Bet123 Online Betting Blog » Snooker

Martin Gould targets upsets

Bet123 — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:04:07 +0000

There is no keeping the Potter from Pinner down and he should be rated as a more than useful bet to cause a few shocks at the UK Championship.

Martin Gould is on fire at the moment with a new top-16 ranking spot fuelling his already large tank of snooker skills. Preparation for York could not have gone better after blowing away reigning champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Power Snooker. Those who bet on snooker should remember this.

This year has been a monumental one for the part-time poker player and croupier. Judd Trump and Mark Selby were all brushed aside by Gould on his way to the 2011 Players Tour Grand Finals before facing an on-song Shaun Murphy.

But a runner-up spot in an increasingly-competitive event is no mean feat. A quarter-final spot at the World Open and qualifying for the World Championships and wasting chances to beat eventual finalist Judd Trump were also very healthy signs.

A first-round defeat to Stephen Hendry in round one of the Australian Open and a second-round loss to Matthew Stevens in Shanghai will be considered mere blips by this laid-back 30-year-old. People following the Snooker Masters betting odds need to bear this in mind.

In October his performance in the sixth PTC in Warsaw was not electric but with Mark Davis unable to capitalise, his place in the top 16 was assured, meaning he could put his slippers on to watch others go through the pain of battling for UK qualification.

After conquering O’Sullivan in the Power Snooker final and winning his first professional title, Gould said: “I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s a different game but at least I know I’m cueing well, which bodes well for the next few tournaments.”

You have been warned Peter Lines, the man Gould faces in the first round in the UK Championship next month. On current form, no player will fancy facing Pinner’s finest.

Originally written by Bet123.net, an online Betting Guide

Martin Gould targets upsets

Stevens sneaks into World Championship

Bet123 — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:46:49 +0000

Matthew Stevens squeaked past Fergal O’Brien to qualify for the latter stages of the World Snooker Championship.

Stevens, who was runner-up at the Crucible in 2000 and 2005, beat the Irishman on the final black to set up a 10-9 success.

It is the first time he has qualified for the prestigious event since 2008 – when he lost to this year’s favourite John Higgins in the first round – but he almost succumbed to defeat in the final round of qualifying at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport.

O’Brien was 59-1 up in the deciding frame and luck appeared to be on his side after he potted a red in fluky fashion. However, he conceded the advantage with 59 points remaining and Stevens managed to pull the tie back to 59-53.

He ran short on the black though but an inspired safety shot set him up for the win. O’Brien had trouble dealing with the tactical move and this allowed Stevens in to make the long pot. Those looking at the snooker betting won’t expect him to make much of an impact at the World Championship though.

Speaking after his success, Stevens couldn’t hide his delight.

“I still can’t believe I’ve won, I’m at the Crucible,” he said.

“I potted a good black under pressure. Obviously I feel sorry for Fergal, because I was in that position last year, losing 10-9 in qualifying. But I’ve put a lot of work in and I’m starting to get what I deserve I think.”

Stevens will be glued to the television from 10.45am next Monday, March 21, to discover who he will play in the first round proper of the World Snooker Championship. The 16 qualifiers will initially face one of the 16 seeded players in the prestigious competition, which runs from April 16 to May 2.

Originally written by Bet123.net, an online Betting Guide

Stevens sneaks into World Championship

World Snooker Championship qualifying complete

Bet123 — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:30:14 +0000

The draw for the first round of the World Snooker Championship will take place next Monday, March 21, after the qualifying round was completed at the weekend.

The ballot will take place at 10.45am and will pit the 16 qualifiers against the 16 seeded players in the opening stage of snooker’s premier tournament.

The World Snooker Championship will take place between April 16 and May 2 at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. Neil Robertson will be hoping to retain the crown he won last year and he will no doubt attract plenty of snooker bets.

The conclusion of the qualifying rounds for the English Institute of Sport threw some interesting names into the hat. Jimmy Robertson and Andrew Pagett will both make their Crucible debuts next month and the former couldn’t help but express his delight after stunning Ken Doherty to reach the main event.

Speaking after his 10-6 success, he said: “I’m buzzing, it’s unreal to be going to the Crucible.

“I’m sure I will be nervous when I first step into the arena but I will be there to enjoy it. I would love to draw one of the big names like Ronnie O’Sullivan.”

Meanwhile, Pagett defeated Andrew Higginson by the same scoreline and is hoping to draw his practice partner Mark Williams, who is another 8/1 shot in Ladbrokes Snooker Betting to win the World Championship.

Pagett said: “That would be a dream come true.

“He’s been texting me saying I’ve been lucky and now I’m going to text that I’m coming to get him.”

Other qualifiers for the event include former UK and Masters champion Matthew Stevens and Dominic Dale, who has won the Grand Prix and Shanghai Masters in the past.

Originally written by Bet123.net, an online Betting Guide

World Snooker Championship qualifying complete

Today’s Snooker Betting Preview

Bet123 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:18:28 +0000

What a week we’re having at the Crucible this week. Two 147 breaks in as many days have left us all in shock. It’s not all that common for a 147 break to be scored in the World Championships, in fact the last one was by Mark Williams in 2005. For two players to get the highest break well it’s record breaking. This is the first time that this has happened at this level. So what does it mean to the players? Well apart from the kudos, Ronnie O’Sullivan will now have to share the £147000 prize for getting the top break with Ali Carter.

It’s not over for them yet either, as they are in the middle of their quarter finals. As I write this O’Sullivan is taking on Liang and Carter is taking on Peter Ebdon. It’s not too late to place a bet on these matches either, as bookmakers are offering ‘in-running’ bets. You can find out the latest odds for these matches here.

Later today will see the veteran snooker player Stephen Hendry who has made it into the quarter finals stage, he’ll be facing Ryan Day. Day secured a 13-9 win over John Higgins and saw off Michael Judge 10-6 in the first round. Does he have enough to beat the veteran, time will tell for sure, however the bookmakers are speculating a decisive win for Hendry. Odds are currently stacked against Day, with Hendry 1/66 favourite and you can get 14/1 on Day with 888sport.

Next steps:

The Semi Finals have been drawn and we are in store for more excitement, with the following matches to be played:

Day/Hendry v O’Sullivan/Liang

Carter/Ebdon v Maguire/Perry

Originally written by Bet123.net, an online Betting Guide

Today’s Snooker Betting Preview

Snooker World Championship 2008 Betting

Bet123 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:04:02 +0000

SNOOKER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BETTING

THE SNOOKER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The World Snooker Championship, currently held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, is the pinnacle of snooker’s calendar and the premier snooker event in terms of prestige, prize money and world ranking points. The sixteen top-ranked players in the world qualify automatically for the final stages. Players ranked outside the top sixteen must pre-qualify for the finals.

History
The first World Snooker Championship was held in 1927. Matches were held at various venues, with Joe Davis beating Tom Dennis 20-11 in the final in Birmingham. His prize money was £6.10s. The highest break of the tournament was 60 by Albert Cope.

In 1977, the World Championships moved to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, coinciding with the advent of extensive television coverage. The Crucible’s most successful players have been Steve Davis, a six times winner in the 80s. Davis was also involved in the most famous Crucible final, losing 18-17 on the final black, against Dennis Taylor in 1985. Stephen Hendry won an unprecedented (in the modern game) seven titles in the 90s. Davis and Hendry are the only two players to have successfully defended a Crucible World Championship, Davis winning three times in succession and Hendry five. Jimmy White has reached six finals and lost them all. No first-time Crucible champion has retained his title the following year. John Spencer, Terry Griffiths, Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor and Graeme Dott all exited in the first round.

Maximum Breaks
The first 147 in the championship was achieved by Cliff Thorburn (off a fluked red) in 1983. Ronnie O’ Sullivan’s maximum in 1997 took only 5 minutes and 20 seconds, the fastest ever recorded. He repeated the feat in 2003, against Marco Fu, but subsequently lost the match! Jimmy White (1992), Stephen Hendry (1995) and Mark Williams (2005) are other players to have made a 147 at the World Championships.

Recent Winners
2000 Mark Williams bt Matthew Stevens 18 – 16
2001 Ronnie O’Sullivan bt John Higgins 18 – 14
2002 Peter Ebdon bt Stephen Hendry 18 – 17
2003 Mark Williams bt Ken Doherty 18 – 16
2004 Ronnie O’Sullivan bt Graeme Dott 18 – 8
2005 Shaun Murphy bt Matthew Stevens 18 – 16
2006 Graeme Dott bt Peter Ebdon 18-14
2007 John Higgins bt Mark Selby 18-13

Ding Junhui recently became the first Chinese player to qualify for the final stages of the World Championship by beating Mark Davis 10-6 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. Ding has won three world-ranking titles but was required to qualify as he is not among the top sixteen players.

The 2008 World Snooker Championship is scheduled for 19th April to 5th May.

BETTING ON THE WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP

Outright Betting
Currently, only outright prices are available for the 2008 renewal. As of 10th February best online prices are:
3/1 R. O’Sullivan (Blue Square), 9/1 Ding Junhui (totesport), S. Maguire (bet365), 10/1 M. Selby (Boylesports), J. Higgins (Paddy Power), 12/1 S. Murphy (Stan James), 20/1 N. Robertson (Boylesports), 25/1 P. Ebdon (Stan James), 28/1 K. Doherty (bet365), 33/1 S. Hendry (totesport), M. Fu (totesport), J. Cope (Boylesports), 40/1 M. Stevens (totesport), M. Williams (totesport), G. Dott (Paddy Power), R. Day (totesport), 66/1 M. Allen (Paddy Power), A. Carter (Paddy Power), J. Trump (Boylesports), 100/1 S. Lee (Stan James), B. Hawkins (Boylesports), 150/1 D. Dale (Boylesports), I. McCulloch (bet365), A. Hamilton (Boylesports), S. Bingham (Paddy Power), R. Walden (Blue Square), 200/1 BAR. Each-way terms are ½ the odds 1, 2 and ante-post rules apply. N.B. Some of the above are still involved in qualifying.

To Win their Quarter of the Draw
Once the draw is known for the final stages at the Crucible, online bookmakers often offer prices on a particular player to “win his quarter,” i.e. to reach the semi-finals.

Name the Finalists
At the last sixteen or last eight stage of the finals, prices are likely to be available on correctly predicting the two players to contest the final.

147 Break during the World Championship
Online betting is usually presented on a “Yes/No” basis, as to whether a maximum break will be achieved by any player during the final stages.

Individual Match Betting
As soon as the full draw for Sheffield is known, online prices will be offered on individual matches.

“Handicap” Betting
If one of the competitors is a very short-priced favourite for a particular match, online bookmakers will try to stimulate betting interest by offering “handicap” betting on the match. The less-fancied player receives a certain number of frames start, the winner being the player who wins more frames, taking the handicap into account.

Correct Score Betting
As with several other sports, prices are offered on the final score in a particular match, e.g. O’Sullivan to win 10-5, Maguire to win 10-7, etc.

Since the majority of the tournament is covered on live television, individual match bets, handicap and correct score betting is also available “in-running,” i.e. whilst the match is in play

Originally written by Bet123.net, an online Betting Guide

Snooker World Championship 2008 Betting