Snooker remains a hugely popular sport to play, watch and bet on.
Our guide will help you understand the basics of wagering on snooker and how to improve your overall betting on the game.
Outright Snooker Betting
The most popular way of betting on any snooker tournament is to place an outright bet on the outcome. There are a large number of tournaments which take place each year including the World Championships, the UK Championship and the Masters.
This trio is considered to be the sport's big three 'majors' and the events are the most popular from a betting perspective.
These competitions appeal to the average punter as they are all televised on terrestrial channels and it is easy to follow the progress of your bet from the comfort of your own home.
Outright betting is simply predicting the winner of each tournament. Your selection will need to progress through the competition without any slip-ups and be victorious in the final in order for you to collect your winnings.
The player with the shortest odds at the beginning of the event will be priced up as the favourite but it is always advised to look further down the market as the majors can often throw up a number of surprises.
What Is An Each-Way Bet?
888Sport offer each-way terms of 1-2 on the majority of tournaments, which would require your chosen player to reach the final in order to secure some sort of return.
If your player reaches the final two but is unable to prevail, you'll be paid 1/2 of the odds. However, if your player is successful, you will receive a full pay-out.
Backing each-way on a tournament acts as a security blanket and if your player is able to progress to the last two, you are likely to make a profit regardless of the outcome.
For example, an outright bet at 20/1 will be paid out at odds of 10/1 should your player fall at the final hurdle.
Example Of An Outright Bet
Ronnie O'Sullivan, who recently pulled out of the qualifying rounds for the European Masters, is currently the 4/1 favourite for the 2019 World Championship, which takes place in Sheffield next May.
A £5 bet placed on Ronnie O'Sullivan would return £20 [four multiplied by five] plus the return of your £5 stake if he wins the tournament. £25 return in total.
If the Rocket can only finish second, the odds of 4/1 would be halved and would become 2/1.
How To Pick A Player For An Outright Bet
There are many factors to consider when placing an outright bet. Snooker players need to maintain a high level of concentration at all times but many of them suffer from inconsistency throughout the season.
The punishing schedule can often take its toll and it's always advised to look for a player who has enjoyed a relatively quiet build-up period to the tournament.
Some players will actively take a break ahead of the majors and these should be of interest. Any player who has been playing in nearby competitions may also be better prepared as there will be a minimum amount of disruption and upheaval.
Form is a major factor in helping determine the outcome of any snooker tournament. A competitor who has been playing with confidence and winning minor tournaments will stand a better chance of success than the majority of the field.
Players who are making silly mistakes or are routinely losing matches to their rivals will not be in the ideal frame of mind to succeed at the Crucible.
Finally, always check a player's tournament history. For example, Barry Hawkins isn't always the most reliable sort but he routinely gives a good account of himself at the Crucible in Sheffield.
He reached the 2018 semi-final for the fourth time in the last five years and will always put in a decent performance at the World Championships.
By contrast, he has only ever progressed beyond the third round of the UK Championship in one of his last 13 appearances. This makes him a poor value bet at this particular tournament but he is always worth considering in South Yorkshire.
How To Place An Outright Bet With 888sport
888Sport has a dedicated snooker page which features all of the upcoming tournaments. Many of the majors will be priced up months in advance and this is a great way of ensuring you are able to snap up the early value.
Simply click on the tournament, then on the name of the player that you would like to bet on. This will be added to your betting slip. If you fancy making your selection an each-way bet, ensure that you tick the appropriate box to confirm this.
Enter your desired stake, click confirm and then sit back and follow the progress of your chosen player. If your player is successful, you will be paid out following the conclusion of the tournament.
What Other Snooker Markets Can I Bet On?
There are many different snooker markets available and these can be accessed by clicking on an individual match page.
Session Betting
At bigger tournaments such as the World Championship, each game will be broken up into mini-sessions. These will generally consist of four frames.
A great way of betting on snooker is to simply predict the outcome of the first or second session of the day. There is a limited number of outcomes for each frame - for example: 3-1, 1-3, 2-2, 4-0, 0-4.
Narrowing down the field is a great way of betting and doing your research and finding players who typically make fast starts could be the best method of success in this market.
Handicap Betting
Some games are expected to be one-sided. Top players will be priced at short odds and this can make it difficult to find value. It's difficult to make a profit when backing players at a price of 1/4.
Handicap betting allows punters an opportunity to give one particular player a head start or to predict complete domination by the favourite.
For example, Mark Selby, despite crashing out of the World Open, starts as the favourite for his match with the handicap market has been set at -5.5 frames.
If you bet on this, the Jester from Leicester would be required to win by six clear frames. 11-5, 11-4 and 11-3 would all be winning scores but 11-6 or 11-7 would not.
If you subtract 5.5 from Mark Selby's total frames [11-5.5], it equals 5.5. His opponent scoring five frames or fewer would mean that despite this handicap, Selby still has a higher score and your bet would be a successful one.
Over/Under Frames
This is the ideal market for those who don't wish to make a prediction on the winner of any given match. Betting on the Over/Under market is simply a case of backing the number of frames within a match.
If you feel as though two players are quite closely matched and it could be a tight game, betting on a high number of frames is preferable. If you fear it may be one-sided, opting for a low number of frames is the suggested bet.
In-Play Betting On Snooker
In-play betting has increased in popularity over the past five years and allows users to have a flutter once the action has begun.
If you've missed the start of a match or you simply wish to watch the first couple of frames before making an assessment of the game, in-play betting affords you that opportunity.
How To Bet In-Play
888Sport offer a vast selection of in-play events each day and these can be accessed by clicking on the 'Live Right Now' button which is located on the top right-hand side of the home page.
Scroll down to the live snooker matches and you will find the latest prices located there. These will change regularly throughout the match.
Each match will have numerous options for in-play bettors and you can wager on which player will win the game, the total number of frames or even predicting the correct score. Click on your preferred selection and this will be immediately added to your betting slip.
Once you've added your stake, you're ready to go. In-play bets will often take a little longer to process as it needs time to adjust to any sudden price changes caused by a shift in momentum.
The immediacy of in-play betting is a huge part of its appeal with some shorter-term bets paid out within minutes.
Accumulator Betting
Snooker is ideal for putting together an accumulator bet. At the beginning of tournaments, a number of games will take place each day making it ideal for multiples.
Simply click on 888Sport's Live & Upcoming page which will display all of the latest snooker match betting. Add your selections to your betting slip and then decide on your stake.
All of your selections must win their respective matches in order for your accumulator to be successful. The appeal of these bets is the potential to land huge returns for just a small stake.
Betting on snooker is an incredibly popular past-time and fans of the sport enjoy having a flutter on their favourite players throughout the year. Once you've grasped the basics, it can be a hugely enjoyable and potentially profitable sport to bet on.
Each season, there are new tournaments taking place around the world, increased prize money available and more betting opportunities than ever before. There's never been a better time to start betting on snooker.
