Snooker Betting Features and Tips
Snooker is the most common form of billiards in betting. In this article, we will talk about the features of betting on snooker.
Where to begin
To start betting on snooker today, you need to understand its rules. Without knowing the basics, the likelihood of making a winning bet decreases.
At the beginning of the game, 15 red balls are placed on a pyramid-shaped table. Another 6 balls of different colors (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black) are located on the positions along the perimeter of the gaming table.
There is a white ball on the table – the so-called cue ball. The main difference between snooker and Russian billiards is that here players must strike only at the cue ball, driving other balls into the pockets.
The snooker player must take turns pocketing red and colored balls, with the “magnificent six” constantly remaining on the table – after each hit in the pocket, the colored ball is removed back, and the player is awarded points.
The red ball has the lowest value (1 point), the most expensive is the seven-point black ball. Blows are applied until a miss, after which the right to strike passes to the opponent.
A match consists of frames (similar to sets in tennis or halves in football). Depending on the tournament, to win a player must take from 4 (best of seven) to 18 frames (best of 35).
The ideal result in one frame is a break of 147 points. To do this, the snooker player must, in turn, pocket all the red balls only through the black one, and then drive the colored balls into the pockets in ascending order of their value.
Individuality is one of the features of snooker betting online and on line. As in tennis, it all depends on one person. If the snooker player you have bet on doesn’t have a game, it’s all over.
There is no team nearby that will pull out the match, you need to rely only on yourself.
It is necessary to pay attention to the format of the tournament. Now there are many experimental blitz competition formats that bettors have never heard of before.
If we talk about traditional tournaments, then the number of frames in the semi-finals and finals may differ. In a decisive game of 35 frames, it will be difficult for older billiard players to maintain concentration, especially since the decisive duel can drag on for several days. In short matches up to 9 frames, skill and tactical training decide a lot.
It is necessary to take into account in which country the tournament takes place. The British, Scots and Welsh are the trendsetters in snooker, but Chinese athletes are catching up. If the competition is held in Asia, the Chinese give a serious fight to the favorites and take high places.
Types of bets on snooker
Bookmakers do not offer a very wide market for snooker betting, but bettors always have a choice.
For the winner.
The most common bet in any sport. There is no draw in snooker, so you have to choose from 2 options – P1 and P2.
Total frames in a match.
A bet on how the fight will go. For example, if the match according to the rules is “best of 9”, then to win the billiard player needs to win 5 frames.
In this case, the game will end both with a score of 5:0 and with a score of 5:4. For this format of the match, a total of 7.5 or 8.5 is offered. In some matches, bookmakers offer bets on the exact number of frames played in a match. Quotes for such markets are high, but it is not easy to guess them.
On the winner of a particular frame.
Bets for those who do not want to wait a day for the match to end. The duration of the frame varies, but on average it is 30-40 minutes. In live, bookmakers offer to bet on the winner of the next frame.
Handicap on frames.
A bet on how far a player will win the match. It will come in handy in games of unequal rivals, when the quote for the victory of the favorite is too low.
For example, in a best-of-35 format, you placed a (-5.5) handicap on Ronnie O’Sullivan against John Higgins. To pass the bet, Sullivan needs to give the opponent no more than 11 frames, while he himself takes the winning 17.
For the maximum break.
A bet that one of the players will make the so-called century in the match – will score the maximum 147 points per frame.
Additional rates.
The winner of the entire tournament, total points in a frame, number of centuries, individual total of games won, even/odd frames and more – such markets are rarely offered.
How to bet on snooker
Since in snooker everything depends on two players, the unpredictability of the game is high. This is true in the early stages of small tournaments, when the favorites are not so motivated.
When betting on winning a tournament, it’s best to pick multiple players. In this case, the analysis of the competition grid will help – it makes no sense to bet on two players from one part of it.
One of the tactics that can be applied to snooker betting is keeping track of young talent. They give high odds, but it is not easy to find such players.
Some non-names become world snooker stars after winning second-class tournaments where the competition is lower. To search for a new star, you will have to watch such tournaments, note the style of play and tactics of the snooker player.
