Ten of the top snooker players in the world will make history when they take part in the first-ever professional event ever to be held in Saudi Arabia. The 2024 Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker takes place from March 4th to March 6th. Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump are in town for this one. And with a $1,000.000 prize fund up for grabs, the competition is set to be intense. In our latest snooker betting picks, we look ahead to the competition and tell you the best bets to place.
- What; 2024 Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker
- Where; Boulevard Arena, Boulevard City, Riyadh
- When; Monday, March 4th – Wednesday, March 6th
- Favorite; Judd Trump +200
This is a brand new tournament on the World Snooker Tour (WST). It’s not a ranking event. But with a million dollars up for grabs and the prestige of winning such an event, all the top players are in town.
The format is slightly different as well. Normal snooker rules apply. But there is also a gold ball, known as the ‘Riyadh Season ball’. The gold ball is worth 20 points and can only be potted after a 147 break, giving the players a chance to make a 167.
A bit gimmicky, maybe. But snooker is improvising, and at the very least, it’s already raised the profile of this competition.
Who is competing in the 2024 Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker?
Ten players in total will be competing in Saudi Arabia. There are eight seeds. And they will be joined by two as yet unknown local Wildcards.
The top six seeds start the competition at the quarter-final stage. They are Luca Brecel (1), Ronnie O’Sullivan (2), Judd Trump (3), Mark Allen (4), Mark Selby (5), and Shaun Murphy (6).
Mark Williams and Ali Carter are seeded seven and eight, respectively. They will play against two Wildcard selections in the First Round. As yet, the Wildcards are unknown. The winner of the First Round match involving Ali Carter will play Luca Brecel in one of the quarter-finals. The winner of the match involving Mark Williams will play Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Luca Brecel, Ali Carter, and one of the as-yet-unknown Wildcards are in the top half of the draw. Alongside them are Mark Allen and Mark Selby, who meet in the quarter-final.
In the bottom half of the draw is Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams, and the second Wildcard. They are joined by Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy, who meet in the quarter-final.
Quarter-final draw
- Luca Brecel vs. Ali Carter/wild card
- Mark Allen vs. Mark Selby
- Judd Trump vs. Shaun Murphy
- Ronnie O’Sullivan vs. Mark Williams/wild card
Betting to win the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker
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.
Third in the betting is Mark Allen (+600), who has just won the Players Championship in Telford. The Northern Irishman defeated Zhang Anda 10-8 in a nervy final last Sunday. Mark Selby is another in-form player in the mix at +700. The four-times World Champion swept Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-0 in the quarter-final in Telford, so is in good form heading to Saudi.
More betting options 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 Allen | +600 | +600 | +600 |
Mark Selby | +700 | +700 | +700 |
Ali Carter | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
Mark Williams | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
Shaun Murphy | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
Luca Brecel | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
Our Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker Winner Picks
Do we back Ronnie O’Sullivan to win this event? So far this season, he’s won all the big ones that he covets. And we feel he will want to be the first name ever on this trophy.
Last week, the Rocket didn’t seem in the right mood heading into the Players Championship in Telford, and so it showed. In fairness to Mark Selby, he was sensational in beating the Rocket 6-0. But it was obvious last week’s event wasn’t to his liking from early on.
So, with this being a new event and the Rocket wanting to be the first winner of it, we make Ronnie O’Sullivan our first betting pick to win the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker.
Selby running into top form at the right time
We are naming a second betting pick for this competition, and that is Mark Selby. As we’ve already mentioned, Mark Selby was in sensational form when he knocked O’Sullivan out of the Players Championship.
It was the Selby of old, and he seems to be timing his run into top form to perfection, with the 2024 Snooker World Championship just a month away. The Jester will want to continue building momentum towards the Crucible Theatre, and winning this event will be ideal preparation.
Also helping his cause is the draw. Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump are in the other half. So if all goes well for Selby, he will only have to play one of them if he or they get to the final.
Mark Selby is our second pick to win the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker.
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