2024 World Snooker Championship Betting Tips & Odds Guide

The governing body that organises this event is the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA). They have been in charge of the professional game since 1968, although the event didn’t relocate to Sheffield until 1977. This is an annual ranking snooker competition and the third of the three Triple Crown events of the season after the UK Championship and the Masters.

The World Snooker Championship is now, and has been since 1982, a knock-out format tournament featuring 32 players. Play takes place over 17 days and typically ends on the first Monday in May, which is known in the United Kingdom as May Day. This is also the first recognised bank holiday Monday of the year. Matches in the first round are all played in two sessions and contested over a best-of-19-frames format.

By the second round and quarter-finals, matches have been lengthened to best-of-25 frames and three sessions per game. When we get to the last four players, we have reached the semi-finals which are played over four sessions and best-of-33 frames, while the final is played over 35 frames. This essentially means that the winner is the player who wins 18 frames.

The contestants will be battling it out for a slice of almost £2.4 million, £500,000 of which goes straight into the pocket of the tournament winner. The runner-up will receive £200,000, while semi-finalists each pick up £100,000.

The World Championship always makes for fascinating viewing, and it is a key leg of the Triple Crown. Over the years, the Crucible crowd has seen it all from super quick maximum breaks to that epic final in 1985 between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis, when Davis won on a re-spotted black ball.

Fast forward to 2023, and Ronnie O’Sullivan remains the man to topple. After sweeping aside Judd Trump 18-13 in the Final 12 months ago, O’Sullivan will be looking to be crowned world champion for the eighth time. The clear favourite at 4/1 with most bookmakers, O’Sullivan is always a threat among the balls, and if he can maintain his focus, then he could well take some stopping.

Meanwhile, Mark Selby will be eager to add another title to his collection. The four-time world champion, who is known as the ‘Jester’, ended a 19-month barren run by lifting the English Open last year. In terms of season stats, Selby has won over 50% of frames played (314), but he would like to add a few more century breaks (28). Interestingly, he is trading around the 8/1 mark, and he will see a quarter-final spot as the minimum target.

As you might expect, this star-studded field is packed with champions. Mark Williams is among those lurking, with the three-time world champion having an affinity with the Crucible. He has been a consistent performer, and it would be amiss to rule out the Welshman, who is equally adept with his safety play as he is compiling big breaks. Although he’s available at 16/1 with most bookmakers, he would no doubt be happy to get through the first few rounds.

Elsewhere, if you are looking for value, then you might be tempted by John Higgins. The ‘Wizard of Wishaw’ is a four-time world champion, and has triumphed in all the Triple Crown events. Given he reached the semi-final last year, perhaps he should be shorter than his current 20/1 price.

It is the biggest event in snooker.

The winner will walk away with a cheque for £500,000.

It is one of the longest running tournaments in snooker.

The biggest names in snooker will be there.

It never fails to deliver nail-biting matches.

The first snooker world championship was held back in 1927 at Thurstons Hall, Leicester Square in London, and was called the Professional Snooker Championship. Back then, 10 professional players took part, and matches were played over as little as 15 frames. In 1969, the tournament became a knock-out event for the first time, having previously employed a challenge format in which players played each other to earn the right to challenge the Grandfather of Snooker, Joe Davis, in the final.

There have been quite a few changes in venue over the years. In 1950, the final moved to Blackpool Tower Circus, leaving London for the first time since 1934. In 1970 and 1975, the championships were held in Australia, and in 1976 the event was split between two venues: Middlesbrough and Manchester. However, since 1977, the championships have been played exclusively at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and last over 17 days, usually between late April and early May, with the final often coinciding with the British May bank holiday.

In 2022, the pre-eminent Ronnie O’Sullivan powered past Judd Trump in the final, as he reeled off four of the remaining six frames in the evening session to clinch an 18-13 victory, equalling Stephen Hendry’s record of seven world titles. O’Sullivan enjoyed a near-perfect tournament, racking up around 200 centuries and averaging about 60 points per visit in the final. One for the history books indeed.