Snooker betting tips: Preview and best bets for the Gibraltar Open

Snooker betting tips: Gibraltar Open

0.5pts e.w. Zhou Yuelong to win the Gibraltar Open at 80/1 (William Hill)

0.25pts e.w. Anthony Hamilton to win the Gibraltar Open at 200/1 (General)

0.25pts e.w. Elliot Slessor to win the Gibraltar Open at 300/1 (Betway)

0.25pts e.w. Michael White to win the Gibraltar Open at 500/1 (Betfred)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

While the usual suspects have enjoyed their fair share of success, a running theme of this season has been how those lower down the rankings have not only been able to contend, but also win big tournaments.

With the prestigious Tour Championship running straight after the conclusion of this event, and the World Championship now firmly on the horizon, don’t be surprised if some of snooker’s big guns aren’t quite on it in Gibraltar and we see another surprise package emerge this week.

Judd Trump, winner of the last two renewals, is sure to lay down a bold title defence, along with Ronnie O’Sullivan and Neil Robertson, but Trump had to battle all week before finding his best form in the final of the Turkish Masters recently, while the latter-named pair might well be thinking they can use Gibraltar as an opportunity to tune up for bigger targets.

Surprise packages light up season

That is rarely the case with Trump, but even so, I think looking further down the betting is the way to go here with potential each-way returns very appealing.

Kicking off, I’ll take ZHOU YUELONG at 80/1.

Another from an exciting band of Chinese players to have taken the current season by storm, Zhou has occasionally promised to be the best of those hailing from the Far East and with two ranking event runner-up finishes already to his name, his turn shouldn’t be far away.

Zhou also reached the last four of the UK Championship last term, and though struggling for big results this time around, there have been more promising signs in the last few weeks.

Zhou was only a frame away from defeating Trump at the Turkish Masters, having beaten Scottish Open and European Masters winners Luca Brecel and Fan Zhengyi earlier that week.

Prior to that, Zhou scored heavily when again losing by the odd frame to Jamie Jones at the Welsh Open, having also lost in a deciding frame to Graeme Dott at the European Masters a week previous.

I don’t think Zhou is far away and while confidence might be an issue, the other working parts of his game appear in good order, and I’ll chance him to become the latest Chinese winner of a remarkable season.

Zhou finds himself berthed in the top quarter of the draw, while the second quarter is headlined by Kyren Wilson and John Higgins.

Wilson hasn’t fired on all cylinders of late and we might only see the best of him in Sheffield, similarly Higgins who has been relatively quiet since reaching four finals before Christmas.

Jimmy Robertson is a potential springer in that section, for all I think he missed a good opportunity when losing to Shaun Murphy in Turkey.

A potential early meeting with Higgins puts me off him, though, while the recent form of UK champion Zhao Xintong means I can pass him over in the third quarter.

Don't discount wily Hamilton

Instead, I’m going to throw a dart at ANTHONY HAMILTON at 200/1.

The 2017 German Masters hero is a real veteran of the game now, but one who has enjoyed some good results this season and has shaped better than his bare form more recently.

Hamilton took O’Sullivan to a deciding frame at the English Open earlier in the campaign, before backing that up by reaching the last 16 of the UK Championship.

More recently, Hamilton played well when the in-form Barry Hawkins beat him at the European Masters, similarly when he lost to Tom Ford in Turkey.

The aforementioned Robertson really ought to win the third quarter at a canter, but the early part of his draw is tricky, while Hamilton finds himself in and around a struggling Stuart Bingham and still unpredictable Xintong.

I’m happy to advise a very small wager on the veteran at 200/1, before adding MICHAEL WHITE and ELLIOT SLESSOR – both from the bottom quarter – to the staking plan at 500/1 and 300/1 respectively.

Class act White battles for old form

The case for White is straightforward: this is a dual ranking title winner who will surely come again at some stage following a rapid downturn in fortunes.

If White does indeed come again, one senses that it might be in an event like this when some of the biggest hitters on the tour may well have their eyes on more valuable prizes coming up.

There is little doubt that White is a class act and he will have been frustrated to lose 5-4 to Xintong in Turkey recently, or indeed to Jack Lisowski at the Welsh Open having played so well to reach the last 16 of that event.

Like Hamilton, this isn’t a project worth stealing your granny’s best pearls for, but if this season has taught us anything, it’s that the current depth on tour means that a deep run from a big-priced runner is always possible.

Few would have been tipping Matt Selt at the Turkish Masters, but he made the final there.

Slessor is another left-field pick, but I just can’t believe O’Sullivan won’t be using this week as a warm-up for the Tour Championship and then the World Championship, with the carrot of a seventh world title still at the forefront of his mind.

As such, I want a second pick from the fourth quarter.

Slessor himself was a semi-finalist at the British Open earlier in the season, and Lisowski needed to play really well to get past him in Wales, while Yan Bingtao grinded out a 5-4 win over Slessor at the Turkish Masters.

Slessor famously boasts an impressive record against O’Sullivan, and he’s shown up well against some very good players since Christmas, suggesting a change of luck could see him go close in Gibraltar.

In sum, this doesn’t appeal as a week for maximum stakes, for all Trump could prove very hard to stop in his hat-trick bid.

Small stakes at big prices appeals as the way to go, then, and four darts should ensure we get a good run for our money.

Posted at 2100 GMT on 20/03/22

Related links

• Gibraltar Open draw and results page

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