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Snooker Bets Available
Outright
This market bets on who is going to win the entire tournament. Odds for this market are often available well in advance as well as throughout the tournament. As the tournament progresses the odds for each player left in will decrease every time they get closer to the final or every time one of their main rivals is eliminate.
Frame Betting
Different tournaments play different amounts of frames in each match but for most games there is frame betting available. This allows punters to try to predict the frame score of each game.
Match Betting
For all televised matches and most non televised matches there will be prices available for each player to win their respective games each round. If you fancy more than one player as a good bet they can be combined with any other number of selections in order to create an accumulator or any other multiple bet.
Handicap Betting
This form of snooker betting is increasing in popularity. Where a match may not be perceived to be closely matched, one player may receive a start in frames (a handicap allowance). This will normally be referred to as +1.5 or +2.5 frames etc.
Example
If John Higgins is the favourite to beat Matthew Stevens then Matthew Stevens may receive a handicap start of say +1.5 frames.
Should Matthew Stevens win the match or John Higgins win by just one frame, then the bet on Matthew Stevens +1.5 would be the winner.
If you think a match will be very close then the underdog on the handicap can often be a good bet.
Highest Break
Bets can normally be made on which player is going to make the highest break during a tournament and also how big that break is going to be. This can be more of a fun bet to enhance your viewing pleasure but there can also be some good betting opportunities to be found in these markets as well.
In Running Markets
There is also the option to bet in running on most televised snooker matches. The markets can change with every shot and whilst it provides punters with the advantage of seeing how each player is playing before they place their bets, there is also the disadvantage that the odds compilers have also seen how each player is playing making it difficult to gain an edge. There are normally a number of in running markets available including player to win the next frame, highest brake in next frame.
In Running Match Betting
Betting on the winner of each match doesn't end when the game starts, it is only just beginning. The odds to win the match are always going to shorten as one player increases their lead but comebacks are fairly common. Look out for slow starters and consider backing them in running rather than before the game. If they are a few frames down to begin with then you are going to get much better odds.
In Running Frame Betting
It is also possible to bet on the winner of each frame in running. If players are known for being slow starters or quick out of the blocks then this again provides good in running betting opportunities. The underdog can often win the first frame which means there could be a value bet. Also if a player builds up a large lead, they may become a bit complacent so watch out for players with a large lead who start missing shots they would normally make.
Outright Winners
Although it often seems that there are dominant players in snooker the winners of the major tournaments are often different from tournament to tournament. In the 2006/2007 season there were eight different winners of the nine major invitational events and the season before there were seven different winners. There doesn't seem to be any major correlation between events and repeat winners but there is always a slight advantage to any home town players as the crowd usually gets behind them.
Take note of match lengths
Different tournaments have different amounts of frames in each match. In the smaller events where only a maximum of nine frames are played there can be upsets where players at short odds are beaten, especially if they are slow starters. In tournaments such as the World Championships there are a maximum of nineteen frames played which makes a shock result much less likely.
Other Snooker Formats
The Betfred Premier League runs rather differently than normal tournaments in that it is initially run as a league table (as the name suggests). Draws are possible in this format with 2 points available for a win and 1 point if the match is a tie. The game carries a shot clock of 25 seconds so the quicker players are favoured.
Consider the Draw
Most tournaments have a draw that is already mapped out and it can often be seen that some players may have an easier route to the final. This can make them a value bet and even if you don't fancy them when they make it to the final, you can always lay the bet off on betfair to guarantee a profit.
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