Dean Etheridge
One of the most eye-catching matches of the 2nd Round of the 2023 World Snooker Championship is the clash between Kyren Wilson and John Higgins. The two players start their match on Sunday, and here we look ahead to what could be the best match of the 2nd Round in our latest snooker betting picks.
- What; 2023 World Snooker Championship, 2nd Round
- Who; Kyren Wilson vs John Higgins
- Where; Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England
- Format; Best of 25 Frames (first to 13)
- Start; Sunday, April, 23rd, 2023
This sort of match is why we absolutely love the World Snooker Championships. The young Kyren Wilson, with all the ability in the world, still finding his way in the game, against the been there, done that, true grit of John Higgins. A contrast in both styles and age, which over the best of 25 frames, is set to provide compulsive viewing.
Kyren Wilson has made it to one World Championship final, losing 18-8 to Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2020. As for John Higgins, he’s won this title four times, and he has also lost in the final on a further four occasions. The contrast in experience and snookering know-how couldn’t be greater!
The last of John Higgins’ final appearances was in 2019, when he was taken apart by a red hot Judd Trump. Wilson made the final 12 months later, and suffered a similar fate at the hands of Ronnie O’Sullivan. But despite the fact that Wilson has more recent form in this competition, this really looks like a 50/50 call to see who wins this match.
Betting to win the 2023 Snooker World Championship
Kyren Wilson is favored to win the match, and this is borne out in the outright winner betting. In the betting to win the 2023 World Snooker Championship, Kyren Wilson has been cut to +1100. John Higgins is +1600.
The betting was shaken up on Wednesday, when second favorite Judd Trump departed the competition in the 1st Round. The 2019 champion – widely tipped to go all the way again this year – lost 10-6 to qualifier Anthony McGill. This also played into the hands of tournament favorite, Ronnie O’Sullivan, as Trump was in his half of the draw.
🗣 "I deserved to lose" 😤
Judd Trump admits he only has himself to blame after crashing out in the first round of the #CazooWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/BA2hhQiA5V
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 19, 2023
Ronnie O’Sullivan is still the favorite at odds of +333, with Mark Selby and Neil Robertson both joint second-favorites at +450. Selby is the big mover in the betting. The four-times winner had started the tournament at +800, before seeing his odds dramatically slashed before he had even potted a ball.
Our up to date World Snooker Championship table below has full betting odds. These odds are taken from the best online sportsbooks for betting on not just snooker, but any mainstream sports. These sportsbooks all have good mobile betting apps, which you can read more about on our best sports betting apps page.
| 2023 Snooker World Championship Betting |  |  |  |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | +333 | +333 | +333 |
| Mark Selby | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Neil Robertson | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Shaun Murphy | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Mark Allen | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Kyren Wilson | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Mark Williams | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Jack Lisowski | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| John Higgins | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Anthony McGill | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Stuart Bingham | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Hossein Vafaei | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Luca Brecel | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
147 Wilson is on fire
We suspected Kyren Wilson may struggle in his 1st Round clash against Ryan Day, but boy were we wrong. Not only did he make light work of Day (beating him 10-5), he also scored a maximum break, becoming only the ninth player in history to score a 147 at the Crucible Theatre.
Absolute honour to make a maxi at the prestigious Crucible Theatre.
Stuff dreams are made of!
Thank you everyone for your messages! pic.twitter.com/TWlXg8qxOv
— Kyren Wilson (@KyrenWilson) April 19, 2023
After what has been a relatively quiet year for Wilson, he has certainly returned to the headlines with a bang.
Higgins cruises through to 2nd Round
As for John Higgins, well David Grace didn’t really give him a match. Was this down to a poor showing from Grace? Or was it Higgins playing well? The stats show that Higgins scored two centuries, and had a further six more scores of over 50.
In a match that only lasted 13 frames, that suggests Higgins was in good form. And this is what makes him such a dangerous opponent for Wilson.
Wilson vs Higgins Betting Odds and Picks
In the betting to win the match, the top sportsbooks are just favoring a win for Kyren Wilson. On the moneyline, Wilson is -138, with John Higgins at +110.
If further proof were needed for how close this match looks on paper, the handicap spread has been set at +1.5 in favor of Higgins. Starting from +1.5 frames in front, John Higgins is -115, with Kyren Wilson at -105, starting from -1.5 frames behind.
In the total frames betting, the spread is set at 22.5, with over 22.5 at +100, and under 22.5 frames at -138. This means the lowest score for overs to win would be 13-10.
So what are the best value bets for our snooker betting picks? Well, we really think this a tough match to call, but history tells us that just because a guy makes a 147 break, doesn’t make him invincible.
We believe that Kyren Wilson will need to be on top form to beat John Higgins. Higgins will know that Wilson will be on cloud nine after his 147, and he also knows he has the skills set to bring Wilson back down to earth. We feel Higgins will dig deep and use his know-how to grind Wilson down and play the game at the pace of the four-times winner. Therefore we make John Higgins our betting pick to win this match.
