World Snooker Championship %currentyear%% - Predictions, Analysis & Betting Tips

Your 2022 World Snooker Championship Betting Guide is Here

The pilgrimage to the Crucible Theatre is well underway as the boys gather on the Sheffield baize for the 2022 World Snooker Championship!

It marks the pinnacle of the snooker calendar, as 32 of the world’s finest players slug it out to lift the trophy – topped by a Greek shepherdess figurine – on May 2.

There is always plenty of opportunity for World Snooker Championship betting during the fortnight at the Crucible Theatre, with matches pretty much on all day, every day

Whoever comes out on top, the fortnight-long tournament is always guaranteed thrills and spills as players attempt to write their names into the sport’s cherished annals.

Best Bookmakers for Betting on the 2022 Snooker World Championship

Betfred is the title-sponsored bookmaker for the 2022 Snooker World Championship and will surely be making the most of that fact with promotions and price boosts on site.

While markets are generally similarly priced across the board with the best bookmakers, the likes of Bet365, William Hill and Paddy Power all offer a vast range of betting markets for the major snooker tournaments combined with appealing promotions.

There is real value to be had amongst the established bloc of bookmakers, with the World Snooker Championship producing daily and outright markets to find good value bets.

It’s also worth looking beyond the big names though, as given the importance and coverage of this tournament, there will be plenty of options on who to choose to place your bets with as they’ll be looking to promote to a wider audience and entice potential customers with attractive promotional offers.

2022 World Snooker Championship Odds

As the qualifiers have concluded and the first round draw has already been made, there will be 32 players fighting it out in the 2022 World Snooker Championship betting.

The five players with the shortest prices are all former winners, with further selections listed below:

• Neil Robertson – 7/2
• Judd Trump – 9/2
• Ronnie O’Sullivan – 5/1
• Mark Selby – 15/2
• John Higgins – 10/1
• Kyren Wilson – 16/1
• Zhao Xintong – 20/1
• Yan Bingtao – 22/1
• Ding Junhui – 22/1
• Mark Allen – 25/1
• Shaun Murphy – 33/1
• Barry Hawkins – 33/1
• Luca Brecel – 33/1
• Stuart Bingham – 33/1
• David Gilbert – 50/1
• Jack Lisowski – 50/1
• Anthony McGill – 50/1
• Stephen Maguire – 66/1

All prices taken from bet365.

Here’s the complete draw of the tournament divided into quarters:

• Mark Selby (1) vs Jamie Jones
• Yan Bingtao (16) vs Chris Wakelin
• Barry Hawkins (9) vs Jackson Page
• Mark Williams (8) vs Michael White
• Kyren Wilson (5) vs Ding Junhui
• Stuart Bingham (12) vs Lyu Haotian
• Anthony McGill (13) vs Liam Highfield
• Judd Trump (4) vs Hossein Vafaei
• Neil Robertson (3) vs Ashley Hugill
• Jack Lisowski (14) vs Matthew Stevens
• Luca Brecel (11) vs Noppon Saengkham
• John Higgins (6) vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
• Zhao Xintong (7) vs Jamie Clarke
• Shaun Murphy (10) vs Stephen Maguire
• Mark Allen (15) vs Scott Donaldson
• Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) vs David Gilbert

How to Bet on Snooker?

Snooker betting is growing and growing in popularity as more tournaments appear on the schedule and opportunities for in-play betting increase with more televised matches.

The different array of tournament formats also lends itself to a variety of markets to be created, as well as more opportunities to find value.

For example, backing an underdog in a one-frame Snooker Shootout fixture will be priced very differently to a World Championship final played over 35 frames.

Knowledge is power with betting, so make sure you always know the format of the snooker tournament you are about to place a bet on, as well as the form of the players at the table.

Here are some of the most popular markets for snooker betting to bet on for the 2022 World Snooker Championship:

• Winner– Which player will win the tournament?
• Player to win the quarter– Which player will come through a specific
• First-time winner– Will there be a first-time winner in this tournament?
• Match winner– Which player will win a specific match?
• Highest break– Which player will record the highest break of the match?
• Total centuries exact– How many century breaks will there be in the match?
• 147 break in match?– Will there be a 147 break in a specific match?
• First colour to be potted – What will be the first coloured ball potted in a match? This could be a great market to pick out some value on in-play once you’ve seen how the table is looking.

Predictions for the 2022 World Snooker Championship

When casting our eye over the field for the 2022 World Snooker Championship, it’s hard not to look at the top of the betting: Neil Robertson.

The former winner has been on fire in 2022, winning the Masters and the Tour Championship already, showing grit and determination to turn around his fortunes in some incredible matches.

The Tour Championship final illustrated this perfectly. Robertson trailed John Higgins 4-9 in the final and managed to turn around six frames in a row to win 10-9.

• Robertson can be found as short at 7/2 (Betfred) to win this year’s World Championship, adding to his previous title from 2010.
• At 33/1 three-time winner Mark Williams (William Hill) is also worth a look as a relative outsider. The Welshman has been solid on tour this season and is fifth on the all-time list of ranking tournament wins (24), and has been buoyed by a recent British Open win and final appearance at the Snooker Shootout.
• Yan Bingtao at 22/1 (SportNation) is also worth consideration following his 2021 Masters win and German Masters runner-up spot in 2022. The 22-year-old is likely to face Mark Selby in the second round if he advances, and will be dreaming of becoming the first Chinese World Champion at long last.
• Jack Lisowski is probably one of the longest shots of the ranked players, pricing up at 50/1 (888sport) to win the World Snooker Championship.“Jackpot” has only really made noticeable dents at the Welsh Open and UK Championships this season and is yet to make it past the second round in five World Championship outings.

Lisowski could be a favourite for an early bath in Sheffield, considering he is paired with Matthew Stevens.

Who Won the 2021 World Snooker Championship?

Mark Selby is the defending World Snooker Champion after the “Jester from Leicester” scooped his fourth world title, beating Shaun Murphy in a memorable final.

Selby won the encounter 18-15, adding to the previous titles he won in 2014, 2016 and 2017.

Selby is now ranked number two in the world following a tricky season on the tables, but will surely be saving some of his best snooker to the long format of the World Snooker Championship.

In the modern era – starting in 1969, when the championship reverted to a knock-out tournament format from a challenge format – there have been 21 different winners of the Snooker World Championship, headed up by Stephen Hendry who has won on seven different occasions.

Hendry dominated in the 1990s, picking up six world titles between 1990 and 1996, before returning in 1999 to win his seventh crown.

Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Selby are the active players that are snapping at Hendry’s heels, with Selby winning three of four between 2014 and 2017.

Winners of the World Snooker Championship & Titles

Analysing the 2022 World Snooker Championship Favourites

All four of this year’s favourites for the World Snooker Championship are former winners and share 12 titles between them.

Let’s take a closer look at each player and their chances in 2022:

Judd Trump

Judd Trump was a man on fire over the winter months going on a run of 16 wins in 17 matches, but has hit a little bit of a wall in recent weeks.

A 10-6 loss to Luca Brecel in the opening round of the Tour Championship underlined his fragility at the table all of a sudden, with break building without any consistency his issue.

Still, Trump is a natural at the table and a fantastic long potter with these long, gruelling Crucible matches well suited to his strong mindset.

Trump won this title back in 2019 and has made back-to-back quarter-finals since, but will need to find his magic touch if he is to make it a second title in 2022.

Ronnie O’Sullivan

You can never count out Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Crucible, as he showed emphatically in 2020 as he scooped his sixth title in Sheffield.

The “Rocket” has recent gold to his name by winning the World Grand Prix in December, and always seems to be in the mix of an event if his focus is there.

The world number one is still rapid at the table and if O’Sullivan is able to stretch his legs and rack up quick frames in succession, then his opposition will find it hard to fight back against the tide of the six-time winner.

A potential semi-final meeting with Neil Robertson is the one every snooker fan is looking out for.

Neil Robertson

Robertson is the form man on the World Snooker Tour at present, with four big wins to his name already in the 2021-22 season underlining his dominance.

The Australian has fallen at the quarter-final stage in his last three World Championships, but looks to be completely in the zone of late when he is at the table.

As he showed in the Tour Championship final against John Higgins, it’s nearly impossible to pin down Neil Robertson in long-form snooker.

His break-building and aggression on the long pot opportunities is world class and he’ll be tough to beat in Sheffield.

Mark Selby

Mark Selby has struggled on and off the table this year but has the game to make life hell for his opposition in Sheffield.

The “Jester from Leicester” may often receive criticism for his safety-first mentality on the table, but the four-time champion understands what it takes to get over the line inside snooker’s most famous venue.

Selby has failed to reach a final this season but may well be saving his best snooker for the biggest competition of the lot.

Snooker Betting Strategy and Examples

Make sure you cash in with the World Snooker Championship bookmaker.

With many of the main events in the snooker calendar being held in the UK, many of the big players on the UK betting scene provide sponsorship for the big events – such as the Betfred World Championship.

As a result, the bookmakers often have a vested interest to entice new customers or reward existing customers by offering sign up offers or enhanced odds around the event.

Also, make sure you exploit the handicaps once the qualifiers have been added to the draw.

The World Snooker Championship implements a seeding system, protecting the highest ranked players in the world. In the early stages of the World Championship, the world’s elite will be pitted against scrappy qualifiers.

You’re not going to receive fantastic odds for one of the favourites to win their opening match, but have a look to see how they performed throughout the qualifying stages to gauge their form.

There are always upsets in the opening round of the World Snooker Championship and it’s your job to find them!

Conclusion

The 2022 World Snooker Championship is sure to be an unmissable event on the snooker calendar.

Neil Robertson is rightly considered the favourite coming into Sheffield, but there is a deep pool of talent in the 32-player field that are all capable of upsets on their day.

Ronnie O’Sullivan will be determined to add his name further into the snooker history books by matching Stephen Hendry’s seven titles, but the rest of the Class of ‘92 will be nipping at his heels as they look to further their own claim.

Schedule & Results

First Round Draw

Second Round Draw

Quarter Final Draw

Semi Final Draw

Final