Gibraltar Open snooker: Tuesday preview and best bets
Snooker betting tips: Gibraltar Open
1pt Gao Yang to beat Stuart Carrington at 11/4 (bet365)
1pt David Grace to beat Martin Gould at 9/5 (Betfred)
1pt David Grace to beat Martin Gould (+1.5) at 20/21 (Betfred)
Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook
Martin Gould v David Grace (1900 Tuesday)
The resurgence of Martin Gould has been one of the highlights of the season, for all it won't make the headlines in the same way Judd Trump, Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins have.
Still, having finished runner-up at the European Masters early in the campaign, Gould has been largely consistent since and didn't play badly when losing to Jack Lisowski in the Players Championship last week.
Resurgent Grace worth a value play
He should continue to make his presence felt, but so should DAVID GRACE who isn't too far behind Gould in the one-year ranking list having reached the last four of the Northern Ireland Open in November and continued to play well since.
Grace beat Masters hero Yan Bingtao in the quarter-finals of that event, before losing by the odd frame to the same rival at the World Grand Prix, while a couple of wins over Michael Holt and one over Ding Junhui and David Gilbert respectively confirm the calibre of opponent he has been taking out.
A semi-finalist at the 2015 UK Championship, Grace had been struggling for results more recently until an upturn in fortunes this season. Key to his return to form has been a drastic improvement in his scoring which has allowed him to compete better when facing a higher class of opponent.
He'll certainly need to score well against a dangerous Gould, but odds of 9/5 about the Leeds man are too big to ignore and at the very least, I expect him to make this match competitive.
As such, I advise splitting stakes on Grace to win at 9/5 and backing him on the handicap (+1.5) at 20/21.
Hendry makes his return
Tuesday at the Gibraltar Open is all about Stephen Hendry, and his return to professional snooker is sure to attract plenty of interest to an event that may have otherwise slipped under the radar following the Welsh Open and Players Championship in recent weeks.
It will be fascinating to see Hendry back in action, for all nobody underestimates what a tough challenge he has set himself having last been seen on the professional tour when originally retiring back in 2012.
He won't expect to find Matthew Selt in charitable mood, for all the pair are close friends away from the table, but Selt has rarely been at his best in front of the TV cameras in the past and there is no doubt he will be under as much pressure as Hendry himself, possibly even more.
I won't be betting on this one but it would be nice to think Hendry can show up well and light the fire inside him once again. Who knows where exactly this latest journey will end for the seven-time world champion, but one last appearance at the Crucible really would be something wouldn't it?
Chinese younger worth supporting
Earlier on Tuesday, I think GAO YANG represents decent value at 11/4 when he takes on Stuart Carrington in the first round.
Yang is the latest in a long line of Chinese youngsters to promise great things and though still only 16 years of age, he has already belied his inexperience to beat the likes of Duane Jones and Jianbo Zhao this season, while he pushed Michael Holt close when losing 6-4 when they met at the UK Championship.
Furthermore, Scott Donaldson had to play really well when beating Yang 4-2 at the Welsh Open recently - knocking in two centuries - as he came from 2-1 down to win.
Yang looks a classy operator in the making and while he evidently has plenty to learn, he faces an opponent on Tuesday in Carrington who hasn't been pulling up any trees of late and one who doesn't appear to be on the upgrade.
Carrington rightly heads the betting but he's awfully short and Yang should cause him more than enough problems to outrun his odds of 11/4. Betting Yang on the handicap was considered, but I'll chance my arm to smaller stakes.
Preview posted at 1630 GMT 01/03/12
Responsible gambling
We are committed in our support of responsible 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 on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.
Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.