The Championship League Snooker from Leicester gets underway on Monday, and with the world's top snooker players among the 128 taking part, it promises to be a cracking event. Here we look ahead to the tournament with our latest snooker betting picks.
- What; Championship League Snooker 2023 Leicester
Where; Morningside Arena, Leicester
When; Monday, June 26th - Friday, July 21st
It's only a few weeks since the 2023 World Championship finished, and this is the time of the year when the players tend to have a bit of downtime. Despite the Championship League lasting nearly one month, this isnโt an intense competition for the players.
Back with a bang โผ๏ธ @betvictor #ChampionshipLeagueSnooker returns on 26th June! pic.twitter.com/MDg1XLXgWR
— BetVictor Championship League Snooker (@CLSnooker) June 18, 2023
Of the 128 players competing, 96 will be going home after one day of action, with the remaining 32 returning for one day each to complete Stage 2. The eight winners from Stage 2 will be required to return for a third day for Stage 3 and the final, which are played on the same day.
The Betting Favorites
There is no Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, John Higgins, or Mark Allen contesting the Championship League. But we do have some of snookerโs biggest draws including Ronnie OโSullivan and Judd Trump.
Ronnie O'Sullivan is the favorite to win with the best snooker betting sites. The Rocket is +700 to win, with Trump following closely behind at +800. Neil Robertson is +900, with Kyren Wilson at +1100. Completing the betting favorites are Shaun Murphy and Mark Williams, both at +1200.
More betting is available on our Snooker odds table. You can read more information about the sportsbooks we have used for our odds table on our sportsbook reviews page.
| 2023 2023 Championship League Snooker Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | +700 | +700 | +700 |
| Judd Trump | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Neil Robertson | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Kyren Wilson | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Shaun Murphy | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Mark Williams | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Stuart Bingham | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Ali Carter | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Barry Hawkins | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Hossein Vafaei | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Garry Wilson | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Si Jiahui | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Zhou Yuelong | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Robert Milkins | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| David Gilbert | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Jak Jones | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
Before we move on, why not take a peek at our online sports betting tips page, where you will find help on sports wagering? And if youโre opening a new account to bet on Snooker, then our sports betting guide for new bettors is a must-read.
The Format
The competition is broken down into three stages, followed by the final. Stage 1 starts on Monday, June 26th, and runs across three weeks, ending on Friday, July 14th.
In Stage 1 there are 32 groups of four players. All the players play each member of their group once in a round-robin format. This takes place across 16 playing days over three weeks.ย The winner of each group then progresses into Stage 2, which takes place from Monday, July 17th to Thursday, July 20th. There will be eight groups in the 2nd stage, with the competition down to the final 32 players.
The eight group winners then progress to Stage 3 on July 21st. This time there will be two groups of four, with the group winners contesting the final on the same day.
All group matches will be best of four, with 2-2 draws possible. If a match score goes to 3-0, then the 4th frame won't be played. This will be the format through the competition until the final, which will be a best-of-five contest.
Our Picks
The tournament differs from most others because anybody playing their Stage 1 matches in the opening week can disappear for two weeks before being needed again for Stage 2. This format may suit some players and not others.
For the players competing in the opening week, it will mean practically starting over again when they return for Stage 2. But for those competing in the third week of Stage 1, they should be match ready for Stage 2.
Ronnie O'Sullivan +700
One player not scheduled to take part until the third week is Ronnie O'Sullivan. Okay, so this might be a competition the Rocket isn't too interested in. But at the same time, how often is the Rocket priced up at +700 to win a trophy? As a guideline, in the 2023 World Championship, he was only +450.
These are betting odds that are hard to ignore, and at +700, the odds are long enough to hedge our bets.
Another thing going in the Rocket's favor is he isn't required to be there every day of the competition. Stage 1 takes nearly three weeks to complete, and of those three weeks, O'Sullivan will only be required to be there on the day his group games take place.
And with O'Sullivan not playing until the third week, he can do whatever for the opening two weeks and turn up when heโs due to play on the Monday of week three. So for our first betting pick, we're going with Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the 2023 Championship League snooker.
Jak Jones +5000
As weโre hedging bets, Jak Jones is the second player we want to look at. The Welshman had an incredible 2023 World Championships, making it to the quarter-finals, where he lost a close contest 13-10 against Mark Allen.
On his way to the last eight, the unseeded Jones defeated Ali Carter 10-6 in Round 1 and the No.6 seed and third favorite, Neil Robertson, 13-7 in Round 2. Jones will have taken immense confidence from that run of results.
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฆ! ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ
The Welsh qualifier has beaten Neil Robertson 13-7 to book a quarter final spot at the Crucible!
It'll be Mark Allen up next. #CazooWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/kBp3dPvRxu
— WST (@WeAreWST) April 22, 2023
Jones is in Group 26 with Jamie Jones, Rebecca Kenna, and Dean Young. This group plays on Wednesday, July 5th.
The world number 37 is the highest-ranked player in the group, and by right should get through it. Jak Jones is a player heading in the right direction, and at +5000, we think he is a great value second pick.
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