How to Bet on Snooker

Snooker isn’t a sport associated with gambling in any way really, but more and more bookmakers are offering more betting markets for the sport and in turn that increases the number of people placing bets on the outcome of snooker matches.

What is Snooker?

If you’ve never heard of snooker before, or do not really understand what’s going on in a snooker match, here’s a quick rundown of the rules.

A snooker match is usually played between two players who attempt to win a certain number of frames in order to win a match. For example, a best of 9 match will be won by the player reaching 5 frames first. Some longer matches are played over more than one session, with a best of 19 match usually taking place over two sessions with 8 or 9 frames in the first and the remainder in the second.

A frame begins with fifteen red balls, and six coloured balls which are all worth a different points value. The aim is for each player to pot a red, followed by a colour (which is then put back on the table), and so on to build what is called a break. Once all of the red balls have gone from the table, the players then pot the coloured balls in points order starting from the lowest. The frame is then won by the player who has the most points when all of the balls have been cleared or at a stage when there aren’t enough points available on the table for their opponent to catch up.

The points value of each ball is:

• Red – 1
• Yellow – 2
• Green – 3
• Brown – 4
• Blue – 5
• Pink – 6
• Black – 7

Because of these points, the highest maximum break in a standard frame is 147 with the player potting fifteen reds followed by fifteen blacks and then all of the colours until the table is cleared. It is possible for a player to score 155, if their opponent fails and leaves a “free ball” before any of the balls have been potted. This allows someone to pot sixteen reds, as a colour ball can be used as a substitute for a red, and then sixteen blacks followed by the colours.

How to Bet on Snooker

Most online bookmakers have betting markets for snooker, with tournament and match betting available.

Tournament betting usually allows a person to bet on the winner of a tournament, with each way markets available at odds of half the betting odds to win the tournament if the player you backed is a losing finalist.

Some bookmakers will also allow punters to bet on number of 147’s in a tournament, highest break, who will score the most centuries, number of centuries etc.

There are normally more markets available in match betting. As well as the win market, with odds offered on which player will reach the set number of frames first, there are now several other market options available.

These include:

• Correct Score Betting
• Total Number of Frames Over/Under Betting
• Handicap Betting Markets

Sometimes, there are also markets available which allow you to bet on highest break, most centuries etc. and in play betting is becoming increasingly popular in snooker.

In play betting allows the punter to not only keep up to date with the action and bet on the match result, correct score markets as the match happens, but also offers several betting markets for the next frame to be played.

Some of these markets are:

• Next frame winner
• Next frame century break – yes/no
• Who will score the highest break in next frame
• First colour ball to be potted in the next frame
• Under/Over points in next frame

How to Win Betting on Snooker

There is no guaranteed formula on winning with any form of sports betting but having knowledge of the sport is a good start. You will have a better chance of winning if you understand snooker, know which players are generally a better quality, form of the players, and other analytical information.

Also, you must look to take advantage of price boosts, in play betting markets, and multiple bets in order to boost your potential profit margin in a sport which doesn’t offer the best odds in traditional win markets.