Top 16 players fighting for The Paul Hunter Trophy and a record-breaking top prize of ÂŁ350,000 gather next week for the most prestigious invitational event in professional snooker: the 2025 Masters. Check out our 2025 snooker Masters predictions and betting picks as we approach this mega event.
Acting as the midst of the Triple Crown Series for this season, the Masters will mark its 51st edition in 2025 between the World Championship and the UK Championship in 2024. The Alexandra Palace in London will host the competition, running from January 12 to January 19.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | 2025 Johnstone’s Paint Masters, World Snooker Tour 2024-25 (Non-ranking event) |
| 🎱 Venue: | Alexandra Palace, London, England |
| 🗓️ Dates: | Sunday, 12 January to Sunday, 19 January, 2025 |
Based on their rankings immediately following the 2024 UK Championship in early December, invitations to the 2025 Masters were extended to the top 16 players in the World Snooker Tour rankings. Because of this competitive field, Masters 2025 snooker predictions will be rather difficult to make.
The first-round draw, shown live on BBC during the York UK Championship final, split the players in two pots. The top eight players were put in one pot and drawn at random against those ranked nine through 16. That’s how the organizers decided the first-round matchups.
Except for the two-session final, which is a best-of-19 frame game (first to ten), all matches are conducted as best of 11 frames.
This year’s Masters tournament features a starting field where half of the players have won the title before. So, previous champions will predominantly feature in 2025 snooker Masters predictions. Ronnie O’Sullivan, who already had a record seven Masters titles to his name before the tournament, won the competition last year.
The latest World Snooker Tour 2024-25 odds ahead of the 2025 Masters have been published by the best snooker betting sites. Let’s have a quick look at them:
Judd Trump edges out O’Sullivan in the 2025 Masters snooker odds race. UK snooker bookies believe strongly in Danny the Boy’s title credentials. Last month, Trump won the UK Championship; hence he will be confident coming into the Masters.
O’Sullivan enters the fray as the defending champion. The Rocket has not been in his best form lately, but the 2025 snooker Masters betting preview refuses to undermine his potential. O’Sullivan will always be a strong contender for glory since he is among the most decorated players snooker has seen.
Kyren Wilson winning the title will not be one of the most outrageous 2025 snooker Masters predictions to make. The current world champion made a semifinal run at the UK Championship in December.
Mark Selby can be a tricky option to bet on the Masters snooker 2025. Selby is a former champion but has struggled in recent outings.
Mark Allen claimed his first championship of the season right before Christmas at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship. The Northern Irishman defeated O’Sullivan in the semifinal and then triumphed 5-1 over Luca Brecel in the final. Allen, who took first place in 2018, will square off against Si Jiahui in his opening game.
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Brecel might not be anyone’s first pick in outright Masters 2025 snooker predictions. The Belgian’s form has significantly dropped since his amazing World Championship triumph in 2023. In later big competitions, he has struggled and found it challenging to keep the same pace as his elite rivals.
There has been a welcome wind of change in recent competitions, however. The Belgian Bullet has shown relative consistency in the last three tournaments he has played in. He made it to the final of the Riyadh Snooker Championship. Brecel also has a reasonably simple route to the final since he will be in the bottom half of the field.
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Two past champions – John Higgins and O’Sullivan – will square off a heavyweight fight to start the 2025 Masters. With O’Sullivan winning 41 of their meetings and Higgins claiming 35 (and three draws), the pair will clash for the 80th time in their career. Usually, this has been an even match-up. So, supporting Higgins at the present odds seems to be a good option.
We expect Luca Brecel to rediscover his title-winning form in London and John Higgins to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in the tournament opener. If you agree, then get your bets in quickly as the action gets underway first thing Monday in London.
