Richard Mann has four selections for snooker's Shoot Out which begins in Leicester on Thursday afternoon – read his full preview here.
Snooker betting tips: Shoot Out
0.5pts Graeme Dott to win the Shoot Out at 50/1 (William Hill)
0.5pts Michael Holt to win the Shoot Out at 66/1 (General)
0.5pts Martin Gould to win the Shoot Out at 50/1 (General)
0.5pts Mark Allen to win the Shoot Out at 28/1 (Betway)
Graeme Dott – 50/1 (William Hill)
There can be little doubt that the Shoot Out is something of a lottery, given the nature of the ten-minute, one-frame knockout, the shot time limit, and the random draw that makes it impossible to plot a potential path for your fancies.
There is more method to the apparent madness than you might think, however, with age and experience counting for plenty, and those to have done well in this event in the past have tended to play well in subsequent renewals.
GRAEME DOTT might have been a surprise finalist when losing to Michael Georgiou in a thrilling finish in 2018, but underestimating the Scot has always proved a futile exercise and his World Championship triumph in 2006 sandwiched two more final appearances at the Crucible.
Dott’s credentials for this unique test begin with a rock-solid temperament that has long stood up to the test of time and the raucous nature of the crowd this tournament usually attracts, while the veteran is a much faster player than many people give him credit for. Add to that a shrewd tactical game, and Dott ticks plenty of boxes.
There is also the added incentive for Dott to do well this week, given he has endured an unusually quiet first half of the season that has seen him slide alarmingly down the rankings.
It won’t be long before Dott is back making his presence felt, though, and he played really in the Championship League just before Christmas, mixing with and beating some handy operators on the way to winning Group 2.
Dott faces fellow veteran Mark King first up on Friday, but the latter's record in this event is nothing to write home about, and I’m happy to back the 2018 runner-up in the outright market at 66/1.
Michael Holt – 66/1 (General)
A general theme of this week’s Shoot Out selections will be ‘experience’, and in terms of that and a proven track track record in this tournament, it's hard to find many with better credentials than MICHAEL HOLT.
Put simply, Holt loves this event. The 43-year-old made the final in 2019 before going one better 12 months later, showing every side of his game as he beat Yan Bingtao in the last four and then Zhou Yuelong in the final. It was no easy route to glory, but Holt was a dominant and deserving winner.
The nature of this format patently suits him well, with his ability to embrace the vocal crowd and enjoy the experience not something everyone can do. Furthermore, I do think the time limit on shots simplifies things for Holt, given the 43-year-old is the type of character who can often dwell on mistakes and allow them to affect his performance.
🚨 MICHAEL HOLT WINS THE SNOOKER SHOOT OUT! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/blOIwnHzCc
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) February 23, 2020
In the Shoot Out, there just isn’t time for that. Instead, Holt has to rely on his talent, of which he possesses plenty, and a smart snooker brain that works quicker than most.
A quick scorer and a now experienced campaigner, he has all the tools in his armoury to do well here and it’s no surprise he has built the record he has in this unique competition.
Above all else, Holt appears to relish this challenge when others don’t, and you can be sure he’ll turn up ready to rumble when he takes on Zhao Xintong on Friday night. He couldn’t have asked for a tougher opening match, but that’s been factored into his outright price, and as history suggests, getting caught up on the draw this week might not be the best idea.
It’s hard to knock Holt’s credentials and should he get past Xintong, he’ll be considerably shorter than 66/1. I’m prepared to take the chance at those odds.
Martin Gould – 50/1 (General)
If ever the Shoot Out was made for one man, it was MARTIN GOULD – a streaky performer with talent in bucket loads and a fluent, natural style that means he should rarely be affected by the clock. When he’s hot, Gould is red-hot.
With that in mind, it’s something of a surprise that Gould hasn't really threatened since winning this tournament when it wasn't a ranking event way back in 2013, though he did win a couple of matches in the 2020 renewal before not quite getting the rub of the green against Zhou Yuelong.
I remain convinced Gould will again go close in this event sometime soon, and he comes into this year’s renewal with some matches and confidence under his belt having competed in the Championship League in the last few days.
Gould numbered the likes of Ding Junhui, Kyren Wilson, Ali Carter and Jordan Brown among his victims before losing to Yan Bingtao in the Group 6 final, and that bit of form, plus his experience of winning this very competition, is enough to persuade me the 40-year-old is worth a spin at 50/1.
Mark Allen – 28/1 (Betway)
MARK ALLEN is another whose game is well suited to the Shoot Out, but he hasn't really made an impact since losing to Martin Gould in the 2013 final.
After a quiet run in this event, Allen reached the fourth round in 2020, playing really well to beat the likes of Jimmy Robertson and David Grace before David Gilbert was always on the front foot when they met.
Still, it was a much better showing from the Northern Irishman whose rock-solid temperament and cool head are absolute musts for this format, as are his close cue-ball control and brilliantly, simple technique.
Furthermore, it appears that many of the personal issues that have held Allen back in the last year or so are now finally being dealt with, and we must not forget that he still managed to brush all that aside to win the Northern Ireland Open earlier in the season.
I thought Allen was unlucky to lose to Judd Trump at the Masters, for all he will rue a couple of missed chances he really should have taken. Nevertheless, he appears to be playing well at present and with the promise of a more positive future away from the table, it’s fair to assume that will only help his snooker.
All things considered, Allen has to rate a live contender this week and while no gift, I think 28/1 is big enough to warrant a small interest in a class act who will surely be winning again before the end of the season.
Published at 1500 GMT on 19/01/22 GMT
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