking for his first title since his World Ranking win at the China Championship in September. That added to his Haining Open title earlier in the season. He was well in contention at the Northern Ireland Open recently in reaching the final four and he has a nice track record at the UK Championship. He is a two-time winner of the UK Championship with successes in 2013 and 2017 and he was a losing finalist in his attempted title defence back in 2014. He also has two semifinal berths and a quarterfinals finish during his career at the tournament. He bombed in the second round last season but has been at the business end of three of the last five ranking tournaments, he has every chance of being in the picture.
Wilson the wildcard?
Wilson made a run to the final of the Champion of Champions tournament, losing the deciding frame in the final against Ronnie O’Sullivan. That would have been the biggest win of his season, in which he has won two titles. He collected the Paul Hunter Classic and the Six-red World Championship as well before coming back into strong form with the appearance in the final of The Champion of Champions. Compared to those around him at the top end of the outright UK Championship snooker winners maker, he is the least experienced. This will be just his sixth showing at the tournament and he has yet to be past the third round. Throw in a quarterfinal at the Riga Masters and a semi-final at the Shanghai masters, at 16/1 odds he checks the boxes for each way dark horse.
The Draw
The draw is an important factor when looking at the 2018 UK Championship snooker betting. It is always worth looking through at the quarters and how they line up. Here is the listing of the top seeds per quarter and from that, you could picture what could play out and who could avoid each other. Notably, Selby and O’Sullivan would avoid each other until the final.
1st Quarter: 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan, 8 Ding Junhui, 9 Shaun Murphy
2nd Quarter: 5 Judd Trump, 4 John Higgins
3rd Quarter: 3 Mark Selby, 6 Barry Hawkins, 11 Kyren Wilson
4th Quarter: 2 Mark Williams, 7 Mark Allen, 10 Neil Robertson
For starters, Ronnie O’Sullivan at even money to win the first quarter is worth jumping on* (betting odds taken on November 26th, 2018 at 3:21 pm). It’s a tournament at which he has a strong track record and his recent form has been top.
Trump is the 15/8 favourite to win the second quarter ahead of John Higgins* (betting odds taken on November 26th, 2018 at 3:21 pm). Mark Selby is at 13/8 in the competitive third quarter of the draw which also houses Kyren Wilson and Barry Hawkins, two of the best long-shots out there.
Then down in the 4th quarter, you have the most wide-open of the sections with Mark Allen, Mark Williams and Neil Robertson all joint 3/1 favourites* (betting odds taken on November 26th, 2018 at 3:21 pm).
Predictions
It is hard to look past the threat of Ronnie O’Sullivan. What he has achieved not the game and just in the UK Championship alone is simply remarkable. Given the recent form that he has shown at the Champion of Champions and the Northern Ireland Open he is the one to beat and we have a hard time seeing past anyone who could actually pull that off. If you were looking to oppose him them realistically it is Selby (who has a good track record in York) who would get the nod.
