Mark Allen is going for the three-peat when he starts the defense of his Northern Ireland Open title this weekend. The Ulsterman won this event in 2021 and 2022 and will make it a hat-trick of wins if he can lift the Alex Higgins Trophy again a week on Sunday. He won’t have it easy though. Judd Trump is in excellent form, and Ronnie O’Sullivan is also in town. Here we look ahead to the event and tell you the best bets to make in our latest snooker betting picks.
- What; 2023 Northern Ireland Open
- Where; Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- When; Sunday, October 22nd - Sunday, October 29th
- Prize Fund; £427.000 ($515,000)
The Northern Ireland Open is the second of four events in what is known as the Home Nations Series. Organized by the World Snooker Tour (WST), it is also the sixth-ranking event of the current 2023/24 season.
The winners of the previous five ranking tournaments this season are Shaun Murphy (Championship League), Barry Hawkins (European Masters), Mark Williams (British Open), and Judd Trump (English Open and Wuhan Open). Ronnie O’Sullivan won the Shanghai Masters. But this wasn't a ranking event.
Controversy in the build-up
At the time of writing, the qualifiers for the Northern Ireland Open are still taking place, so the final lineup is not confirmed. But what we do know is that all the world's top players are taking part except Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, John Higgins, and Ali Carter.
The quartet, along with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, didn’t enter the competition. Instead, they opted to take part in an exhibition match in Macau, that clashed with the event. As a result, the WST threatened the renegade five with sanctions, including suspension from the tour. Eventually, a compromise was reached. But the five are still not competing in Belfast next week.
Betting to win the 2023 Northern Ireland Open
Before we get onto our betting to win the Northern Ireland Open, why not take a look at our online sports betting tips page? Here you will find more help on sports wagering.
Now, onto the betting to win the Northern Ireland Open. And the absence of some of the contenders to win the competition has increased the chances of victory for Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The pair need no additional help. They are usually the two front runners in the betting for any snooker event they enter. And the Northern Ireland Open is no different, with Trump at +400 and O’Sullivan at +425.
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 Northern Ireland Open |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judd Trump | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | +425 | +425 | +425 |
| Neil Robertson | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Shaun Murphy | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Kyren Wilson | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Barry Hawkins | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Mark Williams | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Mark Allen | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Ding Junhi | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Jack Lisowski | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Hossein Vafaei | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Ryan Day | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Stuart Bingham | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
Can anyone stop Judd Trump?
After a poor run of results since his win at the Masters in January, Judd Trump stormed back to form with two ranking tournament wins in October.
Not content with winning the English Open at the beginning of the month, Trump backed that win up by going to China and winning the very next ranking competition, the Wuhan Open.
Delighted to get my second title of the season and to win back to back 😁 pic.twitter.com/sqUVFmzfts
— Judd Trump (@juddtrump) October 15, 2023
Trump heads into the Northern Ireland Open in his best form for years, and it will most likely take something exceptional to stop him winning again.
Can Mark Allen make it three wins in a row?
Mark Allen is the Northern Ireland Open defending champion. He is not just going for back-to-back wins, Allen is going for three successive wins after lifting the Alex Higgins trophy in 2021 and 2022.
The moment Mark Allen became @BetVictor Northern Ireland Open Champion 🏆
This one is worth another watch 🍿 @pistol147 #NIOpen pic.twitter.com/6bIAVb1J6m
— WST (@WeAreWST) October 18, 2021
It’s hard to make a case for Allen to win. He is a gritty character, and he will give it his all. After all, it is his home event. We struggle to see that being enough to stop Judd Trump or Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The World No.4 is just off the boil at the moment. After Ronnie O’Sullivan was knocked out of the Wuhan Open in the last eight, Allen had the chance to replace him as world number one if he went on to win the competition. He knew this at the time. But he crashed out to Ali Carter in the same round, losing 5-2.
Is Ronnie due a Ranking Tournament win?
Luca Brecel and Mark Allen are two players who have had the chance to replace Ronnie O’Sullivan at the top of the World Rankings in recent weeks. So far, the Rocket has survived at the top of the rankings. But the best way to consolidate his position would be to win a ranking event.
And with Ronnie not having won one this season, might the Northern Ireland Open be the perfect time to get his first-ranking win on the board?
Our Picks to win the 2023 Northern Ireland Open
We're not backing the Rocket. Why? Well, because Judd Trump is the in-form player on the snooker circuit. Wins at the English Open and Wuhan Open have seen him climb to third in the current world rankings. If we are going on form, Judd Trump can be the only pick.
For a good value long-shot bet, how about Mark Williams? The Welshman has already won the British Open this season and also made it to the final of the Championship League. At odds of +1600, Mark Williams is our second pick.
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