Tuesdays Welsh Open Snooker Betting

The Welsh Open is the next ranking event coming right after we enjoyed Mark Selby coming back from 9-6 down to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-9 in a classic final. Whilst we hope we get another classic final, we must get that far first! Sports betting regulars will enjoy betting on the snooker particularly because the action is live on British Eurosport so you can follow the action whilst you bet. The matches on Tuesday throw up some interesting clashes with top players and those trying to work their way up the rankings. I am going for a six game accumulator, do you agree with my choices?

Mark Allen 1.30 versus Tom Ford 3.20

Tom Ford is the world number 49 and provisionally number 47 so he is performing no better or worse than in previous seasons. Mark, however, is provisionally 15th in the world after dropping from number 11. The feeling within snooker is that Mark is on the up despite a small drop in the rankings. He should beat Tom in this first round encounter and I see no reason to oppose him. He did well in the masters and should be expected to have a good run in this event. Tom was regarded as a top prospect in his youth and whilst not at the level of Mark Allen in terms of ranking or stature within the game, has what it takes to do better than his ranking suggests.

Mark King 1.55 versus Marcus Campbell 2.30

Mark will not be taking this match for granted. Marcus has been a professional player for a long time and King will want to secure ranking points having not improved on his provisional number sixteen ranking. Marcus is provisional number 43 up from 45 last season. Mark should win this match as easily as Allen should win his, but at better odds. If you fancy a good bet on a singles game, this match has value for me. Marcus is 38 years old and you feel he is maintaining his ranking rather than improving on it.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 1.20 versus Stuart Bingham 4.00

Ronnie to win. Providing he gets off to a good start he should win this match comfortably. Not much value as a single bet but certainly worth putting into your accumulators.

Stephen Maguire 1.25 versus Dominic Dale 3.55

Again a clear favourite and you would expect Maguire to progress. Dale could cause him problems though and is an experienced campaigner. He won a ranking event last season and has been a professional snooker player since 1992. He is ranked at 34 in the world which is not too bad. Maguire will need to stamp his authority on the match but if he plays anywhere near his best he should go through comfortably.

Ryan Day 1.16 versus Tony Drago 4.50

Tony Drago is ranked at 65th in the world and more likely to be seen on the 9-Ball circuit in the UK than playing snooker. He is very fast and likely to make some errors I feel. He certainly will not be afraid of Ryan but surely he cannot defeat a player destined for a major win you feel. If Drago wins it will be amazing and he will have plenty of support, but Ryan is a massive favourite in this match.

Stephen Hendry 1.44 versus Dave Harold 2.60

Dave played most of his career when Hendry was unbeatable and you feel this will be on his mind. Hendry has shown signs of competing at the top and is still a very credible 9th in the world. He could spring a surprise on us and win another title, but suffers a little from confidence problems at the latter stages. He should win his first round however, against Harold who does not match up in terms of talent despite being a tidy player.

If you back all of the favourites (which I will be) as a six man accumulator bet for £10 then you will collect a total of £50.49. Considering all of these players are heavy favourites for each match this is not a bad bet in my opinion.

Enjoy the coverage and all your snooker betting for Tuesday.

By Malcolm Clarke