
Horse Racing, greyhounds and snooker specialist with thirty years experience of writing about sport across multiple platforms. A QPR and Snooker fan
Welcome to the definitive Masters Snooker Betting Guide, where snooker betting fans can sharpen their strategy. In this article, you'll find an in-depth look at the Masters Snooker Draw, critical form considerations, and a retrospective of previous champions. This guide delivers essential insights tailored to enhance your betting approach to the Master Snooker Championship
Masters Snooker Betting Unwrapped: Your Strategic Guide 📈
Masters Snooker 2025: Draw and Results
Eight-time Masters champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has withdrawn from the 2025 event. O'Sullivan has been replaced by Neil Robertson.
The Masters will take place between the 12th and the 19th of January at Alexandra Palace in London.
Semi-Finals - Best of eleven frames
Mark Allen v Shaun Murphy 3-6
Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson
Quarter-Finals - Best of eleven frames:
Shaun Murphy v Neil Robertson 6-2
Mark Allen v Mark Selby 6-2
Judd Trump v Ding Junhui 6-3
Kyren Wilson v Luca Brecel 6-4
First Round - Best of eleven frames (seedings in brackets):
Neil Robertson v John Higgins (15) 6-5
Shaun Murphy (8) v Gary Wilson (11) 6-3
Mark Allen (5) v Si Jiahui (14) 6-2
Mark Selby (4) v Ali Carter (12) 6-1
Judd Trump (3) v Barry Hawkins (13) 6-1
Mark Williams (6) v Ding Junhui (9) 5-6
Luca Brecel (7) v Chris Wakelin (16) 6-3
Kyren Wilson (2) v Zhang Anda (10) 6-4
The Masters Snooker - Previous Winners
The Masters final has been played over nineteen frames since 1996. Below are records of all winners, runners-up, interval scores, number of centuries and highest break in each final:
Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final Score | 1st session score | Total centuries | Highest Break |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | Ali Carter | 10-7 | 3-5 | 4 | 127 |
2023 | Judd Trump | Mark WIlliams | 10-8 | 5-3 | 5 | 138 |
2022 | Neil Robertson | Barry Hawkins | 10-4 | 5-3 | 2 | 114 |
2021 | Yan Bingtao | John Higgins | 10-8 | 3-5 | 2 | 116 |
2020 | Stuart Bingham | Ali Carter | 10-8 | 5-3 | 3 | 133 |
2019 | Judd Trump | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 10-4 | 7-1 | 2 | 114 |
2018 | Mark Allen | Kyren Wilson | 10-7 | 4-4 | 1 | 119 |
2017 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | Joe Perry | 10-7 | 4-4 | 3 | 117 |
2016 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | Barry Hawkins | 10-1 | 7-1 | 1 | 136 |
2015 | Shaun Murphy | Neil Robertson | 10-2 | 6-2 | 2 | 127 |
2014 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | Mark Selby | 10-4 | 7-1 | 0 | 97 |
2013 | Mark Selby | Neil Robertson | 10-6 | 5-3 | 1 | 102 |
2012 | Neil Robertson | Shaun Murphy | 10-6 | 5-3 | 3 | 103 |
2011 | Ding Junhui | Marco Fu | 10-4 | 6-2 | 1 | 120 |
2010 | Mark Selby | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 10-9 | 3-5 | 5 | 129 |
2009 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | Mark Selby | 10-8 | 4-4 | 4 | 114 |
2008 | Mark Selby | Stephen Lee | 10-3 | 5-3 | 3 | 141 |
2007 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | Ding Junhui | 10-3 | 5-3 | 5 | 143 |
2006 | John Higgins | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 10-9 | 5-3 | 3 | 139 |
2005 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | John Higgins | 10-3 | 5-3 | 3 | 134 |
2004 | Paul Hunter | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 10-9 | 2-6 | 5 | 127 |
2003 | Mark WIlliams | Stephen Hendry | 10-4 | 6-2 | 2 | 102 |
2002 | Paul Hunter | Mark Williams | 10-9 | 3-5 | 0 | 84 |
2001 | Paul Hunter | Fergal O'Brien | 10-9 | 2-6 | 4 | 136 |
2000 | Matthew Stevens | Ken Doherty | 10-8 | 5-3 | 3 | 140 |
1999 | John Higgins | Ken Doherty | 10-8 | 4-4 | 1 | 109 |
1998 | Mark Williams | Stephen Hendry | 10-9 | 3-5 | 2 | 120 |
1997 | Steve Davis | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 10-8 | 4-4 | 4 | 130 |
1996 | Stephen Hendry | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 10-5 | 6-2 | 3 | 125 |
The record number of centuries in finals at the Masters played over nineteen frames is five, achieved in 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2023
Only twice since 1996 has the Masters final failed to see a century break (2002 and 2014).
If you need more information for your snooker bets why not head over to the Best Snooker Tipsters page to see which of the top OLBG tipsters currently have tips on snooker. The higlighted tipsters have shown a recent profit for their snooker tips.
The Masters - Ten Year Form
Below is a table outlining how each of this year's players have performed over the last ten years at The Masters:
Player | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mark Selby | QF | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | QF | QF | 1R |
Judd Trump | QF | W | SF | WD | 1R | W | SF | 1R | SF | 1R |
Neil Robertson | 1R | 1R | W | 1R | 1R | SF | QF | QF | F | |
Kyren Wilson | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | QF | 1R | F | 1R | ||
Shaun Murphy | SF | QF | 1R | QF | SF | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | W |
John Higgins | 1R | 1R | QF | F | QF | 1R | SF | 1R | QF | 1R |
Mark Williams | 1R | F | SF | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | |
Barry Hawkins | QF | QF | F | 1R | QF | 1R | SF | F | 1R | |
Mark Allen | SF | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | W | QF | QF | SF |
Luca Brecel | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | ||||||
Ding Junhui | 1R | 1R | 1R | SF | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | ||
Ali Carter | F | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | ||
Zhang Anda | 1R | |||||||||
Gary Wilson | 1R | |||||||||
Si Jiahui | ||||||||||
Chris Wakelin |
Si Jiahui and Chris Wakelin are making their Masters' debut.
Judd Trump and Jack Lisowski had to withdraw from the 2021 tournament due to covid.
Masters 2025: Betting Preview
The betting market for the 2025 Masters received a huge shake-up this morning with the news that eight-time masters champion, Ronnie O’Sullivan, had withdrawn due to medical reasons.
O’Sullivan’s place is to be filled by Neil Robertson and this, arguably, makes the task of finding the winner of the Masters even harder. O’Sullivan has been badly out of form all season and looked a very unlikely winner, despite his lofty position in the betting market.
Bookmakers have predictably used O’Sullivan's withdrawal as a reason to shorten up the price of nearly all the other players and hardened Judd Trump into a general 11/4 favourite. Trump has been the dominant player on the circuit, winning over half a million pounds more than any other player in the one year rankings. Trump won five major titles in 2024, including the UK Championship, and therefore could still win the Triple Crown in one season, a feat only achieved by three players in the history of the sport. Trump’s recent win percentage against top sixteen players stands at 69% but if we look at just 2024/25 he has only lost three matches to top sixteen opponents whilst winning eleven. However, the 2019 and 2023 Masters Champion has a very tricky opening match against an in-form Barry Hawkins and whilst Trump’s case looks solid there isn’t much value in his price and he looks to be in the more difficult half of the draw.
World Champion Kyren Wilson is now second favourite to lift his first Masters’ title but Wilson’s record in this event is not encouraging with just one visit past the quarter-finals in nine attempts. Wilson also may have had his confidence affected after losing six frames on the trot to Judd Trump in the semi-final of the UK Championship. Wilson had been leading 2-0 and looked completely shellshocked to leave the arena beaten 6-2. I'd like to see him back to his early season form before backing him again.
Three-time Masters champion Mark Selby has been scoring heavily at a recent Championship League event, hitting six centuries in twenty-seven frames, but I’m reluctant to pay too much heed to any form from that unusual format event. Selby has won the British Open this season but generally his form has been patchy and it’s difficult to forecast how much of an influence his off-table problems will play a part in his form from event to event.
It’s nearly two years since Shaun Murphy won a big event and we have to go back to 2021 to find the last time John Higgins lifted a trophy so it seems a big leap of faith to support either of those two players.
Neil Robertson has done well to fight back to get into the top twenty of the world rankings after a very disappointing season in 2023/24. Robertson has an event win to his name already this season but generally I still feel he isn’t at his absolute best. Getting such a late call-up to this event hardly looks ideal either.
Ding Junhui won the International Championship back in November, somewhat out of the blue, and this mercurial player fluctuates wildly from sublime break-building to increasing shows of petulance when his game is not at it’s best. Added to that is the fact that he exited the Masters in the first round in ten of the last twelve occasions he has played in the event.
Mark Williams released pictures this week of him needing oxygen when playing in an exhibition at altitude in Tibet and although Williams has stated it was simply the altitude affecting him, it doesn’t look like the ideal preparation for one of the season’s top events.
Last year’s beaten finalist Ali Carter has seen a marked dip in form this season compared to last, a comment that also applies to Zhang Anda and Gary Wilson. Based on their recent results it’s difficult to see any of those players lifting the trophy. Luca Brecel has struggled to get anywhere near the form that saw him win the World Championship in 2023, although recent results have been slightly better, including making the final recently in Saudi Arabia. Brecel is capable of beating anyone when at the top of his game but unforced errors still seem to be happening too much to imagine him winning at Alexandra Palace this week.
Si Jiahui and Chris Wakelin are Masters debutants and only Yan Bingtao has won the tournament on debut in the last twenty years.
Barry Hawkins will be interesting to some as a value outsider and Hawkins’ record when playing other members of the top sixteen has been excellent this season, winning eight and only losing three such matches. However, just one major tournament victory since 2017 lessens enthusiasm for Hawkins, but he remains a very dangerous opponent.
Mark Allen appeals as a decent value bet for the 2025 Masters as the Northern Irishman’s form has been improving steadily through the season culminating in winning a big-money title recently in Saudi Arabia where all the top players were in attendance. Allen seems to thrive in events where there are smaller, higher-quality fields having won this event in 2018, twice winning the Champion of Champions, taking the top sixteen field Players Championship last year and then the recent Snooker Championship in Riyadh. Allen is a prolific and regular winner (his tally now stands at fifteen major titles) but, for some reason, continues to be underestimated by the bookmakers. Allen regularly seems to start seasons slowly, building into high-quality form and that definitely seems to have been the case in 2024/25 as he made four recent semi-finals before picking up that big cheque in Saudi Arabia. Current form can sometimes be underestimated with general winning history and tournament form seemingly more important to some punters. The upshot of all that is we get a decent price of around 10/1 about a proven winner and an in-form player.
1 point win Mark Allen
Masters Player Form Against Top 16 Opponents
The Masters traditionally brings together the current best sixteen players in the snooker world. All involved are high-class performers and winners of multiple titles but are they the sort of players that grind out the results against lower level opponents but falter when playing the other elite players?
With such a high quality field there should be no ‘lucky’ draws where players benefit from avoiding the other top players. With that thought in mind, how does this group of players fare when pitted against other members of the top sixteen?
Below is a table highlighting how each of the players in this tournament have fared since the beginning of the 2022 season when playing members of the top sixteen.
The results have been taken when the players have played a best of seven or more and relate to when the player in question has been pitted against one of the top sixteen seeds from each tournament. (Note - certain matches are excluded, such as the recent tournament in Saudi Arabia, where no seedings were given.)
Player and 2025 seeding | Played | Won | Lost | Winning Percentage |
---|---|---|---|---|
Judd Trump (3) | 51 | 35 | 16 | 69% |
Mark Allen (5) | 41 | 25 | 16 | 61% |
Barry Hawkins (13) | 32 | 19 | 13 | 59% |
Mark Williams (6) | 26 | 15 | 11 | 58% |
Mark Selby (4) | 40 | 22 | 18 | 55% |
Neil Robertson | 22 | 12 | 10 | 55% |
Gary Wilson (11) | 21 | 11 | 10 | 52% |
Shaun Murphy (8) | 33 | 17 | 16 | 52% |
Ding Junhui (9) | 31 | 15 | 16 | 48% |
Si Jiahui (14) | 27 | 13 | 14 | 48% |
Kyren Wilson (2) | 30 | 14 | 16 | 47% |
Ali Carter (12) | 33 | 15 | 18 | 45% |
Zhang Anda (10) | 22 | 10 | 12 | 45% |
Chris Wakelin (16) | 25 | 11 | 14 | 44% |
Luca Brecel (7) | 23 | 10 | 13 | 43% |
John Higgins (15) | 28 | 10 | 18 | 36% |
Who has won the most Masters' titles?
Ronnie O'Sullivan has made the final of the Masters an amazing 13 times, lifting the trophy on a record seven occasions:
Player | Number of wins | Number of runner-ups |
---|---|---|
Ronnie O'Sullivan | 8 | 6 |
Stephen Hendry | 6 | 3 |
Mark Selby | 3 | 2 |
Cliff Thorburn | 3 | 1 |
Steve Davis | 3 | 0 |
Paul Hunter | 3 | 0 |
Alex Higgins | 2 | 3 |
John Higgins | 2 | 2 |
Neil Robertson | 2 | 2 |
Mark Williams | 2 | 2 |
Judd Trump | 2 | 0 |
New to betting on snooker? Why not head over to our betting school where you can find a great aticle on Snooker Betting Advice.
147 Breaks at The Masters
The Masters was first played in 1975 when John Spencer beat Ray Reardon in the first ever Final.
There have been a further forty-seven renewals of The Masters since that first event but on only five occasions has the tournament seen a 147 break:
- Kirk Stevens 1984
- Ding Junhui 2007
- Marco Fu 2015
- Ding Junhui 2024
- Mark Allen 2024
Before the start of this year's tournament the odds on there being a maximum break this year were priced at around 2/1.
The Masters - Highest Break
The following players made the highest break at The Masters over the last ten years:
Year | Player | Highest Break |
---|---|---|
2024 | Ding Junhui Mark Allen | 147 |
2023 | Hossein Vafaei Mark Williams | 143 |
2022 | Stuart Bingham | 139 |
2021 | John Higgins | 145 |
2020 | David Gilbert | 144 |
2019 | Luca Brecel | 140 |
2018 | Liang Wenbo | 139 |
2017 | Marco Fu | 141 |
2016 | Judd Trump | 140 |
2015 | Marco Fu | 147 |
2014 | Marco Fu | 138 |
2013 | Mark Allen | 138 |
Masters 2024: Draw and Results
Ronnie O'Sullivan won the Masters for the eighth-time when defeating Ali Carter in the 2024 final.
Final (Best of seventeen frames)
Ronnie O'Sullivan 10 Ali Carter 7
Semi-Finals (Best of eleven frames)
Ali Carter 6 Mark Allen 3
Ronnie O'Sullivan 6 Shaun Murphy 2
Quarter-Final Draw (Best of eleven frames)
Judd Trump 5 Ali Carter 6
Mark Selby 5 Mark Allen 6
Ronnie O'Sullivan 6 Barry Hawkins 3
Sean Murphy 6 Jack Lisowski 3
First Round Draw (Best of eleven frames)
Judd Trump 6 Kyren Wilson 5
Mark Williams 4 Ali Carter 6
Mark Selby 6 Robert Milkins 1
Ronnie O'Sullivan 6 Ding Junhui 3 (Ding made a 147 in this match, the fourth in Masters' history)
Neil Robertson 3 Barry Hawkins 6
Shaun Murphy 6 Zhang Anda 2
Luca Brecel 2 Jack Lisowski 6
Mark Allen 6 John Higgins 5
Masters Snooker 2023 Results
2023 Masters Results
Final (best of 19 frames)
Judd Trump 10 Mark Williams 8
Semi Finals (best of 11 frames)
Judd Trump 6 Stuart Bingham 1
Mark Williams 6 Jack Lisowski 0
Quarter Finals (best of 11 frames)
Stuart Bingham 6 Shaun Murphy 0
Judd Trump 6 Barry Hawkins 5
Jack Lisowski 6 Hossein Vafaei 4
Mark Williams 6 Ronnie O'Sullivan 5
First round matches are over 11 frames (seedings in brackets)
Neil Robertson (1) v Shaun Murphy (12) 4-6
Kyren Wilson (8) v Stuart Bingham (14) 3-6
Mark Allen (5) v Barry Hawkins (13) 0-6
Judd Trump (4) v Ryan Day (15) 6-5
Mark Selby (3) v Hossein Vafaei ()* 2-6
John Higgins (6) v Jack Lisowski (10) 3-6
Mark Williams (7) v David Gilbert ()* 6-2
Ronnie O'Sullivan (2) v Luca Brecel (11) 6-1
*Hossein Vafaei and David Gilbert replaced Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong who were suspended pending a match-fixing investigation.
OLBG experts will be giving their tips on the Masters. Why not check out all the latest snooker tips on OLBG and if you are thinking about placing a bet, make sure you read the top snooker betting sites in the UK.
How this Article was Created
We are blessed at OLBG to have a superb expert team contributing to all of our content - And this Master Snooker Betting preview and guide is no exception. Firstly there is the comprehensive data collection and curation which in this instance, such is his love of the sport, was completed by Darren Brett our Tipster Competition manager who is also a huge snooker fan, player and aficionado.
More Snooker Content at OLBG
We have a huge base of snooker betting content at OLBG including our community of tipsters. So head over to our snooker tips area to find the best snooker tipsters making the best snooker tips through the season.Of course, once you have the tip, you'll need to find the best snooker betting sites, and perhaps you like to read more snooker betting guides and previews for other major events in the snooker calendar

The Best Snooker Betting Sites for 2025
Other Snooker Event Guides

🎱 World Snooker Championship Preview and Form

🎱 International Championship Snooker

🎱 Shanghai Masters Snooker Results and Betting Guide

🎱 European Masters Snooker Betting Guide
And what about some interesting deep dive data articles on snooker

The Evolution of 147 Breaks in Snooker: From Rarity to Record-Breaking Feats

How Much Can Snooker Players Earn? Top 100 Ranked in ££
Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have two snooker obsessed staff members at OLBG in Tipster Competition manager Darren Brett and our Editor-In-Chief Steve Madgwick, working together with Dan Tracey our data man, we are proud to provide this Masters Snooker Preview, Stats and Betting Guide article and all major snooker events throughout the year.