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2022 World Snooker Championship Betting Tips & Predictions (April 16 – May 2)

World Snooker Championship 2022 Betting Tips & Predictions

BetZillion is back with a free betting preview for the 2022 World Snooker Championship, providing you with all the information to place smart wagers on the best snooker betting sites.

Regarding unexpected results, the 2022 season is arguably the craziest and most unpredictable. Zhao Xintong, who was long a solid player, came out of nowhere to become one of the best in the scene, and we are finally witnessing Luca Brecel showing what he can do.

Besides that, we saw Hossein Vafaei and Fan Zhengyi secure their first-ranking titles. We even had a chance to witness seasoned veterans such as Joe Perry and Robert Milkins pocket unexpected wins. A lot has happened this season, and there are many exciting stories to follow, but the most crucial question is – who will hoist the trophy at Crucible Theatre?

The craziness of the 2022 season would make it seem like predicting who will win the coveted trophy is nearly impossible, But that’s not necessarily the case.

The 2022 Snooker World Championship – Things to Know

Despite all the upset victories we have witnessed in 2022, our team of snooker reliable betting experts is confident that past unexpected achievements don’t necessarily indicate we’re in for an upset winner at the Crucible. That is mainly due to the Snooker World Championship 2022 format.

When it’s a longer format like that at the World Championship, winning the tournament is an entirely different beast from everything else. Moreover, the Crucible is often the place where the order in the world rankings is restored, and there are strong trends that would support that claim.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that players who don’t have as much experience can’t compete. So even if a player has never made finals at the Crucible, that doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t have a chance to shine. Still, we have to touch on some interesting stats.

If we check the past winners and what they have in common, experience at the Crucible is imperative. Interestingly, every winner here in the last 10 years had played at least 8 times, so while 8 might not be the figure where you draw a line, the trend is bad news for the rookies, and you might even say the same for those who have made it to Sheffield fewer than 8 times.

That doesn’t rule every player who does not check the mark out, but when deciding on our 2022 World Snooker Championship betting tips, we did pay close attention to experience.

The Crucible Curse

Also known as the “Curse of the Crucible,” the Crucible Curse is an exciting part of the Snooker World Championship. We don’t want to use any superstition in making our picks, but after years and years, it’s time to start believing that the Crucible Curse is real. But what is it exactly?

The Crucible Curse means that not a single first-time winner of the 2022 World Snooker Championship has managed to defend his title the following year. This curse dated to 1977 when the tournament moved to its current venue, the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

Some failed spectacularly, namely Steve Davis, who got trashed 1-10 by Tony Knowles in 1982, granted that is the most extreme example. But if we take a closer look at the curse, it seems to have a reverse effect.

For example, players who fell below expectations one year returned stronger the next – 7 of the last 10 winners hadn’t reached the semis the year before. So motivation and hunger to win are factors to consider.

Now that we got everything out of the way, let’s check which players are favourited to win and who the UK bookies have priced with the lowest Snooker World Championship 2022 odds.

2022 World Snooker Championship Odds – Bookies’ Favourites

The World Snooker Championship 2022 winner odds are already out, and the UK bookies have made it very clear which few players are the most likely to win. Here we will look at the main favourites on the betting markets, starting with the main favourite, Neil Robertson.

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Neil Robertson (7/2)

Neil Robertson deserves recognition heading into the 2022 Snooker World Championship and should be on everyone’s list of potential winners. He won at the Crucible before, but we urge everyone to take his success with a grain of salt.

That’s not to say that he didn’t deserve it, but it’s important to note how often he’s failed to live up to the expectations since then.

He was one of the favourites to win last year, but he failed to make it to the one-table set-up (semis) for the 7th time. For whatever reason, his performances and results haven’t cut the mustard, which is further confirmed if we compare his past placements to his seeding.

If the first-seeded player is expected to win, the second-seeded player will lose the finals, the 3rd and 4th-seeded players will lose the semis, etc.; then Robertson hasn’t lived up to his seeding for the past 4 years.

Is Robertson a good player? Yes, definitely. But is he worth a bet on the 2022 World Snooker Championship betting odds? In our book, no.

Judd Trump (9/2)

We won’t beat around the bush here and say that Judd Trump is our leading man to watch heading into the 2022 Snooker World Championship.

Trump won the 2019 Snooker World Championship at 29 as the no.7 seeded player heading to the Crucible. He had had nine appearances prior, had a QF appearance a year earlier (2018), and made finals once before.

Now at 32-years-of-age, Trump heads to the Crucible as the second-favourite on the outright betting markets and the no.4 seeded player. He has played in 12 previous world championship events and has 2 ranking event titles from 2022.

Admittedly, he had underperformed in the latest 2 iterations of the world championship, but he should benefit from being much more lightly contested this season, having played just 68 matches. So fatigue definitely won’t be an issue for Trump – as it was in 2020 and 2021 when he had played 92 and 104 games, respectively.

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5/1)

O’Sullivan won the Snooker World Championship in 2020 but could only manage Round 2 last year when he lost against Anthony McGill (12-13). Now that O’Sullivan has gotten rid of the Crucible Curse, he can breathe easy knowing he can win the title this year.

O’Sullivan is an incredible player, but he is also old. As noted above, experience plays a part in the player’s success. Still, interestingly, the most successful group are players in their 30s, followed by those in their 40s, and lastly, players in their 20s (the least experienced).

Players like O’Sullivan or Marco Fu, who are experienced, might not be the smartest picks. Still, O’Sullivan has achieved plenty at the Crucible (6 titles) in his career and is always a threat.

Past Winners of the Event

  • 2021 – Mark Selby
  • 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
  • 2019 – Judd Trump
  • 2018 – Mark Williams
  • 2017 – Mark Selby

Time and Date of the Event

The 2022 World Snooker Championship is set to kick off on Saturday, April 16, and conclude on Monday, May 2. The tournament will take place at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It will mark the 46th consecutive year that the World Championship has been held at the same location.

The 16th and final ranking event of the 2021/22 season, the 2022 World Snooker Championship is one of the world’s largest and most popular sporting events. And as such, it’s very well covered by all sporting TV channels and live-streaming platforms.

If you want to bet on the event, we highly advise picking the best bookies for online betting for World Snooker, mainly those who can provide live streams of the events and in-play betting markets. While you can find 2022 World Snooker Championship odds on any bookmaker, the one you pick won’t necessarily be a live betting website with live betting markets and live streaming of the event.

World Snooker Championship Predictions for 2022

It brings us to the final and most crucial part of our snooker betting preview, where we check our 2022 World Snooker Championship betting tips and provide you with the best wagers to follow.

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We will bet on a few players on the outright betting markets, giving us a better chance to cash in a winner and providing us with hedging opportunities later in the tournament. So without further ado, here are our top world Snooker Championship predictions for 2022.

Judd Trump to Win – 9/2

As already alluded to, we’re most excited about Judd Trump for the 2022 World Snooker Championship after carefully analyzing stats, trends, and other helpful information on him and other players.

Trump checks all the marks of a potential winner. He won here before, is 32-years-old (the most successful age group), is in excellent form (2 ranking titles this season), and has played just 68 official matches this year.

Admittedly, he underperformed in the last 2 years, but he had to play 104 and 92 games before the Crucible, so fatigue was an issue – this year, it won’t be. Although Trump has yet to hit the level of consistency in the last 2 campaigns, you would want to see from him and has even hinted that he does not enjoy the game as much now. But perhaps that will make it much easier for him to perform, as he won’t feel the pressure some other players might.

He has the needed stats, and the trends are with him. It’s hard to look past Trump at 9/2.

John Higgins to Win – 10/1

If you’re looking to bet on an outsider, John Higgins is the man to watch. He is not one of the favourites for a good reason, but we believe he can step up and deliver at the Crucible, and here’s why.

Higgins is already 46 years old, and like any player his age, he has plenty of battle scars, which you can’t get away from. The 4-time world champion has had plenty of highs in his long career and a handful of bitter defeats he had to swallow.

That includes consecutive World Championship finals losses in 2017-2019 and 5 finals defeats this season alone! Three of which came by a single frame.

But even though Higgins has had many painful defeats in the past, he has proven time and time again that he can bounce back and that those defeats don’t phase him too much. And that likely has to do with his experience as a player. If one player has proven to have a remarkable ability to come back, it’s Higgins, which is something to keep in mind when thinking about his not-so-great results this season.

Looking at all the stats and trends, Higgins is arguably one of the top-3 players heading into the tournament, next to O’Sullivan and Trump, making him an excellent pick at 10/1 on Ladbrokes.

Kyren Wilson to Win – 16/1

At 16/1, Kyren Wilson is an exciting pick we’re more than happy to follow. And that is, even though he has only 7 appearances at the Crucible. Yet that doesn’t rule him out of contention.

Above we talked about how some players underdelivered in previous years (if we compare their seeding to the final placement), but Wilson is the complete opposite. He outperformed the expectation in 3 of the last 5 iterations of the event and met the other two’s expectations.

Admittedly, he is not the best player head to Sheffield, but Wilson has always shown up at the Crucible and could be a severe threat if he gains momentum early on.

World Snooker Championship Predictions 2022 – Bonus Pick

No betting preview is complete without a longshot wager, and for this year, we’re looking at Shaun Murphy, priced at 33/1 on William Hill, to round up our World Snooker Championship predictions for 2022. Our system looks at players’ experience, age, past performances, form, and fatigue. Murphy is easily one of the top-5 players, making him an attractive pick at the outsider odds.

Prediction: Shaun Murphy to win (e/w) – 33/1

Our 2022 World Snooker Championship Betting Tips

  1. Judd Trump to win – 9/2
  2. John Higgins to win – 10/1
  3. Kyren Wilson to win – 16/1
  4. Shaun Murphy to win (e/w) – 33/1

That concludes our 2022 World Snooker Championship betting preview, providing you with 4 excellent picks to follow. Remember to bet only with the best snooker betting sites, and if you follow all of our picks, remember to follow the action and hedge your bets if needed!

Rebecca Martin
Author
Writer & Media

Rebecca is a Liverpool gal and a big fan of the club. She likes nothing more than sharing tips and predictions on sports betting. Her other favorite sports include horse racing, snooker, and golf. Rebecca is in charge of writing and media at BetZillion. You can thank her for making our articles look so great.

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