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After his brilliant win over Ding Junhui in the recent UK Championship final, punters might be forgiven for thinking that the Rocket, Ronnie O’Sullivan would immediately be installed as the betting favorite to win the 2024 Masters. But no, in the latest snooker futures betting, Judd Trump is still the favorite to win the title with the best snooker betting sites.
- What; 2024 Masters Snooker
- Where; Alexandra Palace, London, England
- When; January 7th – 14th, 2024
- Defending Champion; Judd Trump
London’s Alexandra Palace is a busy place over the Christmas and New Year period every year. First, it hosts the PDC World Darts Championship from mid-December to the start of January. And then within a couple of days, it transforms from a darts venue into a snooker venue and hosts the Masters competition. Quite an impressive gear change.
This year is no different for Ally Pally. The PDC World Darts Championship Final takes place on Wednesday, January 3rd, and then on Sunday, January 7th, the venue opens its doors to snooker fans for one of the biggest competitions of the season.
Snooker (and darts) fans are spoiled at this time of the year. No, we don’t mean they all like having a few Christmas drinks. It’s because from the end of November to the start of December, there is the UK Championship. And then, less than a month after the final of the UK Championship, the Masters starts.
The Masters: The second of Snooker’s Triple Crown events
These are two of Snooker’s Triple Crown events. Two of the most sought-after titles in the sport. And it means that except for the three weeks of the World Championship in April and May, this is the best time of the year to be a snooker fan.
Only 16 players qualify for the Masters, with invites based on the top 16 in the rankings at the time of the UK Championship. This is what makes it such an important competition to win. Only the elite play in this event, where just qualifying can be classed as a major achievement.
Betting to win the 2024 Masters Snooker
Okay, so we’ve just witnessed history with Ronnie O’Sullivan winning the eighth UK Championship of his career. The Rocket won the final 10-7 against China’s Ding Junhui.
Watch how last night Ronnie O’Sullivan secured an eighth UK Championship title! 👇#UKChampionship | @mrqbingo https://t.co/0egdirPI2q
— WST (@WeAreWST) December 4, 2023
But the bookmakers are still saying Judd Trump is the +350 favorite to win the title. Ronnie O’Sullivan is second in the betting at +400, with Mark Selby (+650) and Neil Robertson (+1100) making up the leading four contenders.
This is a remarkable testament to the form of Trump over the past couple of months, that even after Ronnie O’Sullivan’s ridiculous win at the UK Championship, the top-rated bookmakers still think that Trump is the man to beat.
More odds are available on our Snooker betting table. Please also check out our free bets and promotions page for the latest offers from the listed bookmakers.
| Outright Winner Betting |  |  |  |
| Judd Trump | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Mark Selby | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Neil Robertson | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| John Higgins | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Mark Allen | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Shaun Murphy | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Luca Brecel | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Mark Williams | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Ding Junhui | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Barry Hawkins | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Jack Lisowski | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Kyren Wilson | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Zhang Anda | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Ali Carter | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Robert Milkins | +6600 | +6600 | +6600 |
Ding (+1800) looking Dangerous
Part of the reason Trump is the betting favorite is because of his outstanding form or late. But some is down to the draw, which has seen the Rocket drawn against Ding Junhui in the opening round of the Masters.
Ding was in sensational form at the UK Championship. He was the man to knock – the favorite – Trump out, defeating him 6-4 in their semi-final. And it’s hard to say if Ding has ever played better snooker at any point in his career as he did last week. Even Ronnie O’Sullivan had to raise his game to unbelievable standards to see him off in the final on Sunday.
And no one who witnessed his performances at the York Barbican would be remotely surprised if Ding defeats the Rocket in the opening round of the Masters in January.
The Defending Champion: Judd Trump (+350)
As well as being on the opposite side of the draw to Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump is also the defending champion, and he has also been the best player in the world over the past three months.
At the UK Championship, Trump looked unbeatable at times. He raced into a 4-0 lead against Mark Selby in the quarter-final before taking the match 6-3. The quality of snooker Trump played to go 4-0 up was remarkable. Selby – a four-time World Championship winner – simply couldn’t live with it.
Trump will still take some stopping to prevent him from going back-to-back. But when you consider that Ding Junhui defeated him, and then forced Ronnie O’Sullivan into having to play some of the best snooker of his career to beat him, you start to get an idea of the level of quality these guys are performing at.
Our Pick to Win
With the quality of players on show at the 2024 Masters, picking a winner does look difficult. Ding Junhui (+1800) looks like a good value betting pick. But he plays the Rocket in the opening round. Also looking good at odds of +1400 is Mark Allen.
And to also throw another curve ball into the mix, we still have the Scottish Open to play this year. And who knows another player may produce a spectacular performance in Edinburgh that causes us to sit up, take notice, and reconsider any picks we make now.
But at this point, and with the form he is in, we have to make Judd Trump our early pick to win. He has Mark Selby and Mark Allen in his side of the draw. But Trump brushed Selby aside in the UK Championship. And in his current form, you would have to back him to beat Allen as well.
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