Mark Selby Favorite To Progress To Snooker English Open Last 16

The English Open, the first of the four Home Nations Snooker tournaments this season, takes place at the Brentwood Centre in Essex. Reigning champion Judd Trump is widely expected to maintain his impressive form as one of the top contenders.

Mark Selby is also in contention to win the title and this article will focus on his Last 32 match where we attempt to find some good value in the betting odds.

What? English Open Snooker Last 32: Mark Selby vs. Joe O’Conner
Where? Brentwood Centre, Essex
When? Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Below, you can see the betting odds for the match from three of the best sports betting sites.

Snooker English Open
Mark Selby	-285	-285	-285
Joe O'Conner	+210	+210	+210

Mark Selby

Mark Selby, a two-time English Open champion, might be flying under the radar in his bid for a third title at the Brentwood Centre.

Selby, who triumphed at this venue in 2022, has been playing better than his recent results indicate, and he finds himself in a relatively favorable section of the draw. After an opening 4-2 win over Aaron Hill, he now faces a last-32 match against Joe O'Connor.

The Jester from Leicester will be eager to avenge his World Championship loss to his practice partner Joe O'Connor, and he would be the clear favorite in a potential last-16 clash against either Tom Ford or Si Jiahui.

Though the competition intensifies from there, with a possible quarter-final against O’Sullivan, who has often struggled in this tournament, Selby could soon find himself in contention for the English Open title.

Joe O'Conner

The world number 30 was impressive in his opening round win against Artemijs Zizins. It was expected to be comfortable and it was. A 4-0 thrashing. As mentioned, O’Conner beat Selby 10-6 in last year’s World Championship. O’Conner went 7-2 and 8-3 up before a mini revival from Selby but O’Conner went on to triumph 10-6.

Mark Selby vs. Joe O'Conner Betting Picks

The spread offers some good value with Mark Selby -1.5 priced at -135. This is an appealing prospect.

Mark Selby -1.5 To beat Joe O'Conner

-135

Bovada

As usual, Bovada has a good range of betting markets for the Snooker including correct score betting. It is harder to call but the returns are potentially much greater. My prediction is a 4-2 win for Selby and the odds are +330.

Mark Selby To beat Joe O'Conner 4-2

+330

Bovada

Read our Bovada sportsbook review to find out if this is the best option for your English Open Snooker betting picks.

English Open Snooker

The 2024 English Open, officially known as the 2024 BetVictor English Open, is currently underway at the Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, England, running from September 12 to 22. It marks the fourth ranking event of the 2024–25 snooker season, following the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and preceding the 2024 British Open. This tournament also kicks off the Home Nations Series, ahead of the Northern Ireland Open, Scottish Open, and Welsh Open later in the season.

Eurosport and Discovery+ are broadcasting the event across Europe, including the UK, with other networks airing it internationally. The champion will walk away with £100,000, a share of the £550,400 prize fund, the prestigious Steve Davis trophy, and a spot in the 2024 Champion of Champions invitational.

Judd Trump enters as the defending champion after his 9-7 victory over Zhang Anda in the 2023 final.

The tournament winner will take home the Steve Davis trophy, along with a significant boost in prize money compared to the previous year, with an increase of £123,400. The full prize distribution is as follows:

Winner: £100,000
Runner-up: £45,000
Semi-finalists: £21,000
Quarter-finalists: £13,200
Last 16: £9,000
Last 32: £5,400
Last 64: £3,600
Last 96: £1,000
Highest break: £5,000

This brings the total prize pool to £550,400.

Check out our comprehensive sportsbook reviews to help you make informed snooker betting choices. Browse through the top online platforms listed below and find the ideal site to place your snooker bets with confidence.