Snooker Betting Guide

Snooker has been around since the 19th century and despite a glitch between the ’50s and ’60s, it’s been growing in popularity ever since. First invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain who devised the game at a stone house in India, snooker is now played all around the world. With more and more tournaments taking place year after year, snooker betting has never been more exciting. But with so many markets to bet on, where do you begin? We’re here to give you some first class snooker betting tips so you can get stuck in and win more bets.

How the game works

Everyone has seen a snooker table but not everyone has picked up a cue. If you’re not quite sure how the sport works, you’ll certainly need to brush up your understanding before you start placing any profitable snooker bets.

The Basics of Snooker Betting

With hundreds of thousands of pounds at stake for snooker tournament winners, the pressure is always on for the game’s top players. With the UK’s top bookmakers offering several markets on these major tournaments, it’s fair to say that all that anticipation has had an impact on snooker betting – but if you’ve never placed a snooker bet before, you’re probably wondering just how many markets there can be for a game played between just two players. The answer is plenty….and as the sport attracts more thrill-seekers to the betting scene, it’s only getting more and more diverse.

Snooker Bet Type

Outright Betting

Pick out the snooker player who you think will win the tournament. There are many tournaments played in the snooker season so you have a lot of time to follow players form and find the best snooker outright odds. Backing a player when you think they are just reaching their peak form just before a tournament starts can prove very profitable.

Match Betting
The simple win or lose option is a quick and easy way to bet and enjoy snooker matches. Pick the player who you think will come out victorious in a single match. Opening rounds of snooker events with fewer frames can give outsiders a chance of winning, if they manage to make an early frame lead. Keep an eye out for strong starters who might have the ability to keep favourites at bay until all the frames have been played.

Over/Under Total Frames Betting

Predict the total number of frames played in a match. Will it be over or under the total number stated by the bookie? Matches, where tournament favourites are involved, will often be played out quite quickly with few frames needed to win, whereas two hot favourites going head to head might result in them playing through all the frames to decide the winner.

Frame Handicap Betting

A slightly more complicated option is the handicap betting market but this becomes very useful once you understand how it works it. In simple terms, handicap betting in snooker balances out the playing field between a favourite and an underdog. You can either give the favourite a handicap and start them off with minus frames or give the underdog a head start with a number of frames already on the scoreboard. A common bet is where Player A is given a -2.5 frame handicap and so would need to beat Player B by a total of three frames to win. It gives you much better odds on backing the favourites as long as you think they will win comfortably.

Frame-by-Frame Betting

Live in-play betting can result in quick wins if you predict correctly. Watching snooker on TV is a great way to follow in-play form and backing whoever is on a hot streak can be profitable in this betting market. Simply choose the player who you think will win the next frame, or the current frame if it’s still in the early stages. You can gain a lot of knowledge if you watch a game from start to finish and the player who grows in confidence throughout the match is worth backing over the coming frames.

Highest Break & Century Betting

Predicting who will score the highest break or who will score a century break are two common betting options. It’s worth reading up on player form because you can get valuable insight from recent matches and tournaments. The highest break is self-explanatory and the century break requires a score or 100 or more. Century breaks not only guarantees the frame but also gives the player confidence going forward in the match.

147 Betting

A simple betting market that adds some extra excitement to a snooker match. The 147 betting market is often a Yes/No option and you only need one of the two players in a match to make it – for those who don’t know, a 147 is the maximum snooker score when potting each of the 15 reds followed by a black and then all the coloured balls in succession. It’s a big ask but we usually see at least one in the majors!

The Best Snooker Tournaments to Bet On

The UK is full of high-profile snooker tournaments so there are plenty of betting opportunities to enjoy. In-depth statistics and expert inside knowledge can be found across many forms of online and offline sources, so there is no excuse not to read up and gain as much betting knowledge as possible before and during the big tournaments.

Players Tour Championship Events

Professional players step in and start competing in the final three days of these events. You can see some real ‘David and Goliath’ matches which will offer up big odds on the underdogs. The fact that each match is played over seven frames means that there is real potential for an upset and this adds more value in backing outsiders for a surprise win. Due to the nature of these events, there won’t always be a full betting market available and the exact times of each match are not clear, so you’ll need to follow the event closely and be ready to make your bets whenever value shows itself!

UK Championship and International Championship

Two of the top-ranked snooker events outside of the World Championship, both the UK and International Championships consist of a longer playing format with 11-frame matches, therefore reducing the risk of major upsets. Backing favourites will result in more winning bets at these events and look out for any favourable handicap markets for better winning odds. Due to the popularity of these events, bookies will offer more variety. Nationality of the winner? Will there be at least one 147 in the whole tournament? Read up on recent form and you could pick up some worthwhile bets here.

The Masters & The World Championship

The two big ones that every snooker player wants to win. Expect the very best players and the best form to be on display here, which means expert knowledge will come in very handy when looking for value bets. The Masters is only played on one table so there is a huge focus on each match, this leads to the bookies offering a lot more in the betting markets and in-play options. Many of the bookies will be fighting it out to offer the best masters snooker odds so make sure you shop around to find the best value. The World Championship consists of an elite field of 32 players with opening matches being played out over 19 frames, the final is a ‘best of 35’ frame format and so you can see this tournament is all about skill and stamina. You can be sure that the top-ranked players will be there or thereabouts when it comes to the semi-finals and final, so if you have your eye on a certain player then placing bets early will give you the best value. Again, make sure to shop around if you want to find the best world snooker betting odds because there will be a lot of competition between the bookies!

Snooker Betting Strategies & Tips

Everyone makes betting mistakes from time to time but being able to minimise those mistakes is the difference between becoming a knowledgeable bettor and a casual thrill-seeking punter. Learning and following betting strategies and tips can help to increase the number of winning bets and find the best snooker betting odds.

• Form Rules – the old saying ‘knowledge is power’ rings very true in snooker and knowing which players are in form, which players regularly hit century breaks, and who is coming into each event on a hot streak is invaluable information.

• Look Outside Major Events – betting on smaller tournaments can land you some easy wins when you back up-and-coming youngsters who are on the way to bigger things. Looking out for promising players who are taking the time to practice their tournament skills before they step up against the big players can be very profitable.

• Snooker Playing Styles – each player comes with their own style of play and understanding these styles can be beneficial to your betting. If a player who is renowned for scoring big breaks is failing to reach 40+ then they are clearly not in form. Other players might like to start aggressively and so the shorter frame matches will be more suited to their playing style.

• Study the Draw – this is a simple tip that should be used across all sports but in the world of snooker, it can give you a huge betting boost. Study each side of the draw and look for any clear runs through to the final rounds for top players, on the other hand, you might notice potential tricky matches early on for your preferred player and decide against placing your bet. Study the form and bet wisely!