Snooker betting tips: Outright preview and best bets for the Players Championship

Snooker betting tips: Players Championship

1pt e.w. Neil Robertson at 15/2 (General 1/2, 1/2)

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It feels like we are very much on the home run now, with the conclusion of the Players Series, consisting of next week’s Players Championship and Tour Championship, before the snooker season bows out with the World Championship in Sheffield next month.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, those who have been successful in the Players Championship and Tour Championship have tended to then struggle at the Crucible, something I have written about in more detail here.

In 2023, Shaun Murphy completed the Players and Tour Championship double with some of the finest snooker of his career, NEIL ROBERTSON having achieved the same feat a year earlier. Neither man figured at the World Championship just weeks later.

Robertson had earlier that season finished runner-up at the World Grand Prix, the third piece of the Players Series jigsaw, and a calendar change this year means that tournament preceded this one, played just a few weeks ago in Hong Kong.

Robertson maintained his impressive Players Series record with a thumping tournament victory there, capped off with a stunning 10-0 whitewash of Stuart Bingham in the final, and he makes obvious appeal to follow up at 15/2 next week.

Following that fruitful 2021/2022 campaign, Robertson suffered an unusually barren spell, but he has teamed up with old friend Joe Perry in the last year or so and their new relationship is beginning to pay dividends, with the Australian getting back to winning ways at the English Open in September.

Robertson peaking at the right time

That was Robertson’s first title since the 2022 Players Championship but despite some flashes of brilliance since, namely when beating John Higgins from 5-1 down at the Masters, he hasn’t quite appeared back to his very best. Not consistently anyway.

There have been a trio of quarter-finals, and a run to the last four of the Champion of Champions, but the Robertson of old, the relentless, heavy scorer, has been missing, and he has drawn criticism from some corners for apparently playing too defensively on occasions.

To my mind, that all changed in Hong Kong. His rout of Bingham in the final was highly impressive, but perhaps more so was his magnificent rally from 5-3 down to beat the red-hot Masters champion Murphy 6-5 in the last four.

Robertson got better as the week went on there, but I thought he was also very good when again recovering from 3-1 behind to beat Xiao Guodong 5-3 with the aid of breaks of 101, 92, 80, 80 and 65.

A big pointer to the state of his game were his three century breaks against Murphy, always a good sign for someone like Robertson who prides himself on making hundreds, while a couple of ruthless come-from-behind clearances against Bingham suggests he really does have his mojo back, both technically and mentally.

I’ve always been a fan of course form, even in snooker, so the fact Robertson has won this event before, and reached three more finals, albeit at different venues to this one in Telford, is a definite plus in my book.

A rematch with Bingham in the first round won’t hold any fears, and though Mark Selby could await in the quarter-finals, Robertson won their recent meeting in Saudi Arabia this season and more recently, has had the better of their more high-profile clashes. In fact, the pair met at the 2019 and 2021 Tour Championships, with Robertson winning both times.

I like his chances of enjoying another deep run at the very least, with the belief he is finally back to his brilliant best, and he rates a wager at 15/2.

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Further down the bottom section, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect when Mark Williams and Ding Junhui lock horns, despite both winning tournaments this season. Neither has pulled up any trees more recently.

It could be between first-round adversaries Kyren Wilson and Mark Allen to give Robertson most to think about from the bottom half of the draw, then, and I can see why the world champion has been made favourite for that clash.

Allen has made no secret of his frustration with his game of late, though he did win a big pot in Saudi Arabia before Christmas.

Wilson, however, is enjoying a fine campaign, highlighted by three tournament wins, and I didn’t think he did a lot wrong when beaten by a back-to-form Higgins in Hong Kong.

A Robertson/Wilson semi-final looks most likely at this stage, though it is Robertson who appears to be peaking just at the right time for a couple of events he always saves his best for.

Trump chasing more title glory

The top half is headed by 5/2 tournament favourite Judd Trump who continues to turn in some remarkably consistent displays, as demonstrated by his recent last-four finish at the World Grand Prix. Three titles and two more finals confirm this has been another impressive season for Trump.

Nevertheless, the in-form Murphy will give him a game should they meet in the last eight, as would Barry Hawkins – runner-up in this event in 2022 – if he were to topple the latter in round one.

From there, one would expect Higgins, hot from resuming winning ways at the World Open, to prove Trump’s biggest danger from this section, though the winner of the match between the aforementioned Xiao and Wu Yize would not be taken lightly.

Higgins is 15/2 in the outright market, too short for my money given he is drawn in the same half as Trump who has had his number so many times of late. Higgins starts against Chris Wakelin, a 66/1 chance.

I thought long and hard about adding this season’s Wuhan Open hero Xiao to the staking plan at 16/1, but that price doesn’t really take your eye out from a section featuring Trump, Higgins and Murphy.

In fact, the top half has the potential to be a real minefield, and I’m much happier going solo with one selection from the bottom half.

It’s not very often I’m cheering on the Aussies, but needs must. Here’s to Robertson rolling back to 2022 and enjoying more Players Series glory.

Posted at 1500 GMT on 13/03/25

ALSO READ: Nick Metcalfe's latest column

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