Grand Prix Snooker Betting Tips

Snooker Betting is a great sport to bet on because there can be no draw and it resembles Tennis Betting in that with some specific sport knowledge you can beat the bookie. I am going to preview Tuesdays matches now using the snooker betting odds at bwin They have extensive odds on the grand prix and the other large snooker tournaments. Let’s look at each match in turn. I am, to this day, a semi-professional 9-Ball player in the UK so this is one sport I definitely know about.

Mark Williams 1.65 versus Stuart Bingham 2.10

Mark has struggled over the past couple of seasons with a lack of form and has fallen from a place in snookers elite. Whilst commendable that he continues to fight back to regain his place in the top 16 he continually fails to make it. The ranking system in snooker favours the top players, so breaking back into the top 16 is difficult. Stuart is a top player, but not in the top 16. He has the game to give Mark trouble and could win over the short race to 5 format. If Mark starts well he should win this game, so I will tip Mark at a bit of value at odds of 1.65. This match may be close, so I would back Mark to win 5-3 or 5-4 which is 5.50 and 6.00 respectively.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 1.14 versus Jamie Burnett 5.00

Ronnie is quite rightly heavy favourite for this match and I think that he will definitely win it. The bet here will be identifying the frame score betting. I think 5-1 or 5-2 is the right score as Burnett does suffer from nerves and is still under investigation for an attempted betting coup. Back Ronnie to win 5-1 at odds of 4.33 (value) and 5-2 at odds of 3.75. Even in the short formats Ronnie is such a good starter this match should be straight forward for him. 5-0 can be backed at 5.50.

Mark King 2.70 versus Ricky Walden 1.40

Although Walden has had a good start to his snooker career I still have my doubts about him. Mark King will have a chance in the evening session as he is a seasoned campaigner with many years experience. His results have improved recently and if any match could go against the odds (like many first round matches did) then this could be that match. On paper Walden should win, but I would have placed him at around 1.50 – 1.55 before I looked to back him. He is a good selection for an accumulator bet. The value bet here may be Walden to win 5-4 at 6.00. King can definitely win this match, but nothing sticks out to me that is particularly great value.

Stephan Maguire 1.25 versus Nigel Bond 3.55

Those punters among you who enjoy backing the outsider could have a good bet here on Nigel. He is never a fancied player in matches against the top players but has a long history of giant killings and had a number of good runs in tournaments last season in 2008. Maguire is the other player still being investigated because of betting irregularities and we have not seen what impact that has on him yet. Ali Carter losing 5-1 to Robert Milkins showed that outside influences can cause a loss in form (his wife had their first baby recently), so perhaps Maguire is vulnerable to the veteran Bond. If you think Nigel has a license to thrill here, his odds of 3.55 could be worth a small bet.

Bwin are offering seven different bets per match that you can wager on. Snooker is entertaining to watch but then I would say that as a Pool player. Happy betting.

By Malcolm Clarke