Best Snooker Betting Sites 2024

A brief history of snooker

Snooker has its roots in English billiards. Billiards was a popular game among the British army outposts and those serving in India. The game aimed to hit the billiard balls into the table holes using a cue ball.

In the 1800s, billiard multiplayer options arose. The games included a pyramid pool. In this variation, 15 balls were used with a white cue ball, and players earned a point for every red ball they potted. Black pool followed closely. This variation added a black ball to the game. If this ball was potted, the player earned additional points.

In 1875, it was suggested that more coloured balls be added to the game. This decision introduced pink, green, and yellow balls. Blue and brown balls were added much later when the game had already taken shape.

From India, the sport was introduced to England by John Roberts, the billiard champion in 1885 and Chamberlain. But even after the introduction of the game in England, it remained an amateur sport for a long time.

The first-ever snooker championships were held in 1916. However, it wasn’t until 1927 that Joe Davis created the professional snooker world championship. Davis won the first tournament and bagged £6 as prize money. Back then, the standards weren’t too high. By 1930, the sport had started to gain popularity. However, Davis was still winning the Championships. His winning streak continued until 1946. After WWII, the championships were cancelled.

The sport only came back to the limelight in 1969. And with the help of Barry Hearn, it slowly gained popularity. By the end of the 1980s, there were more than 200 professional snooker players. This number increased to 400 in the 1990s

In 2010, Barry Hearn became the chairman of the World Professional Billiard and Snooker Association and embarked on a reforming journey. A couple of new tournaments were introduced, including the World Open, Sky Sports, Premier League, and Player’s Tour Championships. Invitations to sports and new player rankings increased the potential for players to get sponsorships.

And when tobacco advertising was banned, betting sites got involved in snooker games and championships.

Snooker betting types

Since snooker doesn’t have much history or tradition, it has some limited snooker markets. Even the best online betting sites have limited markets. However, when the big tournaments are in play, the few available types of bets can be of great benefit. Here are some of the most popular snooker bet types to prepare you.

Players to pot first red

In this bet, you bet on the player you think will pot the first legal red in a given frame.

Total points

This bet is offered in a match as a whole or a frame of a match. With this, you are required to decide how many points the players will score in a match. Generally, these are often presented as under or over markets with points for under or over.

Match result

This is the bread and butter of snooker betting. The match result market is generally available for different events and tournaments. As you’ve already guessed, punters have to guess which player will win the match.

Century breaks

There are several century-break markets for snooker matches with a range of betting options. Generally, this is a market enquiring if a century will be scored. The markets asking you to predict the centuries scored during a match are also available.

Frame betting

This is similar to correct score betting on football markets. Frame betting allows you to bet on the final score of a match. In the longer formats, including Championships, a variety of score lines can be available.

What to consider when choosing the best snooker betting site

Ways to bet

The betting sites have two things in common; competitive pricing and a vast range of markets that go beyond the handicap markets and traditional wins. The most common betting markets are tournament winner and outright match-winner. However, as mentioned above, a wide range of markets are available.

Snooker specials

With the specials, you can place wagers like which player will pot the first red ball of a specific frame and the colour of the first ball that goes down the table. Additionally, the site you choose should have live betting options.

In-play market

In-play betting markets are perfect for snooker players. Like tennis, snooker is popular and an individual game. The momentum shifts suddenly, and outrageous comebacks are made. Snooker betting is lucrative and volatile.