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The top 16 players in world snooker will be in London for the 2024 Masters competition over the next few days. Judd Trump (+350) is the defending champion and the favorite to win with the best snooker betting sites. Ahead of the competition, we look at the latest betting and assess Trump’s chances of defending his title in our latest snooker betting picks.
- What; 2024 Masters Snooker
- Where; Alexandra Palace, London, England
- When; January 7th – 14th, 2024
- Defending Champion; Judd Trump
One of the great sporting events of the new year is the Masters snooker championship from the Alexandra Palace in London. This is one of snooker’s three Triple Crown events. It isn’t a ranking event. But as one of snooker’s Triple Crown events, it is a much sought-after title.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is the most successful player in the history of the tournament. The Rocket has won the event seven times and has reached the final on 13 occasions. Other players in the 16-man field with multiple Masters’ wins are Mark Selby with three titles, along with Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, John Higgins, and Mark Williams, who all have two wins to their respective names.
Only the top players are invited to the Masters
The Masters is an invitational tournament, only open to the 16 highest-ranked players in the world at the end of the 2023 UK Championship. This means only the elite and in-form players are in attendance. It also ensures that the action is intense from the first shot of the competition.
There is no hiding place at the Alexandra Palace. Anybody could win the competition, and anybody can be knocked out in the opening round, making the Masters special, and 2024 is likely to be no different.
Betting to win the 2024 Masters Snooker
Judd Trump may not be world number one, that accolade is still held by Ronnie O’Sullivan, but Trump is the hottest player in world snooker over the past four months. The Bristol man has won three ranking events this season. Although, on a note of caution, they were all in October. But Trump is the defending champion, and the bookmakers make him +350 to win the title again.
𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡 🏆
Judd Trump has won the 2023 @CazooUK Masters, beating Mark Williams 10-8 in the final!
The Ace in the Pack picks up his first Triple Crown title for three years and £250,000 👏 #CazooMasters pic.twitter.com/gqBamU5tKL
— WST (@WeAreWST) January 15, 2023
Looking for his eighth title here is Ronnie O’Sullivan, who is +400 second favorite. Making up the top three in the betting is Mark Selby at +650.
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.
| Winner Betting |  |  |  |
| Judd Trump | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Mark Selby | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Neil Robertson | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| 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 | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Robert Milkins | +8000 | +8000 | +8000 |
Is Ronnie O’Sullivan playing at the 2024 Masters?
The Rocket has pulled out of a few competitions lately, citing medical issues as his reason for not playing. O’Sullivan has had his well-documented issues over the years. As a result, he has become a bit unpredictable.
But one thing that we do know is that the Rocket is concerned about his legacy in the sport. The competitions he has pulled out of are ones he probably isn’t too interested in winning. And in looking after his mental health by pulling out of these competitions, he is ensuring that he is in the best place possible for the competitions he wants to win. We saw a recent example of this with his remarkable win in the 2023 UK Championship.
RONNIE O'SULLIVAN IS YOUR MRQ UK CHAMPION FOR THE EIGHTH TIME!!!! #UKChampionship | @mrqbingo pic.twitter.com/fXhjhISpE7
— WST (@WeAreWST) December 3, 2023
As things stand, the Rocket is playing. He may pull out. But we’d be surprised if he does, as winning another Masters title will be high on his list of priorities as he enters the twilight of his extraordinary career.
First Round Draw
With only the top 16 players in town, there are no easy matches in the Masters. All the first-round matches are of high quality. But the most eye-catching clashes are Mark Allen vs John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ding Junhui, a repeat of the UK Championship, won 10-7 by the Rocket. The full first-round draw is below (seeding is in brackets).
- Judd Trump (1) v Kyren Wilson (9)
- Mark Williams (8) v Ali Carter (11)
- Mark Selby (5) v Robert Milkins (14)
- Mark Allen (4) v John Higgins (10)
- Ronnie O’Sullivan (3) v Ding Junhui (12)
- Neil Robertson (6) v Barry Hawkins (15)
- Shaun Murphy (7) v Zhang Anda (13)
- Luca Brecel (2) v Jack Lisowski (16)
Ding Junhui +1800
Onto our betting picks to win, and the first player we are going for is a bit of a long shot. Ding has to play Ronnie O’Sullivan in the first round. But the 2011 Masters champion was in solid form before Christmas. If, and granted, it’s a big if, Ding can get past the Rocket, he will have a great chance to win. Go easy on this, as he could easily lose to O’Sullivan. But at +1800, Ding looks worth backing.
Zhang Anda +2800
Next up is Zhang Anda. Anda won his first ranking event ever in the International Championship. He beat England’s Tom Ford 10-8 in the final last November in his native China. He faces Shaun Murphy in the first round, where he is the slight outsider (+120) to win the match. At odds of +2800, the in-form Anda is also worth a small wager.
Judd Trump +350
For our main pick, we have to go with Judd Trump. Trump is looking to take over at snooker’s summit. He is the favorite to win every tournament he enters at the moment, and it usually takes something special to stop him.
He’s not in the same half of the draw as O’Sullivan, therefore can only meet him in the final. He does have Mark Allen and Mark Selby on his side of the draw, but can only potentially face one of the pair in the semi-final.
Overall, we feel Judd Trump is the best pick to win the 2024 Masters.
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