The 2022 Snooker World Championship is just around the corner; the tournament is currently scheduled to begin on Saturday 16th April, running for two weeks before concluding on Monday 2nd May. As usual, all games are set to be played at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England; this venue has been the nexus of world-class snooker for decades and is likely to remain that way for some time!
The Top Snooker Players in 2022
There are a total of 115 participants currently listed with odds at real money at Unibet, a sports betting site in PA, but snooker is a relatively specialized sport with only a few of the best players genuinely considered as likely winners prior to the tournament beginning. At the top of that list sits Judd Trump from Bristol, England, who as the favorite has odds of +350 to take home the trophy. Judd is currently regarded as being the 3rd best player in the world behind Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Speaking of “the rocket” O’Sullivan, his odds currently stand at +550 – not far behind Trump. The fact that O’Sullivan sits a little higher in the all-time rankings yet is currently behind Trump in the betting odds could suggest that fans of the sport currently have more money behind Trump – we could see this change over the coming weeks, however. Ronnie still holds several snooker world records including the fastest ever maximum break – a 5:20 set at the 1997 World Championship.
As for World #1 Mark Selby, he sits right behind Ronnie at +700 in the current bookmaker’s odds. “The Jester” has won 20 ranking tournaments during his career and has been World Champion on four separate occasions in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2021. You might imagine this would make him top of the betting odds table too, but other players such as O’Sullivan, Trump, and Neil Robertson have been putting on quite the show recently. This year’s championship could be one of the most closely fought in years.
The Rest of the Top Eight
The World Championship is the biggest event of the year on the snooker calendar, making it one of the best tournaments to bet on – it has the highest prize money for the players, and all the biggest names in the sport will be competing. Five more players make up the rest of the elite “top eight” who are seen as likely contenders for the 2022 trophy. These are:
Neil Robertson (+400)
Robertson was knocked out of the 2021 World Championship by eventual winner Mark Selby at the quarter-final stage. He’ll be looking for revenge this year, but the competition is likely to be even tougher – there is no doubt that Robertson could certainly pull it off, but he’ll have to avoid coming out on the wrong side of another confrontation with Selby to get there! Of the two, our money would probably be on Selby, though if the two do meet it is sure to be a nail-biting match.
John Higgins (+1,000)
One of the older players in this year’s tournaments, Higgins has been playing professional snooker all of his adult life and is an ex-World #1 player. He has close to 900 century breaks to his name including 12 maximum breaks and is currently ranked world #6. Higgins last won the World Championship way back in 2011, before many of the sport’s current legends grew into the dominant force they are today. There was a time that Higgins dominated, and there is little doubt he’d love to go out with a final World Championship victory before retiring.
Zhao Xintong (+1,200)
China’s Zhao Xintong, on the other hand, looks like the baby face of this group at just 24 years of age. Seen as a rising star of the game, Xintong has just two ranking tournament wins under his belt so far but has already picked up the nickname “The Cyclone” with 110 century breaks to his credit. Some believe it is only a matter of time before we will see Xintong come into his own and claim a world trophy – but could this be the year?
Kyren Wilson (+1,600)
Squarely in the middle of the pack in terms of age, Wilson AKA “The Warrior” is currently ranked World #5 and has four ranking tournament wins under his belt. Wilson has been a professional player for just over a decade and continues to impress and improve each year.
Yan Bingtao (+1,800)
Finally, another Chinese player Yan Bingtao will be making only his second ever World Championship appearance in 2022. He’s another bright young star of the game aged just 20, who even managed to get the better of John Higgins at last year’s Master’s tournament. Could we see Bingtao deliver another shock victory this year. We can’t wait to find out!
