Top Tips on Finding the Best Snooker Betting Sites
The sport of snooker is another to have benefitted from the rise in live televised broadcasts over the last twenty years. As a result of that growth, the game has become particularly big in the Far East with a number of top players starting to come out of China and Thailand while mainland Europe is also seeing more tournaments on an annual basis.
In this guide, we will tell you a little more about the sport, along with the markets that are available and we’ll also give you some tips on finding the best snooker betting sites from the many that have set up a presence online.
Origins of Snooker
It’s reported that the game was first played among British Army officers who were stationed in India in the latter half of the 19th century. The sport used the dimensions of a billiards table – a sport that was already established at that time.
The existing format and rules have essentially remained unchanged from those early origins, right up to the present day. The biggest boosts to the sport came in the 1970s with the advent of colour television and then, in the 1980s we saw some of the biggest personalities come along such as Alex Higgins, Steve Davis, Jimmy White and others. In the present day, Ronnie The Rocket O’Sullivan is the star man on what is a very competitive circuit.
Top Snooker Betting Sites
| Bookie | Review | Highlights | Cash Out | Bonus | Visit |
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bet365 |
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In Free Bets £50 |
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| Bet £10 & Get £50 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required #AD | |||||
Unibet |
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Free Bet Money Back as a Bonus up to £40 if your first bet loses + £10 Casino |
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| 18+ begambleaware.org. New customers only. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus if first bet loses. Wagering requirements: all sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), casino 50x. Unless forfeited the sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the casino bonus. Bonus expires 7 days after opt-in. Full T&C's apply.. #AD | |||||
10bet |
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Welcome Bonus 100% Up to £50 |
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| New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply; T&C apply; 18+ #AD | |||||
Betfred |
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Free Bet Bet £10 Get £30 Bet |
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William Hill |
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Free Bet Bet £10 & Get £30 |
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| *New customers using Promo Code P30 only, min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15 (30 days expiry), free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. #AD | |||||
The Current, Packed Snooker Circuit
The pinnacle of the sport is the World Snooker Championships which are played at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England across April, and May. This is a time when the markets are at their most active and you will find a host of snooker world championship betting options available.
Following this event, the season draws to a close and picks up again a few months later with a packed calendar which leads to the world championships once again. Most of these are standard ranking events which are based on the original, 22 ball version of the sport. In recent times snooker, like many other sports, has introduced quick-fire versions of the game such as the Snooker Shoot Out and the Six Red World Championships.
The short format events can certainly be entertaining, and they have brought a new audience to the sport, but they are also much harder to predict, so a number of snooker bettors tend to keep away from them. It’s up to you whether you want to get involved, but whatever you decide, there are lots of betting options to enjoy in this great game.
Awesome Outright Options
The world championship is the busiest time of year for the best snooker betting sites, and this is when you will find the biggest selection of available markets. Almost as soon as the trophy is lifted, the snooker outright odds for the following year are published so this is a long-standing bet that can be taken at any time of the year.
Outright betting can also be found for any professional tournament on the snooker calendar although, for the smaller competitions, these will only tend to be published in the days leading up to the event.
But the outright options don’t stop with the trophy winner as there are other snooker betting odds markets that can be open from the start to the finish of a tournament. In snooker, the highest break any player can make is 147, and this consists of 15 reds, 15 blacks and all the colours.
In the modern game, more 147s are being landed, but the feat remains quite rare so it is very likely that a market will be set up for whether any player will hit a maximum during the tournament. This option will certainly be available for snooker world championship betting and also for the bigger ranking events that take place across the world.
As an alternative to 147 punt, the best snooker betting sites should also have a market to bet on the highest break. This is a case of identifying the player who will record the highest break during that event. It doesn’t have to be a 147 – as long as they are ahead of the pack, then you will win that bet.
Marvellous Snooker Match Betting Options
Once a tournament gets underway, there will be dozens of matches where snooker betting odds are published. For new and experienced snooker backers alike, the straight result betting is the simplest place to start. In this market, it’s simply a case of picking a winner, and there is no option for the draw or tie in snooker, so all we need to do is decide which of the two players on show is going to win the match.
Surprise results can still happen in this sport, particularly in the earlier rounds of the smaller ranking events where the matches are a short best of seven frames. There can be some value although as the tournament progresses and when the games are much longer, the stronger players tend to come through.
As a variation on the standard match options, the best snooker betting sites will also offer an alternative which is referred to as the handicap. This is popular in many other sports, and it involves giving one player, usually the stronger of the two, a notional head start in terms of frames.
So, we could take the number one ranked player in the world and say that he is priced at 8/13 to beat a much weaker opponent. The handicap may then give that weaker player a start of two frames, three frames or more and lift that price some way above the Even Money mark.
If the weaker player is given the imaginary 2-0 start, his opponent would then have to win by three clear frames to deliver the profit. The handicap is very popular with some members of the betting community who want the opportunity for bigger returns.
In order to make profits from the snooker betting odds that are listed for each match, it’s important to analyse form involving the two players that are on show. In addition, you should identify whether a certain potter has a strong history in a certain tournament and finally, take a look at the head-to-head stats from previous matches between the two competitors.
Like all sports, research is the key to identifying a pattern and to hopefully take advantage.
Points Make Prizes
Snooker is a game that is based around points and most of the side markets, or prop bets as they are called in some parts of the world, will be tied into that. It’s one reason why snooker is popular with those who like spread betting, and while the best snooker betting sites should offer an option on the spread, it’s best to find a dedicated sportsbook for this niche area of the industry.
Back to those side bets and one of the most popular options is to punt on the correct score in terms of frames. As we mentioned in a previous section, in the early rounds of the smaller ranking events, matches can be best of seven while for the really stellar tournaments, it’s much higher.
In the final of the most prestigious tournament of all, it’s a marathon of the best of 35 frames, so that’s something to keep in mind for your snooker world championship betting. Obviously, the quicker matches are relatively easy to predict while the long ties are much tougher, but there are long odds and big profits to be made for those who call it correctly.
It’s also possible to bet on the number of points scored in a match. We’ve seen that the highest break is 147 so in theory, that is the maximum that can arise in any game. With fouls, that number can be taken a little higher but that scenario, while it has taken place, is extremely rare.
The bookmakers that do get involved will, therefore, draw lines which may start at 100.5. Your job as the bettor is to then decide whether more or fewer points will be scored in that game and to go above or below that line. Lots of variants will be provided by the bookmaker here, and it’s an easy bet to get involved with.
Winning margin bets are also popular so you can take either player in a match and bet on how many frames you think they will win by. Some sportsbooks will also publish snooker betting odds for whether there will be a maximum 147 break in the match in question. There’s lots to enjoy before the first break and plenty to get involved with when the game gets underway too.
It’s A-Live!
While snooker is quite a slow game with some matches being played over several hours, it’s a sport that offers a great deal of opportunity for live stakes. In fact, some punters prefer snooker betting in play to the ante post alternative, and there are dozens of available markets once the first break has been made. Of course, one of the reasons why punters like this method of approach lies in the potential for higher odds on any sport and snooker is no exception.
At this point, it’s important to note that if you are interested in live betting, you should choose your bookmaker wisely. The best snooker betting sites are the ones that offer plenty of coverage, and even if you’re not a follower of in-play bets, a wide set of options is a clear sign of a good sportsbook.
Within the snooker betting in play markets, you should still find an option to bet on the match result. This can be open right up until the end of the final frame. In addition, all of the bets that we have mentioned can also be taken in the live markets while some others are specific to snooker betting in play.
For example, when betting on a match once it has started, it’s possible for the punter to bet on next frame winner – an option that is not available in the ante post equivalents.
We’ve mentioned the importance of finding a good bookmaker for in play betting and, if you are looking to go down this route, you need to support things with sound equipment. Odds in the live markets can change very quickly, so be certain to have the latest equipment and a fast internet connection. All the best snooker betting sites should also have an app, so be certain to download it and to make sure you have the latest software installed on your mobile device.
Get the Best from Your Bookie
In this guide, we have taken a look at the big tournaments and given a brief introduction to the game before providing a more in-depth assessment of the types of snooker markets you can get involved with.
All of that information is designed to give you an early advantage when you start your betting journey, but it’s just as important to find the right bookmaker. We don’t want a sportsbook that offers poor odds and no snooker promotions, so it’s vital that we look for the best snooker betting sites that are available online.
In basic terms, what we are looking for here is a good mix of choice and value. In its simplest form, choice relates to the number of markets that the bookmaker is offering while value is found in competitive odds for each and every tournament.
You can start to assess value by looking at a small selection of bets for any snooker match. Start with snooker outright odds and then weigh up some match markets and some side bets. You can look at the main odds comparison sites, but the problem with these portals is that they only carry the big established brands so, if a new and exciting bookie comes along with great prices, you will miss them.
This shouldn’t take long; just look at a handful of bets, and the bookmaker’s performance will give you a strong overall indicator. That value can also be lifted by price boosts which can come along at any time. Enhanced odds promotions are particularly busy for snooker world championship betting, but they can often be made available for the smaller tournaments too.
The choice is much easier to assess as all it needs is a quick visit to the sportsbook’s home page and a check on the number of markets available. The best snooker betting sites might have up to 50 or more bets available for any match, and they are the ones to go for.
Go out and Start Betting on Snooker
All of the information is there so now, it’s over to you to do your research and look at making a profit from your foray into snooker betting. Whether you are someone who favours the ante post markets or looks for snooker betting in play options, there are thousands of punts you can take across any season.
The key to making a profit on a regular basis is to do plenty of research: You can look online for tipsters and their opinions, but there really is no substitute for sitting down, crunching the numbers and looking for your own winners. Thanks to the modern, digital age, it’s never been easier to log on to a host of dedicated snooker sites and get all the stats you need. Analyse those numbers, take on board all the information that we have provided begin your snooker betting journey.