Here at NetBet, we’ve got a whole load of great markets for sports betting, and we offer some of the best Snooker odds around. We don’t just take bets on individual matches; we offer online betting on plenty of deeper markets on our UK betting site. If you want to place any sports bet, here’s a quick guide on how exactly you should go about it.
What is Snooker?
Snooker is a cue sport that falls under the pool/billiard family. It is played between two players on a large, rectangular table covered with a green cloth known as baize (felt). A snooker table has six pockets, one placed on each corner and one in the centre of each on the longer side of the table. A game of snooker is usually played with 22 balls – one cue ball (white), 6 coloured balls (brown, green, blue, black, pink, yellow), and 15 red balls – with different point valuations.
At the beginning of a snooker match, all the balls are arranged in a specific formation. The players take turns and attempt to strike a ball into a pocket using the cue ball. To score points, a player must pocket the balls in the correct order. The object of the game is to score more points than the opposing player and win the majority of the predetermined set of frames, which is the individual game unit.
Snooker is among the world’s most popular games due to its growth in Asia, especially in China and India. Today, it remains a premier sport played in English-speaking and Commonwealth countries. At the international level, the sport is governed by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Federation (WPBSF) and is recognized by the International Olympic Association as well.
History of Snooker
Snooker is thought to have been invented over 150 years ago in 1875 by a young British Army Lieutenant named Neville Chamberlain when he was stationed in Jabalpur, India. Chamberlain came up with the game when he was experimenting on a billiard table and combined the elements of two other popular games of black pool and pyramids.
He convinced his fellow officers to try the game, which soon became a big hit. One day, Chamberlain remarked a player as a ‘snooker’ (slang for first-year cadets at Woolwich Military Academy) when he missed a shot. He pointed out the meaning of the word and went on to say that they were all ‘snookers’ at the game, and the name stuck. The first set of rules for snooker was worked out in 1882 at the Ootacamund Club in Madras. During a visit to India in 1885, British Billiards champion John Roberts met up with Chamberlain to learn snooker and introduced the game in England when he returned.
The first ever snooker event, the English Amateur Snooker Championships, was held in 1916, whereas the first Professional World Championships of Snooker was organised in 1927, with Joe Davis as the winner. Davis went on to dominate the game, winning every single World Championship up until his retirement in 1946.
In 1969, BBC aired Pot Black, a British series of snooker tournaments aired from the BBC Studios in Birmingham. This venture, authorised by David Attenborough, proved to be highly successful in promoting snooker and boosted its popularity in the U.K. Thus began the modern era of snooker which led to the inception of many events and tournaments. Today, snooker is a popular and well-respected sport played in over 90 countries by over 120 million people and watched as a spectator sport by 450 million fans worldwide.
It should be noted that a huge reason for the growth of this sport has been down to a relatively new following in China. During the 1980s the sport was hugely popular in the U.K but had very little global appeal.
How do I bet on Snooker?
While snooker might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it has acquired a massive fan following. On top of being a widely sought-after spectator sport, it has emerged as a popular betting option at all major sportsbooks, where snooker enthusiasts can have their pick from quite a number of betting markets with favourable odds.
At NetBet, we provide a liberal variety of bet types for all major sports and their respective events; snooker is no exception to these rules. Whether it’s the World Snooker Championship, British Open, the Mosconi Cup, World Mix Doubles, or the World Pool Masters Tournament, you will have access to attractive odds and enough bet types and in-play opportunities to keep you entertained.
The betting markets for snooker available on our site include:
Outright
Outright bets are among the most popular and simplest bet types available for snooker events. Here, you choose one player from a list of players participating in a certain match or tournament. This is the player you believe will emerge as the winner at the end of that match or tournament. For example, you bet on Player X to win the World Snooker tournament.
Correct Score
If a snooker match is the best of 11, the game could end with a range of possible results. If you think Ronnie O’Sullivan will beat Judd Trump for example, you can bet on him winning 6-3. To guess the correct score of a snooker match is difficult so the odds will often be high.
When you choose NetBet Sport, you can enjoy a whole range of top quality sports and markets. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority – check out our Responsible Gambling tips and tools page for more information.
