The Snooker UK Championship, sponsored by Betway, is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the sport. It’s a professional-ranking men’s championship, the second-largest ranking event in the sport, following the World Championship. It's one of the three events (including the World Championship and the Masters) making up snooker’s Triple Crown. Attracting and having been won by just about all of the great names in the sport since it was launched in 1977, it attracts huge crowds and has become a popular event to bet on. Those looking at UK Championship betting opportunities should do a bit of research into the history of the event, its past winners and how to approach the betting markets, as well as gain some insights from the Scottish Open. After that, make sure to check out our reviews of bookmakers and find the one that fits your needs
UK Snooker Championship History
The Snooker UK Championship has a long and colourful history. First held in 1977 in Tower Circus Blackpool and established as the United Kingdom Professional Snooker Championship, it was only open to British passport holders and residents. This changed in 1984 when it was granted ranking status, allowing all professional snooker players to participate. The event now carries more ranking points than any other tournament, behind the World Championship, and has had many sponsors over the years, but since 2015 has been known as the Betway UK Snooker Championship.
The popularity of snooker has changed significantly since the 1980s and this is one of the sport’s most popular events, attracting a huge crowd with tickets selling out quickly. It’s also become a popular sport for betting, with online bookmakers offering UK Championship betting odds for a number of markets.
How to Place Successful Bets
The Snooker UK Championship has become one of the biggest betting events in the sport, with many online bookmakers offering odds and tips. If you’re new to betting on snooker, and even if you’re not, there are a number of points to take into account before you place a bet. With a wide range of betting formats, including 1x2 snooker betting, snooker frame handicap betting, outright market snooker betting, and snooker total legs betting, there are so many ways to mix up your bets for a bit of variety.
Beyond the types of bets that are available, it's important to understand the game, including player form, injuries, statistics and head-to-head results. This involves looking back at past events and evaluating the current status of each player. Different players perform better or worse depending on the event format, so take some time to understand the format of this event so you have a better chance of placing successful bets. This is where it becomes important to understand the players who have entered an event. By knowing the format of the event and seeing the history of each player, you’ll be able to understand which players are more likely to make it to the finals of this event. Read up online about players’ performance, but don’t get stuck on one point of view when making your overall betting decisions.
Who Are the Past Winners?
Having an idea of UK Snooker Championship past winners is always a good idea, but with the championship dating back to 1977, there’s quite a long list. However, there are few players who have managed to retain their title over the years. These include:
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Mark Selby
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Steve Davis
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Stephen Hendry
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Neil Robertson
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Mark Williams
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Ding Junhui
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Ronnie O’Sullivan
Even so, these players come up against stiff competition as they play it out for the title and being a past winner definitely does not guarantee a current win. It's important to look at a player’s performance over the last few events of the year, and how they're faring both physically and mentally. These big championships can be as much about mental stamina as physical performance and sometimes this is what separates the winner from the runner-up. Keep an eye on the ranking of the player as they're entering the championship; however, this is also not a guarantee of winning. There have been plenty of memorable finals since the event started with unexpected winners and long battles for the title.
In the last few years, the championship has been won by Mark Selby (twice), Neil Robertson (twice), Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump. Of course, it's important not to discount the runners-up who are certainly strong contenders in coming years. However, the most important players to take into account, and the ones that will be considered when it comes to odds, are those who perform well in the championships and events that lead up to the UK Championship. These include the big championships of the Masters and the World Championship that are held earlier in the year.
Making the Most of the Snooker UK Championship Betting Odds
With some knowledge of the history of the event, how it runs, betting types and past winners, you should be ready take a bit of a bet. The hype increases the closer you get to the championship with online betting sites releasing their UK Snooker Championship betting tips and odds. With a wide range of betting markets available, it should be no problem to find the types of bets that best suit you.
We recommend that you register with a number of online bookmakers and set up a few different accounts so that when the time comes you will be able to find the best prices for the player that you fancy to come out a winner. You’ll then be ready to place your bets without delay. You can find fantastic offers, bonuses and enhancements alongside great odds from some of the top bookmakers in the industry. Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open and do your homework about the players so that you can make a top decision and come out ahead from your bets.
Author
Gavin Lenaghan
Gavin writes on a wide range of subjects, including articles and reviews about online casinos, slots, bingo, poker, and sportsbooks. He has considerable expertise in the games, customer service, and other aspects of today’s leading gambling and betting portals.