Snooker betting tips: Players Championship best bets and outright preview
Richard Mann has bets ranging from 80/1 to 11/4 in his preview of the Players Championship, which starts on Monday evening.
Snooker betting tips: Players Championship
1pt Jack Lisowski to win the Players Championship at 12/1 (General)
2pts Jack Lisowski to win the 1st Quarter at 11/4 (Sky Bet)
1pt e.w. Zhou Yeulong to win the Players Championship at 33/1 (General 1/2 1,2)
0.5pt e.w. Chris Wakelin to win the Players Championship at 80/1 (General 1/2 1,2)
The quick turnaround from the Welsh Open to the Players Championship – which starts at 7pm on Monday – isn’t good news for anybody, but this week presents a great opportunity for one of the sport’s lesser lights to pick up another big prize.
I say that because last year’s winner Neil Robertson hasn’t qualified to defend his title, nor John Higgins, Champion of Champions hero Ronnie O’Sullivan, nor Masters runner-up Mark Williams.
That was also the case in Berlin when Ali Carter won the recent German Masters, while Robert Milkins edged out our 22/1 each-way selection Shaun Murphy in the Welsh Open final on Sunday.
The trophies have certainly been shared around in the last 18 months or so, though Mark Allen has enjoyed a fine season and will be bidding for his fourth major title of the campaign when starting out against Scottish Open runner-up Joe O'Connor.
Allen and Trump worth opposing in trappy section
That is no penalty kick, though, for all Allen enjoyed another deep run in Wales last week, and I’m sure Masters winner Judd Trump would have preferred to have been drawn in the opposite half of the draw to the Northern Irishman.
Trump has a tough opener against Carter and while I have no issues with him heading the outright betting at 4/1, I’m still not convinced by his overall form. He still looks a level below his very best to me, and as such, I can pass him over this week.
Allen is the obvious alternative in the top section, but at double the price, I’ll give another chance to JACK LISOWSKI who, after the first-named, has just about been the most consistent performer on tour this season.
Lisowski reached the semi-finals of both the UK Championship and the Masters, and was only one pot away from booking his place in the final of the German Masters, before eventually losing in a deciding frame to Tom Ford.
The arguments over whether Lisowski has the mental strength to take that next step in his career are sure to keep raging, but the formbook rarely lies over the course of a season and the fact remains that the 31-year-old is in the midst of a very fine campaign.
And putting results aside for a second, it’s hard to argue that anyone is making as many long pots as Lisowski is right now, nor scoring as heavily. The tactical side of his game is still his weak spot, but it has improved and is patently good enough to consistently take him deep into tournaments.
I fancy him to beat Luca Brecel first up and while Allen should follow, he pushed him very close at the UK Championship and World Grand Prix – events Allen went on to win. In fact, I reckon Lisowski was a trifle unlucky in the second of those meetings, and it’s worth noting that Lisowski still dominates the head-to-head between these two (6-3).
He’ll do for me at 12/1 from a tough and trappy half of the draw, and I’ll also be backing him to the win the 1st Quarter at 11/4 (Sky Bet).
Take big-priced duo to shine
In the bottom half, I’m going to take flyers on ZHOU YEULONG and CHRIS WAKELIN at 33/1 and 80/1 respectively.
Zhou has promised to be the real deal for a while now and has made three ranking finals to date, including at this season’s Northern Ireland Open.
Like Lisowski, he hasn’t yet been able to take that next step, but he is a terrific operator when on-song with all the tools needed to reach the top.
It’s fair to argue that he hasn’t always delivered in the big matches, but he’s still only 25 years of age and I can’t believe he won’t make his big breakthrough before too long.
His form hasn’t been spectacular since Belfast, but he’s still had a few good results along the way and I’d have less form concerns over him than I would about his first-round opponent Kyren Wilson.
Wilson looks awfully short on what he’s produced of late, while further down the bottom half of the draw, I’d prefer to be against rather than with the aforementioned Murphy on the back of that Welsh Open final defeat.
I’m sure he’ll feel like that was a missed opportunity, though facing Mark Selby in your first match is much less daunting this week than it would ordinarily be, given’s Selby’s oddly woeful record in ITV events.
The bottom match in the first-round draw sees British Open winner Ryan Day take on Shoot Out champion Chris Wakelin, and I’m happy to chance the latter in the outright market at huge odds.
Wakelin walking on water at present
Wakelin is another who had always promised to win a tournament, and following a spell in doldrums he came good in brilliant fashion at the Shoot Out.
This is a much different test, of course, but he remained in fantastic form at the German Masters before that man Milkins beat him in the quarter-finals.
I felt for Wakelin on that occasion, forced to play twice in a day having beaten hot-favourite Robertson in a brilliant contest in the afternoon, before being asked to go again only a few hours later. It came as little surprise when he was unable to produce the same level of form in the evening session.
But that shouldn’t detract from how well he is playing at present and while it’s never that easy to predict what Day will turn up, Wakelin ought to fancy his chances of coming through that one, similarly if then meeting Murphy or Selby, who both have a few questions to answer this week.
Just a couple of years ago, it would have seemed like madness to bet someone like Wakelin in an event as prestigious as this one, but the roll of honour across the calendar in recent times has been staggering.
Jordan Brown, Joe Perry and Milkins have won the last three editions of the Welsh Open between them, Zhao Xintong has been UK champion, while Fan Zhengyi and Gary Wilson have also won ranking events.
Brecel was back in the winners' enclosure last season after a lean spell, and more recently you can add Carter's renaissance and Wakelin's Shoot Out win to the mix.
With so many big guns missing this week, yet another fairytale story could unfold, and at 80/1 I'm willing to chance that Wakelin is the one making the headlines again next Sunday.
Posted at 1150 GMT on 20/02/23
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
MOST READ
Next Off
Fixtures & Results
