Our Top 5 Best Snooker Bookmakers
William Hill
William Hill are a huge name when it comes to gambling in the UK, pretty much everyone will have heard of them it is safe to say. They have a number of strengths when it comes to their online presence with a great cutting edge website and a mobile app with all the features carried over. You can still get all the same betting markets, with the same super odds, and qualify for all their generous promotions no matter when or where you are.
✅ Pros:
Highstreet brand and a name you can trust.
Instant cash payouts available from their shops.
Huge range of betting markets to choose from.
Spreadex Sport
Spreadex Sport was established in 1999 and is primarily a spread betting site (as the name suggests) but they have a fixed bets area and this is where their snooker markets come into their own. Each match is listed with the match odds just one click away, and a detailed view of the payer statistics is available along with the rest of the markets. You can choose from a huge range of snooker bets and they allow you to either live stream the game directly or provide information on where it is being shown. The odds are great and Spreadex Sport Free bets are valid on snooker markets.
✅ Pros:
Detailed information and up to date statistics.
Large range of betting markets.
Good in-play functionality.
Betfred
Betfred is the official sponsor of the World Snooker Championship and will often run free bet promotions and other refund offers on the main events. They cover almost every snooker tournament on the tour and are one of the most reliable places when it comes to having a stream of the match. They come into their own for in-play bets and have the most markets with the best odds more often than not.
✅ Pros:
Huge number of bonuses for existing players
Price boosts on the major matches
Winnings paid as cash in your nearest shop
Boylesports
If you want to get going with your snooker betting quickly then Boylesports are the betting site for you with a super fast registration process and one that is optimised to be done via a mobile. They have all the main snooker tournaments covered and allow betting on a range of markets with price boosts offered for extra value when it comes to odds.
✅ Pros:
Easy registration process
Acca insurance available
Many snooker tournaments covered from around the world.
10bet
10bet are arguably the best betting sites for snooker if you want a cashable welcome bonus. These bonuses certainly are sure to give you more bang for your buck from the very get go! There is a large number of payment methods to chose from and all are credited instantly and for free. There is massive coverage of all the main tournaments and some great snooker betting odds for you to bet on. They excel at offering live snooker betting so you can enjoy the action frame by frame and bet in-play on every major tournament.
✅ Pros:
Cashable welcome bonus.
In depth betting markets on the big tournaments.
Huge number of payment methods to choose from.
How We Rank Best Snooker Betting Sites
We want you to have the best possible snooker betting experience, which is why we rigorously test the best snooker betting sites in the UK, to ensure that you can be confident when selecting a bookmaker from our pick of the best snooker betting sites. In this section, we explain the parameters that we use and the features that we explore, when vetting online bookmakers to find the best snooker betting sites.
The Sign Up Process
No one wants to waste time filling in endless forms before they can get started at an online bookmaker, nor do they want to have to divulge mountains of seemingly unecessary personal information. That's why we go through the sign up process for each of the snooker betting sites that we suggest, in order to ensure that the process is quick and straightforward, while also balancing the need for security with protecting your personal data.
Depositing & Withdrawing
We know that you want to be able to deposit quickly and easily, using the payment method of your choice. Therefore, we review the deposit process to ensure that a wide variety of payment methods are accepted at the best snooker betting sites, with any deposits being added quickly to your available balance.
Likewise, we know that you do not want to have to hang around waiting for your winnings to be paid back into your account, so we check the processing times of each bookmaker to make sure that withdrawals are as smooth and swift as they can be. Of course, the processing time of payments can vary significantly depending on the payment method, but this can often be out of the bookmakers' hands. However, we only recommend the bookmakers with the best processing times, with most of our suggestions processing payments instantly, provided your account has been verified.
Odds
Of course, when placing a snooker bet, you are going to want the best value for money possible. That is why we select the bookmakers which offer the best odds on snooker betting markets. Many of our recommended betting sites offer bet boosts, price boosts or advanced odds on selected snooker betting markets, giving you more bang for your buck on your bets.
Bonuses
Many bookmakers offer bonuses to new and existing customers, but some are understandably better than others. We review hundreds of online snooker betting sites in order to find the very best snooker betting bonuses on offer, then signpost you to them in our list of the top snooker betting sites.
In-Play betting
As snooker games can often take some time to play through, the final games can take over a day! So in-play betting can make each frame even more exciting. Not every snooker betting site offers in-play betting, so we have found the ones that do, to provide you with the best snooker betting options available.
Apps
Most snooker bettors will enjoy the ease that betting on a smartphone can offer, so we review every snooker betting site rigorously to discover whether or not they have an app available. Not only that, we test the apps to discover whether or not they are available on both iOS and Android, and put each app through its paces to assess its usability and quality.
How to Bet on Snooker
If you are feeling unsure about the logistics of betting on snooker, then fear not; our step by step guide to placing a snooker bet is here to help. We have used Ladbrokes in this example, but most snooker betting sites will follow a similar format.
First, long in to your account at your chosen snooker betting site (or create one, if you do not have one already).
Once you have logged in, navigate to the sports menu on the left hand side of the webpage, and click on snooker, so see some of the different snooker betting markets available.
In this example, we want to bet on the outright winner of the Masters 2024, so we have selected that event.
We want to bet on Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the tournament, so we have clicked on the odds next to his name. This adds our bet selection to the betting slip, which appears on the page.
Next, enter your stake in the box and check your bet and potential returns. You can then make a deposit to fund your bet, or, if you have already have a funded account, click to confirm your bet.
Now, simply wait until the tournament is complete, for your bet to be settled.
Types of Snooker Bets / Markets
If you are new to snooker betting or would like to know more about the different types of snooker bets available, then you have come to the right place. Here, we detail some of the most popular snooker betting markets available.
Outright Markets
In an outright market, you are betting on the outright winner (or overall winner) of a given competition, such as the World Snooker Championship. This is a type of futures market which is often placed before the competition has started, although outright bets can usually be placed right up until the final is played (and also during it, if in-play betting is available at your chosen snooker betting site).
Match Result
Exactly as it sounds, you are betting on the snooker player that you think will win the match.
Frame Betting
A frame win bet is a type of in-play betting market. In short, you are betting on the player to win the next frame. However, frame betting is not as easy as it may sound, so make sure you are feeling confident before you place your bets.
Player to Pot First Red
Quite simply, you are betting on the player to pot the first red of the snooker match. As this type of bet is usually resolved very quickly, it is unlikely to offer satisfaction when compared to other betting markets available. It is also considerably more luck than skill whether you win or lose.
Century Breaks
A century break in snooker is when a player scores 100 points or more, from only one visit to the table, starting with the break. It takes huge skill to achieve such a feat, as it requires potting at least 25 consecutive balls. You can bet on a player to achieve a century break in an individual match, or during the course of a tournament such as the World Snooker Championships.
Match Centuries
With match centuries markets, you are betting on the exact number of centuries (100 points or more) scored in one break during the match. Sometimes this can also be offered as an over/under market, which means that you are betting on there being over or under a given number of centuries during the match.
Highest Match Break
In this type of bet, you are wagering on the player that you believe will score the highest number of points in one turn at the table (so between the first point and missing a shot), during the game.
Total Points
Total points markets involve betting on whether you think the total number of points scored will be over or under a certain amount usually. There is also sometimes to bet on whether the total points scored in a match (or usually the frame for live snooker betting) will be odd or even.
The Top Snooker Tournaments To Bet On
Tournament |
Date (2024) |
Winner in 2023 |
Prize Money |
---|---|---|---|
World Snooker Championship |
20th April - 6th May |
Luca Brecel (BEL) |
£500,000 (Winner) |
UK Championship |
23rd Nov - 1st December |
Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
£250,000 (Winner) |
The Masters |
7th - 14th April |
Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
£250,000 (Winner) |
Women's World Champioships |
11th - 17th March |
Siripaporn Nuanthakhamja (THAI) | £8,000 (Winner) |
European Masters |
22nd - 29th August |
Barry Hawkins (ENG) |
£80,000 (Winner) |
As you can see there are many different snooker tournaments available to bet on, key features of the main ones are:
The World Snooker Championship
The 2024 World Snooker Championship (officially the 2024 Betfred World Snooker Championship) is a tournament that takes place between April and May at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. 2024 will be the 48th consecutive year that it has been held there. Qualifying rounds for the tournament feature a mix of professional and invited amateur players. All matches are available to be watched at the best snooker bookies and they are also shown in the United Kingdom on the BBC. It featured a total prize fund of £2,395,000, of which the winner received £500,000.
UK Championship
The Cazoo UK Championship (Cazoo is a UK car retailer) takes place in November at the York Barbican in York, England. There have been 46 editions with the first tournament held in 1977. Organised by the World Snooker Tour the event can be watched at most bookmakers and it is also broadcast by the BBC. The tournament organisers changed the format in 2022, replacing the flat-128 draw that had been used from 2013 to 2021 with a format that saw the top 16 players in the world seeded through to the last-32 stage, where they were joined by 16 qualifiers (from a 128-player qualifying tournament that took place in November). The winner received £250,000 from a total prize fund of £1,205,000
The Masters
The Masters has been held every year since 1975 and is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments that there is. Initially it was an invitational event for the top 10 players in the world but later the number invited grew to 12 competitors in 1981, and 16 in 1983. Since 1984, the standard invitees have been the top 16 players in the world rankings. The total prize fund is £750,000 of which the winner receives a third.
Cazoo British Open
This is a professional snooker tournament that takes place in September and October 2024 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England. As you can probably tell it is also sponsored by the car retailer Cazoo. Qualifying for the tournament takes place over the summer most recently at the Robin Park Arena and Sports Centre in Wigan. The event has a total prize fund of £478,000, of which the winner in 2022 received £100,000.
European Masters
The tournament has most recently been held at the Stadthalle Fürth in Fürth, Germany. A large number of bookmakers streamed the matches live and it was also broadcast on Eurosport as well as other networks from around the world. There have been 24 editions of the tournament and this year it featured a total prize fund of £422,000, of which the winner received £80,000.
The World Championship
Having been held since 1927, the World Snooker Championship is the longest-running tournament in snooker history and it is also the most prestigious. Ronnie O'Sullivan is the current reigning champion, having won the competition seven times since 2001.
As well as being the most prestigious tournament in snooker, the Snooker World Championship also has the highest prize fund, with a whopping £500,000 going to the winner. Held during May each year at the Crucible in Sheffield, it is part of the Triple Crown series of major snooker tournaments, along with the Invitational Masters and The UK Championship.
The World Championships take a knock-out format comprising of 32 players. Of these, 16 are given an automatic place based on their position in the world snooker rankings, while the remaining 16 earn a place via a qualifying competition. The first round is comprised of matches that last two sessions, with the winner being the best of 19 frames. The second round and the quarter-finals are the best of 25 frames, played over three sessions. The final and semi-final are longer affairs played over four sessions; the semi-finals are the best of 33 frames while the final is the best of 35 frames.
The Invitational Masters (The Masters)
Held every year in London since 1975, the Masters is an invitational snooker tournament for professionals. It is not a ranking event, but is considered an important date in the snooker calendar, nonetheless. The top 16 players in the snooker world rankings are invited to participate.
In 2016, the Masters trophy was renamed as the Paul Hunter Trophy, in memory of the three-time champion, who died aged 27 in 2006. Ronnie O'Sullivan holds the record for the most wins, having won seven Masters titles. The current reigning champion is Neil Robertson, who has won twice.
There have only been three maximum 147 breaks in the history of the tournament.
The UK Championship
The UK Championship, usually held at the Barbican Centre in York, is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the third of the Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. The total prize fund is over £1,000,000.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the tournament the most times in history with a record seven wins. The current reigning champion is Mark Allen, who won his first title in 2022.
More 147 breaks have been achieved at the UK Championship, than in any other snooker tournament.
British Open
The British Open is a ranking tournament, held at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
It may be difficult to find current stats on this tournament, as it recently returned to the snooker calendar after a 17-year break. The 2022 champion was Ryan Day, who won his first title. Steve Davis holds the record for the most British Open titles, with five.
There have been seven maximum breaks in the history of the British Open.
The European Masters
The European Masters is another professional ranking snooker tournament with a patchy history. Most recently resurrected in 2016, it is held in various different European countries each year. Kyren Wilson holds the 2022 title, which he won in Germany.
There have only been four 147 breaks in the history of the tournament.
Snooker Shoot Out
Held at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, the Snooker Shoot Out is a ranking tournament, played with a much shorter format than other tournaments.
Matches are decided over single frames of under ten minutes. There is a shot clock, where players have a mere 15 seconds to take their shot, during the first five minutes of the match. This is reduced to ten seconds per shot for the second half of the match, making for exciting play. If there is a tie, the winner is decided with a blue ball shoot-out.
Where to Bet on Snooker Online
It is possible to bet on snooker online at every bookmaker we have reviewed on legalbet.uk, some of the best are:
Snooker Betting Tips & Strategies
Of course, all bettors know that it is impossible to guarantee a win every time, when you are in the business of snooker betting. However, we hope that by providing these snooker betting tips, your positive strike rate can improve.
Know The Game
It goes without saying that the best way to have a good chance at betting successfully on any sport, is to know the game. There are snooker tournaments happening all year round, providing punters with almost constant opportunities to bet on the sport. The more you know about snooker, the more informed you can bet when it comes to selecting snooker markets and placing bets.
Consider Players Form
Before betting on a snooker player to win, it is important to consider their previous and current form. Have they won this particular tournament before? Are they on a winning streak or is their form looking shaky at the moment?
There are many websites available that share individual snooker players' statistics in terms of wins and losses, so it is worth utilising them to ensure that you are making an informed decision when backing a player, to be sure that you are making a solid snooker bet, with a good chance of winning.
Avoid match score bets
It is probably best to avoid betting on the exact scores of a match purely because there has been a number of documented cases where players, high-ranking professional players, have been fixing the results. This obviously led to serious sanctions, fines, and suspensions but it did not lead to all the players who lost money because of this getting their money back (as far as we know). If you ever suspect a sporting event to be rigged then stay well away from it.
In-Play Betting On The Snooker
Many of the best snooker betting sites offer in-play betting. In short, in-play betting is where you can place bets, live, once the snooker match has already started. In-play betting markets can include the player winning the next frame or the player potting the next red. Of course, snooker odds can and will change as the game progresses, for live snooker markets such as match winner.
Snooker Betting on Mobile Betting Apps
If you are going to be betting on snooker then it is likely that you will want to at least have the option of doing so when you are away from home. To facilitate this almost every online betting site will offer their customers a dedicated mobile betting App. This gives you betting odds on all the snooker matches which are available on the full site. Some of the best that we have used before are detailed below.
Bet365
Bet365 are one of the betting companies to have really pushed the boat out when it comes to their betting App. As you would expect every sportsbook market is also available to snooker fans using the App and they still get some of the best betting odds which Bet365 are renowned for. If you are betting on snooker you can stream the majority of snooker matches and after a £10 qualifying deposit you receive £50 of Free bets after your first bet settles.
✅ Pros:
Huge 500% Free bet welcome bonus.
In-play snooker betting on all major matches
Large range of bet types for each match
Smarkets (SBK)
Smarkets was started as a betting exchange when it first launched and has since gone from strength to strength and are not competing with the traditional UK bookmakers. They have launched the App "SBK" based on their own unique custom made software they bring the odds of a betting exchange to the simplicity of a snooker bookie. You have the full range of snooker events to bet on and all with superb odds.
✅ Pros:
Fantastic odds.
Industry leading customer service team.
Best Snooker Betting Offers
The best snooker betting sites provide offers to reward punters who bet with them. In this section, we detail some of the different types of offers and promotions available. Once you have this information, you can know what to look for to ensure you are getting the best value for money from your snooker bet.
Odds Boost
Many snooker betting sites offer an 'odds boost', 'bet boost' or 'price boost' - essentially, these are all the same thing; enhanced odds at a more generous price than the standard offering. These enhanced odds will usually give better value for money than competing bookmakers, so it is worth looking out for them.
Money Back "If"
This type of promotion usually becomes applicable if your bet loses. For example, if you place a specified bet on a particular snooker market and your bet loses, you may receive your original stake back as cash, or a Free bet to be placed on another match. This can soften the blow of a losing bet as you will then have either retained your initial stake, or have another chance for a bet to be successful using a Free bet.
Acca Insurance
Acca insurance promotions are particular to accumulator bets. Terms and Conditions may vary between promotions, but generally, bettors place an accumulator bet with minimum odds and a minimum number of selections, and if one leg of the accumulator loses, the bookmaker will still pay out on the remaining winning selections.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a variety of different types of snooker tournaments out there for bettors to make the most of, when it comes to snooker betting. There are also a wide range of different bookmakers to choose from, with attractive snooker promotions and snooker betting markets available for punters to enjoy. We hope that you have found this article helpful when it comes to snooker betting tips, markets and general information, and wish you luck in your snooker betting endeavours!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Most good online bookmakers offer snooker betting markets. For our top picks, check out the reviews at the top of this article.
Unlikely, but not impossible. Statistical analysis shows that they occur in one in every four tournaments played.
Yes, some bookmakers do offer odds on a 147 being scored during the course of a tournament. This type of bet is usually only available for larger tournaments.
Yes, you can bet each way on the outright winner of a snooker tournament. By doing so you will be paid out if your player makes the final, they do not need to win it.
There are many good betting apps for snooker. Check out the apps section of this article, to see our top picks.
No, you cannot have a draw in snooker. If the match ends in a draw (the same number of points being scored by each player in the deciding frame), then the black ball is respotted and the first player to pot it, wins.
Yes, it is possible to bet on the number of frames that will be played in a snooker match. This will usually take the form of an under/over bet.