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The top 16 players on the one-year snooker rankings are in Telford this week for the 2024 Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship. This is the second event of the 2024 Players Series, and with a star-studded field taking part, it promises to be another spectacular event. In our latest snooker betting picks, we tell you who the best bets are to win the championship.
- What; 2024 Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship
- When; Monday, February 19th – Sunday, February 25th
- Where; Telford International Centre, Telford, England
- Favorite; Judd Trump +200
First things first, both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump are competing. The Rocket, in particular, has been pulling out of events in recent months to ensure he is in the best possible condition for the competitions he really wants to win. And Judd Trump skipped the Welsh Open – won by Gary Wilson on Sunday – after his recent win in the German Masters.
No.2 seed Ronnie O’Sullivan gets his competition underway against Zhou Yuelong on Tuesday. Top seed Judd Trump starts his campaign on Monday night against Chris Waklin. Wakelin (+450) is a big outsider to beat Trump (-700) in their first-round clash.
With the top players in town, this competition promises to be a mouth-watering warm-up for the 2024 World Championships, which starts in just over two months.
Betting to win the 2024 Players Championship
Judd Trump leads the betting with the best snooker betting sites. Trump is at +200, with Ronnie O’Sullivan at +225. It’s a tight call between the top two players in the world.
The third betting favorite is Mark Selby at +900. Mark Allen is at +1100, and John Higgins is at +1200.
Betting odds on all 16 competitors are available on our odds table. We have only used odds from the best online sportsbooks for snooker. For more information about the sportsbooks listed, please visit our free bets and promotions page.
| Players |  |  |  |
| Judd Trump | +200 | +200 | +200 |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | +225 | +225 | +225 |
| Mark Selby | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Mark Allen | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| John Higgins | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Mark Williams | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Ali Carter | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Ding Junhui | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Zhang Anda | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Gary Wilson | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Barry Hawkins | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Hossein Vafaei | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Tom Ford | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Noppon Saengkham | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Zhou Yuelong | +6600 | +6600 | +6600 |
| Chris Wakelin | +10000 | +10000 | +10000 |
Will Trump and O’Sullivan meet in the final again?
With Trump seeded one and O’Sullivan two, the prospect of a final between the big two is again a realistic possibility. The two met in the recent World Grand Prix final in January, with O’Sullivan coming out on top, winning 10-7.
It was a final that Trump will feel he should have won, and he will want to make up for it should the duo meet again in the final this Sunday. Trump did go some way to getting over the loss by winning the recent German Masters. He defeated China’s Si Jiahui in the final to win his fourth-ranking event of the season.
Anybody else to watch this week?
Gary Wilson has been in good form, and on Sunday, he picked up his second-ranking title of the season by winning the 2024 Welsh Open. Wilson defeated England’s Martin O’Donnell 9-4 in what was a truly horrendous final, if we are going to be honest.
Stage fright seemed to affect both players in the evening session, with plenty of straightforward pots missed as nerves started to get the better. But Wilson knocked in a 147 break the previous night on his way to a 6-4 semi-final win over the in-form John Higgins.
Maximum Number 199.#WelshOpen 🏴 | @BetVictor pic.twitter.com/QeosXVEBHt
— WST (@WeAreWST) February 17, 2024
If the version of Wilson who played up until the final turns up in Telford this week, he will be a threat. If the version that struggled to get over the winning line on Sunday plays, he has little chance of getting past Trump or O’Sullivan.
The aforementioned John Higgins could be a candidate this week. The Wizard of Wishaw looked dangerous in the Welsh Open. He has been taking his game extremely seriously again in recent weeks, no doubt inspired by seeing what his fellow 48-year-old Ronnie O’Sullivan has been winning recently.
In usual snooker eras, a 48-year-old would be regarded as well past it. O’Sullivan is showing age is just a number, and four-time World Champion Higgins clearly wants a piece of the action. Don’t be surprised to see the Scot go deep into this competition.
Our Players Championship Winner Picks
We are not backing Ronnie O’Sullivan this week. Although the Rocket seems to be winning most competitions he enters at the moment, we feel he is not in the best of shape heading into this event.
He has been moaning again recently and has also admitted that he has been on a 147 strike, where he won’t go for a maximum break as the prize money is too low. In other words, he will turn down potting a black ball and take a lower color on his way to clearing the table – depriving the paying fans of the chance to see a maximum break.
Instead, we are going with two betting picks this week. First, it’s Judd Trump. He has been the most consistent player on the tour this year, topping the 2023/24 money list. He will also believe that displacing O’Sullivan at the top of the snooker world rankings is within his grasp this season.
Back Judd Trump to win the 2024 Players Championship
And our second pick is John Higgins. He looked in good form in the Welsh Open and really looked in the mood. He defeated Mark Allen 5-2 in the last eight in Wales, and it took an inspired performance by Gary Wilson to stop Higgins.
We feel he will be back hungrier than ever this week and make John Higgins our second pick.
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