Betting on Snooker
Betting on snooker is a surprisingly popular pastime across the world, which of course includes the United States. We here at USAOnlineSportsbooks focus on the offerings available to United States-based gamblers and that definitely includes snooker. Snooker is a great tool in the arsenal of many gamblers due to how high volume their tournaments tend to be. Volume is a valuable asset when it comes to online sports betting and having many betting opportunities on the same day is an advantage of betting on snooker.
There’s a lot to cover before you get to that level, though, and that’s ok! This snooker betting guide will get you up to speed on everything you need to know about betting on snooker in the United States. First, it will cover how to bet real money on snooker in the US and then it will touch on some current betting odds. Finally, it will examine some basic questions that a lot of bettors have when they are new to snooker betting and then talk about mobile/live betting options.
Can I Bet Real Money On Snooker In The U.S.?
Snooker, obviously, is most popular in the United Kingdom, but plenty of betting sites that serve a UK audience also serve a US audience. The best places to bet on snooker tend to be the internationally regulated sportsbooks, as they serve both of these audiences. These sportsbooks are located in South America and the Caribbean, generally speaking, and are always looking for ways to appeal to various player bases and get people onto their websites. Snooker betting is popular enough that it will be on almost all of the major online sportsbooks - it’s not that hard to find. All of the major online sportsbooks are industry leaders and big names, and they are great places to bet real money on snooker online.
Current Snooker Betting Odds
Things in the snooker world have returned to normal following the events of the pandemic. Sportsbooks around the world have been enjoying some solid snooker competition over the last year and now, snooker betting fans are looking ahead to the summer. April and May bring some of the best snooker tournaments, as the odds for the Championship League and Snooker World Championships are the current snooker betting odds posted at online sportsbooks.
World Championship 2024
- Ronnie O’Sullivan +240
- Judd Trump +380
- Mark +900
- Mark Allen +1200
- Neil Robertson +1300
- Mark Williams +1500
Rules Of Snooker
Understanding the rules of snooker and how the game is played is the first step to betting on this great sport. Snooker is popular in the UK, but less popular in the US, and that can lead to some confusion over the game - it looks like pool, but isn’t. In the US, pool is the more popular of the table games. So it seems like a good idea to have a section dedicated to how snooker works. Let’s jump right in.
Snooker is actually a very straightforward game. The basic goal is to score as many points as possible by knocking balls into the pockets on the table. Each ball is color-coded, and the color of the ball is indicative of how many points it is worth. The game starts out with 15 red balls and one of each other color.
- Red 1 Point
- Yellow 2 Points
- Green 3 Points
- Brown 4 Points
- Blue 5 Points
- Pink 6 Points
- Black 7 Points
In order to attempt scoring one of the colored balls, you have to score a red one first. Basically, scoring a red ball frees you up to attempt shots at the higher point value balls. This is an important aspect of the game - you cannot hit a colored ball if you haven’t pocketed a red one yet.
One game of snooker is called a frame - the player who scores the most points wins. Snooker matches take place using various numbers of frames - usually as best of fives, but sometimes much higher. Generally speaking, the more important and prestigious the tournament, the more frames are played per match.
How To Read Snooker Betting Odds
Snooker betting odds are actually as simple as it gets. First things first, there won’t always be every type of odds when it comes to snooker. The vast majority of snooker betting uses simple moneyline odds, as there is a large volume of betting, and there are a lot of ways for sportsbooks to handicap - moneyline odds are just the simplest way.
Let’s take a look at some moneyline odds and break them down so you understand what’s going on, in the simplest possible terms:
Robertson vs. Maguire:
- Neil Robertson -500
- Stephen Maguire +350
In this match, Neil Robertson, one of the best players in the world, is set to take on Stephen Maguire. Robertson is a heavy favorite, with -500 odds. These odds mean that you would have to bet $500 on Robertson if you wanted to profit $100.
Maguire’s odds are much easier on the eyes, but riskier. Maguire’s +350 odds mean that a bet of $100 on him returns $350 in profit should he pull off the upset and defeat Robertson. The catch, of course, is that he is unlikely to win.
Spread betting is also available in Snooker, as are totals bets. Generally, they tend to refer to frame-based handicaps, meaning that they are bets on what the final score of the match will be, expressed in frames. For example, in the above match, if Robertson had a -1.5 handicap, and won the match 3-2, he would not have covered the spread, but if he won 3-1, he would have.s well.
Mobile Betting On Snooker
Online mobile sports betting on snooker matches is available at all of the major online sportsbooks. The basic gist is that you are going to be able to use all of the major online sportsbooks, but instead of downloading an app, all you have to do is visit their website in a mobile browser. This will provide you with a mobile website, that allows you to place bets on your phone with ease. The website is built with a user interface meant for mobile devices but retains the full functionality of the desktop website, so you can do anything on the mobile website that you could on the normal one. Overall, this is a fairly elegant solution to the problem of mobile betting and it doesn’t even require you to download anything!
Can I Bet On Live Snooker Matches?
Snooker is a complex, evolving sport in terms of how it plays out. Each frame is iterative, it builds on itself, and each situation is different. This means that snooker is a great sport to bet on live and live betting on snooker can be a profitable endeavor. Snooker live betting is available on almost all of the major online sportsbook that accept players from the U.S. and we actually created a page for live betting at online sportsbooks as well, if you’d like to check that out. Live betting on snooker is probably the best way to actually keep up with the game. This is especially true with longer and more prestigious matches, which can be the best way to get good odds as well.
Best Snooker Players To Bet On
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but we wanted to put together a little something to get you familiar with the names you’ll probably be seeing at the top of the odds boards, as heavy favorites. These are some of the very best players in the world, and they are very much worth knowing.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Ronnie O’Sullivan might be the greatest snooker player of all time. He’s been a professional player since 1992, and in that time, he has won five world championships and seven masters titles. O’Sullivan is an interestingly controversial player for someone with his talent and reputation - he has a somewhat antagonistic relationship with the sport’s governing body and threatens to retire occasionally.
John Higgins
John Higgins, of Scotland, was a major rival of O’Sullivan’s throughout his career. Higgins has won four World Championships and two Masters Titles, and has compiled 30 total career ranking titles, which puts him third behind O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry (we’ll get to him next). Higgins has had an up and down career as of late - he’s reached the last three world championship finals, but has lost all of them.
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry is retired now, and you won’t see his name at the top of the snooker odds boards anymore, but you simply cannot make a list of the best snooker players without including him on it. Hendry is tied with O’Sullivan for total career ranking titles, with 36, and is currently a commentator for ITV and the BBC. He was one of the greats and you’ll probably hear his voice when watching snooker events.
Judd Trump
Turning to the new generation we have current world champion, and current world number one, Judd Trump. Trump turned professional in 2005 and has won 17 career ranking titles in that time, which puts him at a tie for seventh all-time. He is widely regarded as the next great player and he’s honestly already there. Although as with many greats, there is a debate around Trump regarding his colossal talent and the expectations that talent places on him. Trump has already won six ranking titles in the 2019-2020 season, a record. He’s in untouchable form right now and a great snooker player to bet on.
Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson, the pride of Australia, is the most successful snooker player from outside of the United Kingdom, bar none. The current 18th ranked player in the world, Robertson is a name that shows up as a heavy favorite often and the only player to record 100 century breaks in a season. He tends to have longer and more profitable odds than Trump when it comes to futures bets, so look out for his name next time you want to bet on a snooker event.