Snooker betting tips: English Open best bets and outright preview
The in-form Richard Mann has three selections for the English Open, with bets ranging from 18/1 to 66/1.
Snooker betting tips: English Open
1pt e.w. Mark Allen to win the English Open 18/1 (William Hill)
0.5pt e.w. Luca Brecel to win the English Open at 50/1 (BetVictor)
0.5pt e.w. Anthony McGill to win the English Open at 66/1 (General)
MARK ALLEN finds himself in the midst of the best season of his career, and he can round off 2022 with victory at the English Open.
Allen has already scooped first prize at both the Northern Ireland Open – completing back-to-back Belfast wins in the process – and the UK Championship, as well as reaching another final when runner-up in the British Open.
The Northern Irishman has been the player of the season so far, and that alone means quotes of 18/1 this week are hard to ignore, even before firming up the case when looking at the tournament in more detail.
Aside from his outstanding results, and Allen didn’t do a great deal wrong when bumping into an on-song Thepchaiya Un-Nooh at the Scottish Open most recently, I think there is good reason to think the 36-year-old can hit top form again in the coming days.
Firstly, it’s worth remembering that Allen won the Scottish Open when it was the last scheduled tournament before Christmas in 2018, so any thoughts that he might have one eye on his last-minute shopping would appear misplaced.
Refreshed Allen ready to go again
Perhaps more significantly, though, is the opportunity Allen has had to freshen himself up since what was clearly a taxing week when winning the UK Championship in York.
I wasn’t at all surprised he was beaten in qualifying for the German Masters only a few days later, nor that he exited early in Scotland, but he has had well over a week since to recharge his batteries and freshen up his mind.
What we do know for sure about Allen this term is that, free from off-the-table issues that held him over back in the last few years, he is highly motivated and very focused.
He will have been working hard on the practice table in recent days and having made no secret of his desire to be a more regular winner than he has been previously, I expect him to arrive in Brentwood tuned up to finish the year on a high.
A held over starter against Mitchell Mann looks a nice opening, and a potential meeting with Ding Junhui a little further down the line won’t phase him at all, given the way he swept aside Ding in the second half of their UK Championship final clash.
The nagging doubt remains burnout after such a busy few months, but I’ve stated the reasons why I’m hopeful he can scale the mountain again, and above all else, he has more upside than some of the other big names in the draw who have been priced up at much shorter odds.
Big boys have questions to answer
One of those names is Neil Robertson, my headline selection for the Scottish Open and one who traded at odds-on for the title before losing to Joe O’Connor in the semi-finals.
I'm still of the belief that Robertson is close to winning again, but I was disappointed with his finishing effort in that match having looked sure to lead 4-3, before eventually losing 6-3.
Given he’s a shorter price this week, with 9/2 the best on offer, I’m happy to pass him over.
Similar comments apply to Judd Trump who looked heartbroken after losing to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in a thrilling quarter-final in that same event.
That match could make his season if he uses it for motivation, but I’m just not sure he’s playing well enough on a consistent basis to warrant a bet.
It’s slightly different with Ronnie O’Sullivan, who has won a couple of big titles already this term but has yet to make much of an impact in the Home Nations events.
Perhaps that will change this week with important ranking points on the line, but like Trump, you certainly couldn’t back him with any real confidence at the current odds. O’Sullivan is a general 5/1 chance, and Trump only a point bigger at 6/1.
McGill makes appeal at the prices
As such, Allen heads the staking plan and is joined by ANTHONY MCGILL and LUCA BRECEL.
I’m pretty sweet on McGill this week, though it has to be said that enthusiasm is tempered somewhat by a tough draw.
The former World Championship semi-finalist starts off against the talented Michael White, before facing Sam Craigie or Shaun Murphy if he does come through that.
Still, McGill is more than a match for any of those names on his day, and he looked good when reaching the last 16 in Edinburgh, until Robertson got the better of him a high-quality match.
Prior to that, McGill only dropped one frame in qualifying for the German Masters, beating Jamie O’Neill and Allan Taylor in ruthless fashion.
Earlier in the season, McGill reached the last four of the Northern Ireland Open to confirm his form is strong, and I think it’s fair to conclude his game is in good shape coming into this week.
He’s certainly capable of another deep run and regardless of his draw, 66/1 is worth an investment.
Can Brecel find his best form?
Brecel probably has less going for him on recent form, but he won the Scottish Open and reached the final of the UK Championship at a similar stage of last season.
This time around in York, Brecel made it as far as the last 16 before bagging a couple of wins to qualify for Berlin.
He didn’t get very far in his Scottish Open defence, but I’m not going to get hung up on that when 50/1 is available about a multiple ranking event winner.
We know how good Brecel is on his day, and I’m keen to back someone from the third quarter with doubts about Trump and also Kyren Wilson, whose behaviour and performance at the end of his Scottish Open quarter-final defeat to Gary Wilson once again suggested he isn’t as rock-solid under pressure as many would have you believe.
Stuart Bingham is another sleeping giant in this quarter, but Brecel has shown more than Bingham of late and I'm keen to chance him to small stakes in a part of the draw that could really open up.
Posted at 1340 GMT on 08/12/22
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