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Fresh from his fifth Shanghai Masters win, Ronnie O’Sullivan (+750) will be looking to win back-to-back tournaments when he leads another big-name lineup at the 2023 British Open snooker championship in Cheltenham. This is the third World Snooker ranking event of the 2023/24 season, so plenty will be at stake. In our latest snooker betting picks, we look at the latest betting and tell you if The Rocket is worth backing to win again.
- What; 2023 British Open
- Where; The Centaur, Cheltenham, England
- When; Monday, September 25th – Sunday, October 1st
- Prize Fund; $592.000
- Defending Champion; Ryan Day
The British Open was only reintroduced back onto the snooker roster in 2021 after disappearing from the calendar after the final in 2004. The winners since the competition has restarted are Mark Williams in 2021 and Ryan Day in 2022.
Your @CazooUK British Open champion… Ryan Day! 🏆
The Welshman defeats Mark Allen 10-7, winning his fourth ranking title in the process and takes home £100,000.#BritishOpen pic.twitter.com/Za5wrrbdMI
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) October 2, 2022
The winner of this year’s competition receives a check of $125,000 (GBP 100,000), which isn’t as much as what was on offer in Shanghai last week, but still a significant amount.
But more importantly, as a World Snooker ranking event, ranking points will be on offer. So with coveted places in the top 16 at stake, the players know they can’t afford any slips in the early rounds if they want to retain their lucrative positions at the top of the game.
Last year’s winner Ryan Day is ranked 16 in the world, but only by the skin of his teeth. Day knows he needs another good showing in this event if he is to retain his position in the world’s elite.
Betting to win the 2023 British Open Snooker
After his latest win at the Shanghai Masters last weekend, Ronnie O’Sullivan isn’t the favorite to win the 2023 British Open. That honor goes to Judd Trump, who is the favorite to win the title at +650.
The shorter format of best-of-seven-frames in the opening three rounds (64 players enter) is regarded as more suitable to Trump. In the last eight, the format is best of nine, the semi-final is best of 11, and the final is best of 19.
But Trump hasn’t won anything since he defeated Mark Williams 10-8 in the final of The Masters in January. And more importantly, he hasn’t even looked like winning anything.
Brutal from Selby! 😮💨
Mark Selby defeats Judd Trump 6-1 with three breaks in the 80s to secure a place in the semi-finals against either Ronnie O'Sullivan or John Higgins.#ShanghaiMasters | @MarkJesterSelby
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) September 14, 2023
O’Sullivan is second in the betting at +750 to win the event for the second time in his career. Astonishingly, his first win in this competition was back in 1994.
Behind O’Sullivan in the betting is John Higgins at +1000, Mark Selby at +1100, and Neil Robertson at +1200.
The four favorites for most competitions are usually O’Sullivan, Trump, Robertson, and Selby. To see John Higgins as the third favorite is rare and shows how much the shorter format in the early rounds can affect the betting. This is because Higgins is known to be one of the fastest starters in the game.
Next is Shaun Murphy at +1400, and then at odds of +2000, we have Kyren Wilson, Barry Hawkins, Luca Brecel, and Mark Williams.
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.
| 2023 British Open Snooker Betting |  |  |  |
| Judd Trump | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| John Higgins | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Mark Selby | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Neil Robertson | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Shaun Murphy | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Kyren Wilson | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Barry Hawkins | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Luca Brecel | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Mark Williams | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Mark Allen | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Ding Junhi | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Jack Lisowski | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Hossein Vafaei | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Ryan Day | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Ali Carter | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Stuart Bingham | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
Will Ronnie O’Sullivan turn up?
Ronnie O’Sullivan (+750) is someone who can’t be ignored. He’s always leading the latest betting odds and picks to win any competition, and it’s easy to see why with his resume. Usually, when we’re looking to make picks, O’Sullivan is a must. But these days we cannot even be 100% sure if The Rocket will turn up and play in a competition.
He did turn up and play in Shanghai. With his Chinese following, that wasn’t a surprise. But with this competition coming so soon after his trip to China, don’t be surprised if he pulls out.
The ranking points on offer here are important to most players. But don’t believe that O’Sullivan is overly bothered about them. He is ranked number one in the world and knows he can afford to skip some ranking events and still stay inside the top three.
The best-of-seven-frames format may not suit him. But (assuming he plays the event) if he gets through the first three rounds, the +750 will soon disappear, and he will become a real contender when the matches start to get longer. We think he is worth a small risk to back at those odds.
Luca Brecel is becoming a force to be reckoned with
Luca Brecel is now becoming one of the big draws in world snooker. Anybody who thought his 2023 World Championship win was a freak result must be by now reevaluating their viewpoint.
THE ROCKET WINS IN SHANGHAI… AGAIN! 🏆
Ronnie O'Sullivan beats World Champion Luca Brecel 11-9 to claim his fifth Shanghai Masters title and an 18th consecutive victory in the city!#ShanghaiMasters 🇨🇳 | @RonnieO147
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) September 17, 2023
In the recent Shanghai Masters, the current World Champion pushed Ronnie O’Sullivan, eventually only losing the final 11-9. He is up to world number two and is close to overtaking The Rocket and claiming the top spot.
His odds should be starting to shorten when it comes to winning big events. It is a surprise to see him at +2000 to win the British Open. But like with Ronnie O’Sullivan, the shorter format in the opening rounds may not suit him.
But at odds of +2000, Luca Brecel has to be a pick to win the 2023 British Open.
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