2021 World Snooker Championship betting tips and preview
The 2021 World Snooker Championship will take place between 17 April – 3 May 2021, with the top sixteen seeds in the world lining up against the sixteen qualifiers for a shot at winning the biggest prize the sport has to offer.
We might even see some spectators attending the event, with this tournament once again being sponsored by Betfred and the latest Snooker betting odds suggests that there are a whole host of players that can potentially lift the title.
Ronnie O’Sullivan Bidding to Win Seventh Snooker World Title
O’Sullivan is no bigger than 4/1 to win the title for a seventh time and the Londoner was able to triumph at the delayed 2020 World Snooker Championship which was held in August. On that occasion, he produced an amazing comeback to beat Mark Selby in the semi-final before a comfortable win over Kyren Wilson in the final.
The Rocket recently reached the final of the Welsh Open before being surprisingly beaten by the relatively unknown Jordan Brown although that 2020 triumph at the Crucible was the first in over seven years in Sheffield and perhaps there will be others who prove too strong.
Trump Looking to Land Second World Title
Judd Trump never seems to find things too easy on a World Championship stage and the Bristolian was beaten at the quarter final stage by Kyren Wilson last year, with the 31-year-old having just the one world title to his name although he still has plenty of opportunities to add to his tally.
Trump regularly features at the business end of tournaments and he has already landed a German Open, English Open, World Grand Prix and German Masters during the current season and you can get a best price 3/1 about the Ace in the Pack returning to the winners enclosure.
Can Robertson and Selby Return to Winning Ways?
Mark Selby looked like the champion-elect last August and just needed a little bit more fortune to get past O’Sullivan at the semi-final stage, with the Leicester potter available at 15/2 to enjoy a fourth Crucible win after previously triumphing in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Selby has been a winner this year when it has come to the European Masters and Scottish Open, with the Jester having gone deep in the Welsh Open when reaching the quarter final stage and we’re expecting a big run from someone who will surely be crowned world champion soon.
The same applies to Neil Robertson who lost to Selby in last year’s quarter final and the Australian is a 15/2 chance to win at The Crucible having reached the last eight of the competition over the past two years.
Kyren Wilson and John Higgins are next in the betting, while Mark Allen and Yan Bingtao are the other players that could make a positive impression.
Snooker World Championship 2020
There was a point where it looked as though the 2020 World Snooker Championship was not going to take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although it now appears as though the tournament is going to go ahead and actually have some spectators in attendance as part of the lockdown-lifting measures.
While players such as Ronnie O’Sullivan and Anthony Hamilton have been vocal in their opposition to fans appearing at the Crucible, we will at least have some of that famous atmosphere, with the world’s leading players battling it out for the biggest prize in the sport of snooker.
Can Judd Trump Win Again?
Judd Trump was becoming the hype horse when it came to a World Snooker Championship without actually delivering when it mattered, although the Bristolian now has a World Championship under his belt and he can appear at Sheffield in a relaxed manner knowing that he has gotten the monkey off his back.
Trump’s standard of play fifteen months ago when triumphing in this tournament was breathtaking, especially the form that he found for the final against John Higgins which saw him crush a player who is usually regarded as granite when it comes to the big occasion.
However, Judd is trading plenty short enough considering there are dangers lurking everywhere and that includes Tom Ford who is his first round opponent and will have nothing to lose from a match where all the pressure is on the top seed.
Ronnie the Rocket Second Favourite to Win
Ronnie O’Sullivan will always have his backers although it’s been a few years since the Rocket triumphed in the World Championship and he’s already starting to make noises about the spectators in attendance which could see him lose interest at an early juncture.
O’Sullivan also has a difficult first round opponent in the form of the fast-playing Thepchaiya Un-Nooh who pushed eventual champion Trump so close last year and could be capable of pulling off a shock this time around.
Ronnie is one of the favourites because of the potential level he can play at, although this legend of the game has not won a world championship at the previous six attempts and the past two occasions have seen him beaten in the second round and then the first round.
Back Maguire and Ding at Bigger Prices
We’re going to take one player from each half of the draw and let’s start with super Stephen Maguire who reached the final of the 2019 UK Championship and also won the 2020 Tour Championship in Milton Keynes, showing that he’s capable of playing some excellent snooker after lockdown.
Maguire has bags of talent but has a tendency to throw in an abject performance and has previously lacked the resilience when the chips are down, although the 39-year-old looks capable of mounting a big challenge and he could be the player to lower the colours of Trump at the early stages.
The other player who could be worth backing is Ding Junhui considering that the Chinaman won the 2019 UK Championship in York when beating Maguire and has the game to go deep in this tournament.
Ding has reached the final before and will relish his chances of facing O’Sullivan in the early stages of the tournament, with the player worth taking at big odds.
The 2020 Snooker World Championship will once again see the best players on the planet descend on Sheffield to battle it out for the biggest prize in the sporting calendar.
Between 2014-2017, we saw Mark Selby win three of the four renewals that took place, although the previous two years have seen Mark Williams reproduce the goods to triumph in 2018 before Judd Trump became a first-time winner twelve months ago.
Trump produced superlative snooker to win that particular tournament and get the monkey off his back, with the Bristolian now trading at 3/1 to retain his world snooker crown and he could be difficult to oppose depending on the draw.
Interestingly, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh pushed the world champion to a final frame in the first round of their 2019 encounter at the Crucible, although Judd was then able to beat Ding Junhui, Stephen Maguire and Gary Wilson en route to the final before demolishing John Higgins.
Even so, there has often been the “Crucible Curse” at play and perhaps it’s worth considering some of the alternatives, with Neil Robertson playing himself back into some good form as we approach the tournament in Sheffield.
The Thunder from Down Under was actually trading as favourite to win the 2019 tournament before running into John Higgins although he’s having a strong season which has already seen the Australian claim the European Masters, World Grand Prix and Champion of Champions titles.
Can Ronnie Win Sixth World Title?
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s participation in the 2019 World Championship lasted just one match, with the Rocket stunned by qualifier James Cahill in the first round match when losing 10-8 and he recently withdrew from the Masters tournament which indicates that his mind isn’t always on snooker.
While the Rocket is trading at odds of 6/1 to win this particular tournament, it should be noted that he hasn’t been successful in Sheffield since 2013 and appears to have lost that cloak of invincibility which previously prevented opponents from pushing him close.
O’Sullivan has just one tournament win to his name this season which came in the form of the Shanghai Masters, while his price always seems to be artificially short based on reputation rather than current ability.
Ding Looking to Shine in Sheffield
While Judd Trump has finally cast off the nearly-man tag at the Crucible, the same can’t be said of Ding Junhui who has had a few near-misses at the World Championship although his hunt for that elusive title continues.
The Chinaman is clearly among the best players in the world and perhaps he can come good at odds of 16/1 this time around, having won the UK Championship this season after producing some excellent snooker in York.
John Higgins continues to be a dour competitor who is always difficult to beat, while Mark Allen, Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy are others who are worthy of consideration.
Snooker’s premier event, the World Championship, takes place at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield from 19th April to 5th May and Ronnie O’Sullivan is looking to win his third world title in succession and the sixth of his career. But he won’t have things all his own way in Sheffield, so read on for the latest betting tips and live betting odds comparison as we take a look at the leading contenders for glory.
China’s best and most famous player, Ding Junhui, has always been regarded as one of the most talented players in the games but has often stuttered at the World Championship. He’s having a blinding season, however, and has already won five ranking events – the first player to achieve the feat since Stephen Hendy in the 1990/91 season. Priced as the 8/1 second favourite with Sportingbet and others, those betting odds represent great value for a man who is bang in form.
Aussie cue man Neil Robertson is also likely to be in the mix, the 2010 World Champion looking to bounce back from his defeat in the final of the China Open recently (to Ding). He is available to back at best betting odds of 9/1 with BetVictor, but we think Ding is the better option.
O’Sullivan – as always at the Crucible – is the favourite to win the tournament, priced at betting odds of 6/4 with Sportingbet. Given the Rocket has not been competing in many tournaments this season that price might appear a little on the short side. But having won the Masters, the Welsh Open and the Champion of Champions event, he can’t be discounted and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make it a hat-trick of World Championship victories. Overall though, our money this year is going on Ding. We feel he has the form, desire and staying power to make it his year.