How to Bet on Snooker
Snooker is a game that may be daunting to many of the uninitiated, but it is actually really quite simple. Snooker balls are placed on the table, with 15 red balls, one yellow ball, one green ball, one brown ball, one blue ball, one pink ball, one black ball and one white ball, which is known as the cue ball. The object of the game is to use the cue ball to pot the other balls in one of the pockets that sit in the corners of the table or half-way up either side of the table, with the different balls having different values. You must pot the balls in a particular order though. When you take to the table you must try to pot a red ball and, if you are successful, you can then pot any coloured ball of your choosing. The coloured ball is placed back on its spot if you pot it and you repeat the process until all of the red balls (which are not replaced) have been potted, and you then pot the colours in sequential order according to points.
While there are other rules to the game of snooker, the above is a very quick rundown of what players are aiming to do and forms the basis of betting on the sport for the bettor. In the section below, we will go through the most popular snooker betting markets and how you go about betting on them.
Types of Snooker Bets
Match Winner
The simplest betting market when it comes to snooker betting, or any betting for that matter. Here, you will simply bet on the person you think will win the match, and it is as simple as that as far as when it comes to making a bet on snooker.
Total Frames
This market allows you to wager on the total frames in a match, and usually comes in the form of an over/under choice. You simply need to wager on whether you think there will be more or less than a certain number of frames as specified by the bookmaker.
Who Will Win The Frame?
This market is an in-play betting option which will see you wagering on which of the two players will win the current frame.
Handicap
A handicap market will see you giving a positive or negative figure to one of the two players. If you want to wager on a certain player in a match but they are the odds – on favourite, you can apply a handicap of, for example, -1.5 frames. This means your player must win by two frames or more for your bet to come in. Adding a negative handicap will see the odds of your choice winning drift, offering more value and more danger to your bet. You can also apply this the other way with a positive handicap, meaning that you give an underdog a head start and more of a chance of winning, although this will see the odds shorten
Correct Score
This market lets you back the exact score of the match when it finishes. This bet is difficult to get right as there are so many possibilities when it comes to the score. However, if you do nail the correct score, you will usually be in for a decent return.
To Win First Frame
This market lets you bet on the player you believe will win the first set of the match.
Total Frames Odd/Even
In this market you are wagering on whether the total amount of frames played will be an odd or even amount.
How does each-way snooker betting work?
Each-way betting is a term that often scares off more novice bettors as they do not know what it means. Best known for use in horse racing betting but also applicable to the likes of football, tennis and snooker, each-way betting is a way of hedging your bets and possibly getting paid out on two different outcomes if you are unsure of how you should wager.
In snooker, you would use the each-way bet system for the winner of a tournament. If you think a certain player could go on and win a competition but you are not totally convinced, then placing an each-way bet would see you backing the player to reach the final and win, therefore you would be paid out as a winner if your player either wins the competition or is a losing finalist.
However, be aware of the fact that the odds will change quite a lot if you choose to use the each-way market. If a player is 10/1 to win the competition, they would likely have shorter odds in the each-way betting market, such as of 5/1. You then need to work out whether the each-way bet is worthwhile, as if your player wins, you will be paid out at odds of 5/1, but if they only make it to the final, you would be paid out at odds that are usually cut by around a quarter, meaning the pay out is far smaller.
You should also be aware of the fact that a £10 each-way bet will see you placing a £10 bet on your player to win, and a £10 bet on your player to place, meaning the total stake it worth £20.
How to Win Betting on Snooker?
Snooker betting is like any other type of betting, it requires patience and nerves of steel. Snooker is as much a mental sport as it is physical as one wrong move or moment of brilliance can see the game turned on its head. This means that there are plenty of opportunities to make money if you can build upon your knowledge and you have a bit of luck on your side. Ensure that you don’t just bet on the favourite though as this will provide you with little value. Instead, delve into other markets that allow you to utilise handicaps or bet on finer details in the sport, as this is often where the value is as fewer casual bettors will look to spend their time delving into more niche markets.
What Snooker Tournaments are Best to Bet On?
The most popular snooker betting events to bet on come in the form of the snooker Triple Crown tournaments. With exceptional competition and a glut of betting options, these tournaments provide the pinnacle of snooker betting opportunities.
The three tournaments are as follows:
- The Masters
- World Snooker Championship
- UK Championship
Betting on any of the three tournaments will provide you with a lot of betting options and allows you the chance to really test your knowledge of the sport and ability to make money off it and, with the right snooker predictions, these tournaments can become even more exciting.
Betting.com provides excellent coverage of all the biggest and best snooker events in the world. Check back here regularly to see the latest offers and snooker odds from our team of expert snooker tipsters, with their love of the sport something you can see in every single tip they write.
What are the Best Bookmakers That Offer Snooker Betting?
There are a lot of very good bookmakers when it comes to betting on snooker. However, in our opinion, the best betting sites are the likes of Coral, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and Bet Victor. The four bookmakers offer an excellent service when it comes to the tournaments, they offer betting for along with the available matches, betting markets and live betting options. Alongside this, you will be given some amazing features, very generous new and existing special offers and competitive odds too. While the best is always down to personal interpretation, we believe the afore-mentioned bookies are hard to beat.