2024 World Snooker Championship Betting

How Does the World Snooker Championship Work?

First things first: we’ve rounded up the basics on the competition. Check out our quick guide to the tournament below.

2023 World Snooker Championship Dates

The 2023 World Snooker Championship will take place from 15 April through 1 May at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Before that time, a qualifying tournament will be held in April 2023, where many professional and amateur snooker players will compete for 16 of the 32 positions in the main tournament, alongside the top 16 players in the snooker world rankings.

Tournament Format

The tournament will be held in a single-elimination match play format. In the first round, players will compete in best-of-19 frames matches. The next two rounds are best-of-25 frames, followed by a best-of-33 frames semi-final round. The last two players will compete in a best-of-35 frames final for World Snooker Championship.

Defending Champion

Last year’s winner was Ronnie O’Sullivan, who entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed. He defeated Judd Trump 18-13 in the final. The victory gave O’Sullivan his seventh world title, equaling a record set by Stephen Hendry. O’Sullivan also became the oldest world champion ever at age 46.

Where to Get the Best World Snooker Betting Odds

When snooker betting during the World Championship, it’s important to look around for the best odds possible on the players you want to back. The more value you can get on each bet you place, the more likely it is that you’ll come out on top in the long run.

When picking our top sites for betting on World Championship snooker, we put a lot of emphasis on the quality of the odds and payouts you can get from each bookmaker. We also consider other factors, like bonuses, promotions, security and safety, and the quality of the mobile user interface. Only sites that excel in all these areas can make our top list.

Best Overall Site for World Snooker Betting

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Who is the Favourite for the World Snooker Championship 2023?

While there are many top professionals who have a realistic shot at winning the 2023 World Snooker Championship, two names top the betting list. Defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will look to win a record setting eighth career title, and is the 4/1 favourite at many leading betting sites.

Also near the top of the board is Judd Trump, who O’Sullivan defeated 18-13 in the 2022 final. Trump won the World Championship in 2019, and will be a popular name in world snooker betting circles again this year. Most bookmakers list Trump at 9/2 odds, sometimes as a co-favourite with O’Sullivan.

While O’Sullivan and Trump are the names to beat, they’ll have plenty of competition. Australian Neil Robertson won the title in 2010, and comes in as a 7/1 choice at many books. Four-time champion Mark Selby is also still a threat to win any tournament, and is listed at around 8/1 at most books.

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History of the World Snooker Championship

As the oldest and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship has a long and storied history. Read on to learn more about the history of the most important event on the snooker calendar.

Early Days

The World Snooker Championship was first held in 1927, when it was known as the Professional Snooker Championship. By 1935, the name had changed to the World’s Professional Snooker Championship.

During its early years, the event was dominated by Joe Davis. In fact, Davis won the first 15 world championships, an undefeated streak that lasted through 1946, as the tournament was not held between 1941 and 1945 due to World War II.

Post-War

The post-war era saw the tournament extend its late-round matches in order to allow more spectators to witness the top players in the world facing off against each other. From 1946 through 1952, competitors in the final played as many as 145 frames, a number that soon fell back to more reasonable lengths.

The 1950s was also an era of change in professional snooker. In 1952, almost all members of the Professional Billiards Players’ Association (PBPA) boycotted the championship as the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC) stated that player compensation shouldn’t be the primary factor in the tournament. Only two players competed for the BACC title in that year, while the players’ association set up its own PBPA Snooker Championship.

This split lasted through 1957, an era in which Fred Davis – brother of Joe – was the dominant player. There was no world championship from 1958 to 1963, but the BACC brought back the event on a challenge basis from 1964-1968. John Pulman held the last PBPA title from 1957, and dominated this challenge system, holding off opponents seven times.

Modern Era

Since 1969, the tournament has once again used a knockout format. Given that the format has been roughly similar since this date, 1969 is seen by most as the beginning of the modern era in snooker.

While the modern era has seen more parity between top players than in the early days, there have still been periods of dominance. Stephen Hendry won seven titles in the 1990s, while Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams were the class of the early 21st century.

In recent years, Mark Selby has been the man to beat, winning four titles since 2014. However, O’Sullivan remains near the top of the game as well, having won two of the last three World Snooker Championships.

Venues

In the early days of the Snooker World Championship, the venue for the tournament moved around a bit. However, the most common host was Thurston’s Hall at Leicester Square in London. Thurston’s Hall took over as a regular host in 1935, and continued in that role through 1940. However, in October 1940, Thurston’s Hall was destroyed during The Blitz when a parachute mine demolished the southwestern corner of Leicester Square.

When the tournament restarted after the war, several venues were tried. Leicester Square Hall hosted three finals, while Blackpool Tower Circus was used from 1950-1952. The PBPA held its offshoot championship at Leicester Square Hall in 1953, and went back to Tower Circus two more times as well.

When the knockout format returned, organizers began moving the tournament around, including hosting two events in Australia in the 1970s. It wouldn’t be until 1977 that the World Snooker Championship found a permanent home: the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The event has remained there ever since, making the Crucible the premier venue in all of professional snooker.

Key Stats

Over the long history of the World Snooker Championship, there have been plenty of incredible performances, unbelievable stats, and outlandish numbers. Here’s a look at a few of the most notable statistics from this tournament.

• Joe Davis has the most career wins in the World Snooker Championship, winning the tournament 15 times.
• In the modern era, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan have been the most successful players, each winning seven world championships.
• No player from outside the United Kingdom has won the tournament more than once. Only Horace Lindrum (Australia), Cliff Thorburn (Canada), Ken Doherty (Ireland), and Neil Robertson (Australia) have ever accomplished this feat.
• Ronnie O’Sullivan has the record for the most centuries at the Crucible, scoring breaks of 100 or more 199 times.
• The record for most centuries in a single World Championship is 16, shared by Stephen Hendry (2002) and Mark Williams (2022).
• A maximum break of 147 has been achieved 12 times at the Crucible, most recently by Neil Robertson in 2022.
• Players combined for a total of 109 century breaks in the main World Championship rounds in 2022, setting a new record.

Previous Winners

When considering your Snooker World Championship betting for 2023, it might help to know who has won the tournament in recent years. Here’s a look at who has come out on top at the Crucible over the past decade.

Why Bet on the Snooker World Championship?

There’s no better time to get in on snooker betting than during the World Championship. With all the top players in the world competing in lengthy matches to the best of their ability, there’s less variance and more opportunities for skilled handicappers to find edges in every round.

Even if you’re not normally interested in snooker, there’s so much coverage and information available that you can quickly get in on the action with confidence. There are also more markets available than on any other snooker tournament, allowing you to bet on every frame and break throughout the competition.

Ready to Bet on the Snooker World Championship?

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