World Snooker Championship tips: Expert Picks for the Crucible

By Sporting Life

22:01 · SAT April 15, 2023

Neal Foulds, Paul Krishnamurty and James Cooper join Richard Mann to select their best bets for the World Championship, which gets under way at the Crucible on Saturday.

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Predicting the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible

Neil Robertson to win the World Championship

Neal Foulds

Former World Championship semi-finalist Neal Foulds is a pundit and commentator for Eurosport and ITV, and is a regular columnist on Sporting Life.

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I'm all over NEIL ROBERTSON. World champion 2010, he certainly fits the profile of a multiple winner and I don't think he'll finish his career with only one world title to his name. He's better than that.

The biggest factor in his favour this year is the freshness angle. He'd won four tournaments prior to last season's World Championship, and I remember how well he played in the first week in 2019 before running out of steam in a real war of attrition against John Higgins. That won't be the case this time around.

I also think it's significant that his dad has come over to help with his preparation, and it seems that after an unusually quiet campaign he's determined to mount a bold bid at the Crucible.

I'm not necessarily tipping him because of his recent form, I'm tipping him because of the player he is. He's one of the best snooker has seen in recent times.

Mark Selby to win the World Championship

Paul Krishnamurty

Paul Krishnamurty is a freelance journalist and professional gambler, specialising in cricket, snooker and politics. You can read Paul's work on betting.betfair.com.

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Coming off a resurgent season which produced two titles, MARK SELBY once again looks the one to beat.

Nobody is better in Crucible conditions and a favourable draw means he should reach the second week – at which stage his mental stamina has no equals.

The biggest threat from his quarter is Kyren Wilson, against whom the Jester from Leicester enjoys a perfect 7-0 head-to-head lead, and the four-time world champion looks to have an awful lot in his favour.

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Neil Robertson to win the Third Quarter

James Cooper

James Cooper is a content writer for Timeform.com and produces various sports betting models, including for snooker and cricket.

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One of the main talking points going into this year’s renewal has been the form of the 'big 3' and you would have gone long odds with me that Messrs O’Sullivan, Trump and Robertson would have collected zero ranking titles between them this season.

Okay, Ronnie won the valuable Hong Kong invitational and the Champion of Champions, Trump the prestigious Masters and Robertson the Mixed Doubles but the Selby, Murphy and Allen axis has shone so far this term in ranking events.

Of course, current form trumps all when it comes to odds chalked up by the layers but I firmly believe that NEIL ROBERTSON represents superb value in the quarter, half and outright markets.

Is Robertson even playing that badly? Well, no regulation-event final this season for a player of his class is a disappointing return for sure but his expected wins against actual wins with me isn’t disastrous at 21 (from 32 matches) against 24.45 (excluding Championship League) and what was once a competitive animal, Robertson may well benefit from a slightly more relaxed schedule these days.

The likeable Aussie meets Wu Yize in the last-32, a dangerous debutant if ever there was one. The mullet has gone but the scoring strength certainly hasn’t and Wu's carefree way around the table means he’s great to watch.

It’s a hurdle I still expect Robertson to overcome and having modelled every eventuality in the tournament, I can’t have him being any bigger than 6/4 to successfully navigate his way through Quarter Three, which makes the 7/4 and 15/8 available in a place a superb wager.

Outright World Championship betting preview

Mark Selby roars in elation having won his fourth world title at the Crucible

Mark Williams to win the First Quarter

Richard Mann

Richard Mann is a sports journalist working for Sporting Life and has been the in-house snooker and cricket writer since 2018.

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When is comes to Triple Crown events, few can boast the recent record of MARK WILLIAMS, and the veteran Welshman appears primed for another deep run in Sheffield.

Twelve months ago, Williams produced some of the best snooker of his career to reach the last four, before a disastrous first session – one he lost 7-1 – in his semi-final with Judd Trump left him with a mountain to climb.

Nevertheless, he rallied superbly to take a memorable match to a deciding frame and very nearly exacted revenge on that rival in the final of the Masters in January, only giving way late having at one stage led 8-7.

Though quiet since, all the noises coming out of Wales are that Williams been practising well with coach Lee Walker, and though claiming his fourth world title would require something very special, he looks a good bet to at least win the First Quarter.

He may need to beat old foe Ronnie O'Sullivan in order to do that, but he managed it in a high-quality clash between the pair at the Masters and ought to fancy his chances of doing so again.

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