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Ronnie O’Sullivan is through to the semi-finals of the 2024 Masters snooker competition, where he will play old adversary Shaun Murphy in the semi-final on Saturday. A win for O’Sullivan will see him make the final for the 14th time. Here we look at his chances of victory in our latest snooker betting picks,
- What; 2024 Masters Snooker Semi-Final
- Who; Ronnie O’Sullivan vs. Shaun Murphy
- Where; Alexandra Palace, London, England
- When; Saturday, January 13th, 2024
Ronnie O’Sullivan has so far knocked out Ding Junhui (6-3) and Barry Hawkins (6-3) on his way to the semi-final. Shaun Murphy has beaten the in-form Zhang Anda (6-2) and Jack Lisowski (6-3).
O’Sullivan has won this event a record seven times. Murphy has won it once. Ordinarily, you would argue that Murphy’s one win and one loss in a triple crown event is a great achievement. But when you put it next to O’Sullivan’s record of seven wins from his 13 appearances in the final of the Masters, Murphy’s achievements almost pale into insignificance.
It would take a brave punter to back against the Rocket holding aloft the winner’s trophy at the Alexandra Palace this Sunday.
Betting to win the 2024 Masters
Judd Trump started the competition as the favorite. But once Ronnie O’Sullivan got past the in-form Ding Junhui in the opening round, the seven-times Masters champion was installed as the new favorite with the best snooker betting sites.
The Rocket was sensational when he won the UK Championship in November 2023. And he had to be at his best to beat Ding Junhui in the final. Under normal circumstances after such a win, the Rocket would automatically be the favorite to win the next tournament. But once O’Sullivan was drawn to play Ding in the opening round of the Masters, all of a sudden, all bets were off, and the bookmakers installed Judd Trump as their favorite to win the title.
As expected, Ding Junhui was tough to beat in the first round. The Chinese even knocked in a 147-maximum-break. But O’Sullivan came through, beating his old foe 6-3 to take his place in the second round.
DING WITH A MAXIMUM BREAK!! 🔥
What a moment for Ding Junhui, who hits the fourth 147 at the Masters to move within one of O'Sullivan!
4-3 (11)#TheMasters | @MrQBingo
— WST (@WeAreWST) January 8, 2024
But once O’Sullivan got past Ding, he took over as the betting favorite to win the competition. The Rocket is +150 to win the title for the eighth time. Judd Trump is second in the betting at +275. And with Trump on the other side of the draw, dare we dream that we get the perfect final between O’Sullivan and Trump on Sunday.
Behind the two favorites are Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy, both at +500, with Mark Allen at +1000 and Ali Carter at +2200.
| Winner Betting |  |  |  |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | +150 | +150 | +150 |
| Judd Trump | +275 | +275 | +275 |
| Mark Selby | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Shaun Murphy | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Mark Allen | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Ali Carter | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs. Shaun Murphy; Semi-final betting
Next up for Ronnie O’Sullivan is a semi-final showdown with one of his old adversaries, Shaun Murphy. O’Sullivan and Murphy are not natural bedfellows, and it’s fair to say the two don’t really get along.
Shaun Murphy has been in good form in recent months. Murphy is a realist, and he will know that he has to be on his A-game if he wants to beat O’Sullivan. He will also know that he is relying on the Rocket not firing on all cylinders when they meet on Saturday.
STELLAR SHAUN!! 🌟
Murphy advances to the semi-finals with a 6-3 victory over Jack Lisowski with breaks of 75, 131, 76 and 123!#TheMasters | @MrQBingo
— WST (@WeAreWST) January 11, 2024
In the betting to win the match, Ronnie O’Sullivan is -225 to win on the money line, and Shaun Murphy is +175. On the handicap spread, Murphy is receiving a 1.5-frame start, with the start, he is +100. To win and cover the spread, O’Sullivan is -138.
On the total frames market, over 9.5 frames is +100, with under 9.5 at -138. 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.
| Money Line | | | |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | -225 | -225 | -225 |
| Shaun Murphy | +175 | +175 | +175 |
| Handicap Spread | |||
| Ronnie O'Sullivan (-1.5) | -138 | -138 | -138 |
| Shaun Murphy (+1.5) | +100 | +100 | +100 |
Our O’Sullivan vs. Murphy Betting Pick
Onto our betting pick to win the match. The semi-final is the best of eleven frames, meaning for O’Sullivan to win and cover the spread, Shaun Murphy can only win a maximum of four frames.
We can see O’Sullivan winning comfortably, by a 6-3 or 6-4 scoreline, so we are going with Ronnie O’Sullivan to beat Shaun Murphy and cover the spread for our betting pick.
Can anybody else stop the Rocket?
If not Shaun Murphy, can anybody else prevent Ronnie O’Sullivan from winning an eighth Masters title? If O’Sullivan beats Murphy, then whoever progresses from the other half of the draw plays him in Sunday’s final.
In the other half of the draw, Judd Trump (-260) takes on Ali Carter (+220), and Mark Selby (-145) takes on Mark Allen (+125) in their respective quarter-final matches.
It would be a shock if Trump lost to Ali Carter in their clash. But don’t forget, this is the Masters, and only the top 16 players compete. So don’t underestimate Carter. He is capable of winning.
The other match between Mark Selby and Mark Allen is harder to pick a winner from. Selby should have the edge. But Allen has been in good form this season, and either man could progress from this match.
At the start of the competition, we picked Judd Trump to win. And despite O’Sullivan’s progression through the tournament, we are sticking with Judd Trump as our pick to win the 2024 Masters.
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