How to Gamble on Snooker- All you need to know!
Betting on Snooker in 2025
Snooker is a professional cue sport played in over 90 countries (being most popular in the UK and China) with 128 professional players on the world tour. The game consists of 15 reds and 6 coloured balls and is played over a preset amount of frames from 1 up to 37. Each rack of the balls is a new frame Different colours are worth different amounts and the reds must be potted alternately. The aim is simply to score more points than your opponent by potting more balls (or scoring foul points) than them. There are three scenarios to end a frame, either when all the balls are potted, just the black remains and someone is 8 or more points ahead, or if one player decides they are so far behind they can not win the frame and concedes. In all scenarios, the person with the most points is obviously the winner. that frame.
This page will give you an overview of Snooker betting and aims to guide you whether you are just starting out, or even if you already betting regularly.
Snooker is a niche sport, lots of data is available but without a good knowledge of the game it’s probably unwise to consider betting on it for large stakes when you begin.
Your snooker data bible is below
CueTracker - Welcome To CueTracker - Snooker Results & Statistics
Snooker is played mainly as a one vs one sport, but occasionally there can be doubles and also the team event The World Tour runs from June - May. You need a lot of practice to be a good snooker player it’s a very hard sport to play and although it is made to look easy, it isn’t.
The history of snooker
Snooker is said to have started in the late 18th century by the British army in the old Indian Raj. It was created by army officers when stuck indoors during the monsoon season. A snooker was at the time a term for a inexperienced officer in the army, and was used on the table to refer to the loser, “I’m going to snooker you on the table”.Which became the name of the game*
A few versions of rules existed and the game spread with the large number of officers during World War One, leading to a standardised set of rules being introduced in 1919 (many unchanged and still used today). A world championship was established in 1926 but it remained a sport restricted to gentlemen's clubs with few professionals. The game actually appeared in to be dying out in the late 1950s. But in 1969 David Attenborough (then the BB2 controller not the nature broadcaster we know today) decided it would be good for showing the contrast on colour televisions with the various coloured balls.**
With the exposure of the game on Television and the chance to make some decent money the sport spread to the working classes and it grew in the 1970’s and exploded in the 1980s to become the global sport it is today
* The term was used in the snooker 90’s gameshow theme tune- I’m going to be Snookering you tonight! - Big Break!
** A much loved commentators blooper - “for those watching in black and white the yellow is behind the blue”
The top Three Snooker Betting Bookies in the UK
- Bet 365 - The worlds most popular online bookmaker offers a strong snooker selection such as an in-depth statistics section, in-play betting, livestreaming, real-time in-game stats, and cash-out. They cover all the main and some smaller tournaments
- Bet Victor - A former World Snooker tour partner, Bet Victor offers plenty of live streaming options for snooker and outright betting markets for all the treble crown events and major tournaments. They offer best odds guaranteed as well as full and partial cash out options
- BetFred - A former sponsor of the World Snooker Championship, they cover virtually all snooker tournaments, and with the pickyourpunt feature you can have total control over your snooker bets! Bet on the snooker prematch or live. Odds are published earlier than most other sites for the big tournaments too,
How many and what leagues and countries covered at Betfred, is there live streaming of any? How many betting markets? Can you request a bet? What are the odds like? Any bonuses or promotions - relevant ones like 2up / odds boosts? Can you cash out / partial cash out? What are they good at?
The Best New Snooker Betting Site
How many and what leagues and countries covered, is there live streaming of any? How many betting markets? Can you request a bet? What are the odds like? Any bonuses or promotions - relevant ones like 2up / odds boosts? Can you cash out / partial cash out? What are they good at?
Bet UK - Despite only 10 years online Bet UK offers a strong snooker package. With all ranking events covered and they have a large range of markets including match winner, total frames, correct score and the first to 3 frames, They have a £30 welcome offer though there is no live streaming available
Is Snooker Betting in the UK Legal
Yes it is, explain 18+, UKGC, anti moneylaundering rules, that sort of thing. Do not go overboard just the basics that the answer is “yes”. Could add it is tax free?
Snooker betting is absolutely legal to do in the UK. All UK bookmakers are regulated by the UKGC who provide the licences and they ensure that all customers are over 18 to register for any account or place any bets and also that they are living in the UK. Of course you must also use your own money to gamble with and the UK differs from some other countries in that Crypto currency can not be used.
Some good news is that not only is gambling legal all winnings are tax free regardless of how much or how often you win.
Popular Snooker Betting Markets
To win the game
A simple bet placed on who you think will win the match.
Correct Frame Score
Depending on how many frames the match is bet of you can predict the exact final frame score. So for a first to 5 match for instance you can cover exact match result scores from 5-0 to 5-4 to either player.
First to 3 Frames
A market offered by some bookmakers that allows you to back the first player to win 3 frames. There are both some regular fast and slow starters so with some prior knowledge you can probably work this to your advantage
To Win Next Frame
A good little in-play bet for snooker is who will win the next frame. Snooker players will often hit a good run of form during a longer match so if you are watching and someones playing well you can back them
Highest Break of the tournament
Every tournament carries a highest break prize you can bet on who will do this at the start of the tournament, check your data for this!!
147 to be scored
If you pot every red with a black and all the colours without missing you hit the maximum break - 147! You can bet on a maximum break being scored over the course of a tournament or match however this has only been done 203 times in the history of snooker.
At Which Bookmakers can I Watch Live Streams of the Games and can I Make Bets on Those Matches?
Snooker is well covered in terms of live streaming, Unibet, Bet365, SkyBet, Ladbrokes and Sportingbet all offer live streaming packages covering the main matches. All these sites also offer in play betting
For smaller tournaments you may need to hunt around for bookies that will both cover the matches and offer a live stream, however with less licensing conditions you will probably find that a site that does offer odds on smaller games will also offer a live stream service
Outside of bookies Matchroom who run the World snooker tour offer a paid subscription service where you can follow all the world tour events including tour qualifiers on their website as well it’s worth mentioning
What payment methods do they accept?
Below are the main payment methods used across all of the UK online betting websites. The exact ones each bookmaker accept will vary, and details are available either from our reviews or the betting site FAQ page.
- Debit Cards (Visa / Mastercard)
- Pre Paid Cards (Paysafecard)
- E -Wallets (Paypal, Skrill, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
- Bank Transfers
What are the Best Snooker Betting Welcome Offers
Welcome bonuses that are snooker specific will mainly be limited to the treble crown events Certainly for the World Championship in April and Masters in December you will probably find a couple.
Your best call if you have a particularly good bet in mind snooker wise is to find a general welcome offer where snooker qualifies as a sport you can bet on to qualify for the welcome bonus
Live Score Bet - Bet £10 get £40 free bets on Sportsbook
Live score bet cover all snooker ranking events, the treble crown and champion of champions plus some others. They giveaway £40 with of free bets on the sportsbook when you sign up and wager £10 so you can jump in with snooker as a starting point here
What are the Best Snooker Betting Existing User Bonuses
You will likely find bonuses available on the major tournaments and its best to check our tournament preview page out for what will be available on each specific one.
Types of bonus include boosts on player odds to win the tournament, money back in free bets if your pick loses by a certain round, highest break offers on certain players and free bets on losing frame score bets
Snooker Odds boost on Ladbrokes seems to be available on all the tournaments they cover so should work even for some of the non major ones
Snooker Betting Apps
A betting app on your phone will usually offer the quickest way to access your chosen betting site and place bets while you are out and about. Considering the amount of time you probably spend on your mobile the easiest way to sign up and use most sites.
You will be encouraged to download the app and sometimes there are specific bonuses available only if you have done so.
You may have to hunt around to find sites that have dedicated time to the snooker side of the app, however as there are a number of bookies that sponsor snooker in various forms it’s worth having a look at anyone affiliated to the snooker tour. Also those who have past sponsorship of events will likely have snooker based setups from their days of sponsorship so these will also be good sites to focus on when you are looking for a good app to use,
What is the Best Snooker Betting App
Bet365 regularly shows up as the best snooker betting app with promotions and regular offers available on snooker which are available via their app.
What are the Major Snooker Events or Tournaments Popular for Betting on in the UK
The official world snooker tour began in 1977 and now consists of around 50 tournaments, but this includes ranking, non ranking, invitational, tour qualifiers, team, world seniors and ladies events.
To achieve and maintain professional status players need to accrue ranking points (in the form of prize money) by winning matches in ranking tournaments. there are usually around 16 ranking events a season.
Ranking events move around countries and venues depending on sponsorship and prize money. The 3 most prestigious Snooker tournaments to win are known as the treble Crown and are a staple of every season. All the treble crown events should see plenty of offers from any bookies that takes snooker seriously
Snooker World Championship
Est: 1926 Tour: 1977
Type: Ranking
Where: Crucible, Sheffield, UK
Players: 32 (Finals) 144 (Qualifying)
Most Wins: Joe Davis (15) - Modern Era: Stephen Hendry/Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
Total Prize Fund: £440,000 (Winner £150,000)
The World Snooker Championship is the big one, a marathon month long event with the final played over 2 days the best of 37 frames. The top 16 qualify automatically and the rest fight for the other 16 places available at the famous Crucible Theatre. Matches are daily and you will find numerous betting bonuses available when it’s on it’s current sponsor is Cazoo but between 2006-2022 every championship was sponsored by betting companies.
The Masters
Est: 1975 Tour: 1977
Type: Invitational
Where: Alexandra Palace, London, UK
Players: 16
Most Wins: Ronnie O’Sullivan (8)
Total Prize Fund: £725,000 (Winner £250,000)
The top 16 players ranked over 2 seasons prize money compete for the title of masters champion with a final over 19 frames.This is truly the best of the best on the tour
Currently sponsored by online casino MrQ
The UK Championship
Est: 1977 Tour: 1977
Type: Ranking
Where: York, UK
Players: 128
Most Wins: Ronnie O’Sullivan (8)
Total Prize Fund: £1,205,000 (Winner £250,000)
Long established and With a seeded draw including all 128 professional players this is a tough competition to win as you have to win 7 matches in a row to become champion.
Champion of Champions
Est: 1978 Tour: 2013
Type: Non-Ranking
Where: Bolton, UK
Players: 16
Most Wins: Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
Total Prize Fund: £440,000 (Winner £150,000)
Snookers unofficial “4th crown” is played between the tournament winners of ranking events from last seasons tour and includes the ladies and seniors world champions this is ITV’s flagship snooker event. Only proven winners qualify so all the players want to win it.
Betting coverage should be ok on snooker focused websites
Snooker World Cup
Est: 1978 Last Played 2019
Type: Team Event
Where: China
Teams: 24 (Finals) 90 (Qualifying)
Most Wins: England (5)
Though the Snooker world cup has been played sporadically, (currently awaiting a sponsor since 2021),. It’s worth noting here as it will likely get some decent coverage betting wise when it returns.
Women’s Snooker
There is not actually any gender specific separation in snooker and women can compete on the main world tour with men. However, only 5 women have only ever played on the professional world tour (Mandy Fisher and Reanne Evans being the best known).
With the struggles competing with men (mainly due to a lack of girls in snooker clubs traditionally!) a separate amateur tour was created in 1981
This was taken on by world snooker in 2015 with the top 2 season ranked players given a professional tour card. With this the game has been growing and has around 5 tournaments a year with a world championship. Don’t expect many bookies to cover any of these at the moment other than the world championship in September every year
What are the main Snooker events coming up
Whatever is the next big one, right a bit of a preview, not too long, there will be a larger article just on it when we get there, and will link to that from here, this is like a teaser text of that.
International Championship (Nov 2024)
After the UK snooker is next most popular in China with 22 chinese players on tour out of 128. You can actually take snooker as a GCSE there!
Currently all the treble crown events are still held in the UK. However spectator Attendance figures for tournament matches there are crazy and they have 2 big ranking tournaments there this season the World open (march) and the International Championship starting in Nov
All 128 professionals will play a part and it follows a format like the world championship with the top 16 guaranteed final 32 spots and the rest going through qualifying the prize money will be high and everyone will take this very seriously
As rankings will be based on the events schedule before it begins, the draw isn’t made yet Judd Trump is the defending champion. The local players always perform well in their home tournaments so expect a strong showing from Chinese players in this.
Snooker Betting Strategies
Where can I Find Snooker Betting Tips
Pros and Cons of Betting on Snooker
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Match Fixing a regular thing in snooker?
Match fixing sadly has always been an issue in snooker, Stephen Lee is currently serving a life ban, Zao Xintong the 2021 UK championship winner has just returned from a match fixing ban and Welsh star Michael White has lost his tour card this season for not reporting match fixing approaches, whilst 4 time world champion John Higgins was part of a dropped match fixing scandal
For players lower down the rankings there can be a temptation to try and make some extra money by fixing results in tournaments, and some crime syndicates in China and Eastern Europe especially have leant on young players there and put them in a tough position.
Suspicious betting patterns or are the usual telltale for bookies as it’s hard to prove a player is missing shots on purpose and it’s rarer to be an issue at the major tournaments
Don’t the best players always win?
Compared to team sports individual sports are affected by a number of things, some players prefer smaller venues to larger ones, someone may have personal issues or illness going into a tournament that affects them on that day, especially at the start of a tournament
Also the snooker rankings are seedings are based on 2 or 1 year ranking points depending on each tournaments rules so sometimes the player in better form is actually the lower ranked player going into a match
Once a tournament is a couple of rounds in it’s easier to predict who might be in good form and comfortable at the venue
What is the most I can win betting on snooker?
You may find some sites will cap your stake amount for certain bets but not all do. You will find buried in the T&C’s of every site a maximum amount that can be won from one bet on football, but there is not usually anything to say you can not win multiple smaller amounts. So the answer really is that there is a limit per bet but no limit on the overall amount in the long run.
Can you make a living betting on snooker?
Betting should be a fun pastime and no one is suggesting you should base paying your rent or mortgage on your ability to pick a winning bet. Underdogs win and things happen that no one can predict if your gambling is becoming an issue and losses are unmanageable then you should seek help and take a break, never chase losses. Only ever gamble with what you can afford to lose and money which you do not care about.
