2021 World Snooker Championship Betting Preview

The 2021 World Snooker Championship is almost here and I’m sure every fan of the sport can’t wait for the tournament to start.

It’s the biggest and most prestigious snooker tournament, with all of the best players focusing on the title.

It won’t be any different this year and I explore the field in my 2021 World Snooker Championship betting preview, focusing on the most likely winners of the event and sharing my prediction in the end.

I also share more information about the format and the dates, as well as a list of the top snooker betting sites online for the event.

Let’s begin with the best sportsbooks for those of you that want to jump straight into the action.

The best World Snooker Championship 2021 betting sites offer excellent odds for both futures and the different matches during the tournament.

The variety of markets is also decent and you can place many wagers, including moneylines, handicaps, and under/over frames.

If you decide to give it a shot, there are plenty of bonuses and promotions that can be used for betting on snooker that can boost your chances to win money.

If you plan to bet on the 2021 World Snooker Championship, it would be a good idea to learn more about the format of the tournament.

The main draw features 32 players, the top 16 of the snooker rankings and another 16 entrants that win a place via the qualifiers. They face each other in direct eliminations until a champion is crowned.

Here’s a list of the players who qualified automatically, including Ronnie O’Sullivan who takes the top seed as the 2020 champion.

The rest of the field will be completed by the qualifiers and we already had some interesting matches there.

The likes of Jimmy White, Stephen Hendry, and Nigel Bond are gone, but plenty of dangerous players are in the mix.

Once we have all the names on the sheet, the main draw will start. It features five long rounds and you can see more details about the format from the table below.

The competition will once again take place in the famous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, the United Kingdom. The overall prize pool is £2,395,000 and the winner will take £500,000.

There’s a ton of snooker to be played before we have our champion and consistency will be the key once again.

With that in mind, let’s move on to the most likely winners of the World Snooker Championship 2021.

Most of the players that reach the main draw of the World Snooker Championship usually have the talent level required to win the competition.

However, the format requires you to play long and gruesome matches against opponents that are very strong too. That’s why consistency and the ability to stay close to your best over the course of two weeks or so usually decide who wins in Crucible.

Here are the players most likely to lift the trophy this year and what odds the betting sites offer for them.

You simply cannot ignore Ronald Antonio O’Sullivan when it comes to the World Snooker Championship. Many believe he’s the most talented player in the history of the sport and his accolades certainly back his case.

The Englishman has five titles, including the one from last year, over 1,000 career century breaks, a bunch of maximum breaks, and countless other trophies major snooker competitions.

He loves the format in Crucible and he is one of the best break-builders we’ve ever seen. Ronny himself named two other favorites recently, but his performance in 2020-21 suggests that he is one of the main favorites for the World Snooker Championship 2021.

The Rocket reached five finals of ranking tournaments which is a testimony to his form, even if he lost all of them. If O’Sullivan can stay focused in Crucible, he will be the man to beat.

The leader in the standings and the most decorated player over the course of the 2020-21 season Judd Trump certainly is one to watch. The Englishman is at the peak of his powers and will be looking for a second Crucible title after his 2019 triumph.

Trump was devastating this season, winning the English Open, the Northern Ireland Open, the World Grand Prix, the German Masters, and the Gibraltar Open.

The question is if he can perform at his best at the biggest stage because one slip would be enough against someone O’Sullivan or Neil Robertson.

While I don’t doubt Trump’s ability to win the competition, I’m not sure I like the price of just 2.50. It’s way too low considering the level of the opponents he has to face on the road to the title.

He shouldn’t have major problems in the opening two matches, but the quarter-finals would bring either another former world champ in Shaun Murphy or the insanely talented Yan Bingtao.

Someone like Neil Robertson is probably next, and then comes the final against Ronnie, Mark Selby, Higgins, or a player who somehow managed to beat them.

The top Australian on the tour Neil Robertson is another former world champion that has enjoyed a strong season. He might be one of the most complex players out there, capable of winning after both breathtaking breaks and nervy tactical frames.

If you have any doubts about his talent, let me tell you that Robertson just moved level with Stephen Hendry on the all-time centuries list!

The problem with Robertson is that he usually doesn’t perform at his best in Crucible. He won the World Snooker Championship in 2010 and then reached the semi-finals in 2014. His other runs there were ended before the last four.

For all of his quality and consistency in other big tournaments throughout the years, it looks like Robertson is rarely at his best during the World Snooker Championship.

And yet, he won the UK Championship and the Tour Championship this season. You can add to that a final in the English Open, so Robertson is a dangerous opponent.

I believe that the World Snooker Championship is one of the few sporting events that could be won by almost every single contestant.

Literally everyone is in the mix, but several players deserve more attention than the rest.

Mark Selby and John Higgins are the obvious choices. Both men have multiple titles and love playing in the World Championship, so I expect to see deep runs from them.

You should also watch out for the Chinese prodigy Yan Bingtao and Kyren Wilson who was solid for most of the season. I don’t think they have enough experience at this level to win this year, but both are very talented.

Predicting the winner of the World Snooker Championship is always a tough task.

It’s not a shocker that the betting sites view these three as the most likely winners in 2021.

And yet, I think that Trump is in the most slippery quarter of the draw, while Robertson traditionally struggles in the World Championship.

That’s why I can’t help but back Ronnie O’Sullivan to add another title to his collection. The odds for the Rocket are solid, too, so that’s the best betting pick for the World Snooker Championship 2021 winner.