Online Snooker Betting Guide
Introduction to Snooker Betting - Snooker is a cue game that developed from the traditional game of billiards. It is somewhat similar to pool, but played on larger tables and with a more complex set of rules. Snooker is quite a traditional sport, certainly in the United Kingdom, but has never really gained huge worldwide popularity. However, the game does still have a loyal following in those parts of the world where it is well known.
Betting on snooker is not as common as some of the world’s more popular sports, but many online betting sites will cover the main professional tournaments. Snooker betting sites are fairly simple with limited markets and with a little bit of knowledge about the game it is certainly possible to be profitable.
Where To Bet On Snooker Online
Betting On Snooker Tournaments
Professional snooker is played in essentially one format – knockout tournaments. In a knockout tournament, the winner of each match is determined by the first player to win a specific amount of frames.
The most well known, and prestigious, professional snooker tournament is the World Snooker Championship. This is held annually and played at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. The first championship took place in 1927 and was won by Joe Davis (who went on to win a further 14 times). These days, despite a lower profile than many other sports, the championship still attracts a large viewing audience and offers a prize pool of over £1,000,000.
There are number of other ranking snooker tournaments played throughout the year, with other notable events being The UK Championship, The Masters and Snooker Grand Prix.
Types of Snooker Bets and Wagers
There is a fairly limited amount of bets of snooker, largely due to the nature of the game. Snooker matches don’t have the same permutations as many other sports, so betting is largely restricted to the following types of bets.
- Match Betting (Fixed Odds) -Most major online betting sites will offer match betting for matches in the majority of ranking snooker tournaments. It is a very straightforward option, which involves simply selecting which of the two competing players you believe will win the match. A draw is not a possible result in snooker. If your selection goes on to win the match, you get paid out based on the odds provided at the time of betting. Odds will be presented by the online bookmaker in either a fractional or decimal format. An example of fractional odds is 2/1, meaning a bet of $1.00 would return winnings of $2.00 plus your stake. A decimal price might be 3.0 – this means a $1.00 winning bet would return $3.00 including your stake.
- Futures/Outright Bet - An example of a future or outright bet in snooker would be selecting which player you believe will win a tournament. For example, at the start of the World Championship, you could decide which player you believe will win the tournament and place your bet on that player.
- Prop Bets/Specials - There is not much in the way of these types of bets in snooker, although some of the top online snooker betting sites will have a few markets open during a major tournament. Bets might include which player gets the highest break of a tournament.
Online Snooker Betting Tips and Strategy
Snooker is not bet on to the same degree as other sports, but there are still plenty of serious sports bettors who successfully make money on the game. There is not really a lot of strategy to learn, as the game is played in a straightforward format with limited types of bets.
If you want to make money out of betting on snooker online, the most important thing is follow the form of the players. Snooker is very much a form game, and players will often go on winning streaks where they perform well in several consecutive tournaments. Conversely, sometimes even the very best players will have losing runs. By either watching televised snooker or reading reports of games, it should be possible to get an idea of which player, or players, are in good form and make your bets based on that knowledge.
Like with most online sports betting, to be successful wagering at snooker betting websites there are some fundamental rules that should be followed. It is strongly recommended to use a quality, reliable online betting site that will offer you good odds. Practicing good money management is also an important aspect of being profitable. Also, you should not be tempted to bet on every snooker match in every tournament. Sometimes, it will be very hard to pick the winner between two players who are of similar standard and there is nothing wrong with avoiding that match and waiting for a better bet in the future.
Snooker Betting and Wagering Markets
An overview of events, leagues, and betting markets for snooker fans: