Snooker’s European Masters Is One for the Dedicated Pros
The ante-post betting suggests next week’s BetVictor European Masters is one of the most wide-open snooker tournaments in years. Staged in Fürth, Germany, the European Masters record £422,000 prize fund has seen the bulk of big-name players attempt to qualify for this ranking tournament.
World-ranked number-17 Hossein Vafaei could outplay his 66/1 odds in the BetVictor European Masters. ©GettyImages
World number four, Neil Robertson, John Higgins and Mark Allen are three players amongst the world’s top-20 that are not heading to the Bavarian city. However, the top three ranked players, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby and Judd Trump, along with defending champion Fan Zhengyi, will have to play and win a qualifying match in Germany before joining the final 64 stage.
Ronnie Is Favorite, White Is 500/1
Sponsoring bookmaker, BetVictor make Ronnie O’Sullivan the 9/2 competition favorite. The player he defeated in the 2022 World Championship final, Judd Trump, is just half a point bigger. The BetVictor betting list then reads: 9/1 Mark Selby, 11/1 Kyren Wilson, 12/1 Luca Brecel, Mark Williams and Zhao Xintong.
Shaun Murphy is one of three players priced at 20/1. Last year’s shock European Masters winner, Fan Zhengyi, is a 50/1 shot. The ever-popular Jimmy White has qualified for his first ranking tournament since January’s Snooker Shoot Out. He is 500/1 to win six consecutive matches and take the European Masters title.
Some of the UK’s best snooker betting sites offer additional markets, such as individual players making the final. Bet365 has created a market on which players will win their draw bracket and proceed to the quarter-finals.
Kyren Wilson is an 11/4 favorite to take the first quarter of the draw. Luca Brecel and Mark Selby are joint favorites at 10/3 to win their second draw bracket. Trump and O’Sullivan are 15/8 and 7/4 respectively to take the third and fourth brackets.
Those With Rust Should Bite the Dust
The BetVictor European Masters is just the second ranking tournament on snooker’s 2022/23 calendar. At this early stage of the season, some pros will have doubtlessly clocked up more time improving sun tans and golf handicaps than hours spent at the practice table.
Kyren Wilson and Stuart Bingham are unlikely to be ring rusty. Possessing a renowned work-ethic, they constantly practice hard and live to play snooker. In an early season competition where some guesswork is required, this pair at double-digit prices are obvious suggestions.
Hossein Vafaei, a rapidly improving player that won last season’s Shoot Out competition, is another to add to your betting portfolio. The 27-year-old Iranian registered a maximum 147 break when winning his European Masters qualifying match three weeks ago. In the six-frame game, Vafaei also recorded 62 and 70 breaks. The world number-17’s current game appears good, as does his 66/1 odds. That price is available only through our William Hill sports betting review.
Scott Donaldson may be one of snooker’s lesser lights, but he has already eliminated John Higgins from this competition. The European Masters draw appears to have been very kind to the Scotsman – he plays Chang Bingyu in his opening match. At 12/1 in bet365’s market on the winner of the second quarter bracket, he too is worthy of a small interest.
Snooker’s European Masters Recommended Bets:
| Kyren Wilson to win the competition | 11/1 |
| Stuart Bingham to win the competition | 20/1 |
| Hossein Vafaei (each-way) to win the competition | 66/1 |
| Scott Donaldson to win the second draw bracket/quarter | 12/1 |
