SNOOKER

Snooker is a cue sport that traces its roots to late 19th-century India, when British Army officers modified their favourite billiards games — pyramid and black pool — to create a new variation of the sport. Even though snooker was played almost exclusively by military officers and the gentry, the game quickly gained traction across the Indian colonies and the United Kingdom, eventually making its way across the pond. The inaugural World Snooker Championship was held in 1927; the tournament was won by Joe Davis, a professional snooker and billiards player who went on to win the next 14 championships and remains the only undefeated player in World Snooker Championship history. Interested in snooker betting? You’ve come to the right place! Our Sportsbook offers unbeatable snooker odds on the biggest and most anticipated snooker championships of the year, including the World Snooker Championship, UK Championship, British Open and the Masters.

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HOW TO BET ON SNOOKER

To bet on snooker, you’ll need some basic game knowledge and a sportsbook that can offer an unparalleled betting experience with the best snooker odds. We’ve got you covered on the latter, and here’s everything you need to know before you start betting on snooker:

Snooker is a cue sport played on a rectangular table with six pockets and 22 balls, including 15 red balls the white cue ball. Players take turns striking the cue ball with a cue, aiming to pot the other 21 balls in the correct sequence to score points, beginning with the red balls. Once a red ball falls into a pocket, the striker must pot a coloured ball, depending on which ball is ‘on’ for that shot. If successful, the point value of the coloured ball will be added to the player’s score, and they must pot another red ball; if unsuccessful, the turn passes to the opponent. Red balls will always remain potted, and the coloured balls are returned to their position on the table.

The game continues until all red balls have been potted, after which the coloured balls must be potted in ascending order of their point value (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and then black). In competitive snooker, games are organised into frames; a player can win a frame by scoring the most points by the end of the frame, and the match ends when one of the players wins a predetermined number of frames.

BET ON SNOOKER WITH LV BET!

Head to the LV BET Sportsbook and make your selections to benefit from the best snooker odds on the market! You can wager on Match Winner, Total Frames, Frames Handicap, Total Centuries and other snooker betting markets, like Highest Break in Match, First Colour in Frame 1, Frame Foul and unique in-play betting markets. At our Sportsbook, you’ll find dozens of intriguing markets with unbeatable snooker odds, along with an equally competitive offering on esports, entertainment events and other sports.

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Snooker

SNOOKER BETTING

Snooker may not share the spotlight with sports like football and basketball, but it has a strong fanbase and multiple competitive leagues. Snooker is relatively easy to understand and follow, making it a perfect choice for new and experienced punters alike. Looking for comprehensive snooker betting markets with unbeatable odds? Have a look at LV BET — our Sportsbook offers the best snooker odds on the biggest and most anticipated events of the year, including the World Snooker Championship, the UK Championship, the English Open and the Masters. Take advantage of top-tier odds and bet on snooker with LV BET!

WHAT IS SNOOKER?

The game of snooker is played with cues on a billiards table, with players using a white cue ball to pot the other balls in a specific sequence. A rectangular table covered with baize is used, on which there are six pockets — one in each corner and one in the middle of each long side. The game’s objective is to score more points than the opponent by potting object balls in the correct order. Object balls are any ball that the player hits or intends to hit with the white cue ball, which is the only ball that can be touched by the cue.

A snooker match consists of a fixed, odd number of frames, usually between 11 and 35. A frame is a single game of snooker, beginning with the break-off shot and ending when all of the balls are potted, or when one of the players concedes. A match ends when one player has won the majority of the frames, making it impossible for their opponent to bounce back. If a match is played over 11 frames, for example, then the first player to reach six wins will be the victor.

The red balls are arranged in a triangular shape on the table at the beginning of a frame. The six colours (referring to all non-red or white balls) are placed in a specific arrangement: pink at the triangle’s tip, black behind its base; green, blue and yellow are placed along the baulk line on the opposing end of the table. On this line is a semicircle, called the “D”; for the break-off shot, the striker must hit the white ball from any position within the D to strike at least one red ball.

A player’s turn and break (the number of points scored during a single turn) end when the player fails to pot a ball, commits a foul or the frame ends. A potted red ball must be followed by a colour, a potted colour must be followed by a red ball and so on until all red balls are potted; the coloured balls must be potted in ascending order of their value. An “on” ball is any ball that can be legally potted during the shot; potting a ball that is “not-on” is a foul.

POINT DISTRIBUTION

  • Red — Fifteen balls worth one point each.
  • Yellow — One ball worth two points.
  • Green — One ball worth three points.
  • Brown — One ball worth four points.
  • Blue — One ball worth five points.
  • Pink — One ball worth six points.
  • Black — One ball worth seven points.

The white ball remains where it came to a halt at the end of each shot, the red balls remain potted, and the colours are returned to the table. If a frame ends and both players tie, the black ball will be respotted and used as the tiebreaker; the referee will toss a coin to determine which player strikes first. The shot is played “in-hand” from the D, and the tie will break once the black ball is potted.

SNOOKER FOULS

Any shot or action by the striker that goes against the game’s rules is a foul. Whenever a player commits a foul, their turn ends, and no points are awarded. In some instances, points may be awarded to the opponent instead. Here are some example of common fouls:

  • Not hitting another ball with the cue ball.
  • Hitting a “not-on” ball with the cue ball or potting a “not-on” ball.
  • Potting the cue ball.
  • Touching any object ball with anything other than the cue ball.
  • Touching any ball before all balls have come to a complete stop.
  • Touching the cue ball more than once on the same shot.
  • Making the ball land off the table.
  • Touching the cue ball with anything other than the cue’s tip, except when the ball is played “in-hand”.
  • Playing a “push shot”. A push shot is when the cue ball and an object ball make contact with the tip of the cue simultaneously.
  • Playing a “jump shot”. A jump shot is when the cue ball leaves the bed of the table and bounces over any part of another ball.
  • Playing a shot with both feet off the floor. At least one foot must remain in contact with the ground.

SNOOKER HISTORY

It is believed that the first game of snooker was played by British officers stationed in Jubbulpore, India, while experimenting with existing billiards games. Sir Neville Chamberlain combined elements of pyramid and black pool, ordered a custom-made table and had it shipped all the way to India. The name ‘snooker’ came from a remark Chamberlain made about a player who had missed a shot and referred to him as “a real snooker” to indicate his inexperience, which was also army slang for a first-year cadet.

A manufacturer of billiards tables and a professional player of English billiards, John Roberts, decided to bring snooker back to England after meeting Chamberlain at a dinner with the Maharajah of Cooch Behar in 1885. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, snooker was played primarily by military personnel and the aristocracy. The popularity of snooker quickly spread, and more clubs and bars set up snooker tables. The first official snooker tournament was the American Billiards Tournament of 1908, which was won by Charles Dawson. A decade later, the Billiards Association and Control Club was founded, which introduced a new standard set of snooker rules. The first World Snooker Championship was held in 1927, organised and won by Joe Davis, who went on to win 15 consecutive championships.

HOW DOES SNOOKER BETTING WORK?

With so many snooker betting markets available, it can be hard to know which one to choose, so let’s take a look at some of the options.

Match Winner

The most common way to bet on snooker is to bet on the winner of the match, with the winner being the first to win a predetermined number of frames.

Frames

Punters have plenty of choices when it comes to betting on frames. You can try and predict if the match will end over or under a specific number of frames, the exact number of frames in a match or whether the total number of frames will be odd or even. Additionally, you can wager on the winner of a particular frame or on which player will win a specific number of frames first.

Handicap

This bet is designed to even the playing field when one player is favoured over their opponents. To counter the bias and make betting a bit more interesting, sportsbooks will often offer a handicap of points or frames.

Correct Score

A correct score bet wins if you accurately predict the correct score for the match or a specific frame. This bet is quite difficult to hit and requires in-depth knowledge of the sport.

Highest Break In A Match

This bet is wagering on a player to score the most points in a single turn. This bet stands as long as at least one frame has been completed.

Outright Winner

This is a bet on a specific player to win the entire tournament. For example, A World Championship Outright market allows you to bet on any of the qualifying players to win the title.

SNOOKER MAJOR EVENTS

English Open

The English Open is a professional snooker tournament held since 2016. The event is part of the newly launched Home Nations Series, alongside the existing Welsh Open, Northern Ireland Open and Scottish Open tournaments. The winner of the English Open receives the Davis Trophy, named in honour of Steve Davis —  a world snooker champion in the 1980s who won six World Championship titles in his career and was ranked first for seven consecutive years.

Triple Crown Tournaments

Three snooker tournaments make up the Triple Crown: the UK Championship, the Masters and the World Snooker Championship. The UK Championship is a professional ranking tournament held since 1977 and is considered one of the most prestigious snooker events in the world. The record holder in this tournament is Ronnie O’Sullivan, who has won the event seven times. He is closely followed by Steve Davis with six wins and Stephen Hendry with five.

Unlike most snooker events, the Masters is not a ranking tournament — it is an invitational event. However, the competition is one of the most important snooker events of the year and is one of the three Triple Crown tournaments. Held annually since 1975, the Masters is the second longest-running competition behind the World Championship, which has been held since 1927. A total of 16 players are invited; the defending Masters’ winner is seeded first, and the current World Champion is seeded second (unless both titles are held by the same player). The remaining spots go to the leading players in the world rankings.

The World Snooker Championship is the final Triple Crown event held in spring, pitting 32 professional snooker players against one another in a single-elimination tournament. Players are seeded based on world rankings and the pre-tournament qualification round, which usually takes place two weeks before the event. The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, has hosted the World Snooker Championship since 1977.

BET ON SNOOKER AT LV BET

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