The serious snooker is over for a few days as we speed things up and change it up over Valentines weekend when the Snooker Shootout takes place.
The quirky event has a new home in Reading and a new broadcaster in ITV4 but it still has 64 of the best players in the world battling it out over fast and furious 10 minutes frames with the aim of pocketing the £32,000 first prize, the trophy and the added rewards which go with it.
The traditional rules of snooker are thrown out of the window this week. We have a shot clock which quickens up after five minutes, you have to hit a cushion with every shot and any fouls resort in your opponent having the cue ball in hand. You can guarantee those rules will be forgotten at some point over the weekend which adds to the madness but it all adds up to an entertaining three days.
The first round draw for the tournament has been done but each round after that has a totally random draw so when betting on this event you need a bit of luck with the draw to get a player into a position for a pay out but it is 16/1 the field this week so if you find the winner you’ll be getting nicely rewarded for doing so.
The first thing to say before we bet this week is you can’t really bet on the individual matches – 10 minute frames with lags to break and crazy but fun rules don’t make for good betting opportunities so I will treat this like a golf tournament and just get stuck into the outright market for my only betting this week.
The other thing to say is given the random draw and the nature of the tournament it is worth sticking with the bookmakers that pay four places to give ourselves the best chance of getting something back from the weekend.
I’m going to go with three main bets and then stick a couple of darts in a couple at bigger prices. I’m looking for a player who isn’t slow, who can get in from distance and who can score heavily when they are in. I’m not too worried about safety games this week. A good attitude and a relish for the environment is helpful too.
All that put together brings my first bet of Barry Hawkins. Hawkins was the second winner of this event back in 2012 and has had a couple of fair runs since then. He gets in from distance and scores when he is in and his personality fits this tournament perfectly. He looks a solid place to begin our betting this weekend.
Next up is the newly crowned German Masters champion Martin Gould. If ever a man had the persona for this tournament it is Gould and as luck would have it he has the game for it too. He is a fantastic long potter and we’ve seen time and time again when he’s in he scores really well. We’ve seen that in this tournament and in other events.
Gould is also a former winner and coming into this weekend off the confidence of getting among the major ranking event winners last week I fancy him to go well. We know his game is in good nick and if he gets through the first game or two he could take some beating.
Ryan Day banged in a couple of centuries in China Open qualifying earlier in the week and so he is the next player I’m going with. He also gets in from distance, is aggressive in the balls and is quick enough for the shot clock not to bother him. Day was a semi-finalist in this tournament in 2014 so he know he can make it through and he’ll be my final main bet.
There are a couple of players at decent prices who fit the profile I’m looking for. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh showed he can play these quirky events when he won the Six Reds title earlier in the season and he could go well here. He is a very good long potter and he is a fine scorer when he has the balls open and he’s pretty fluent with it so in theory there is plenty to like about him here. He’s another who could go well if the draw opens up.
Finally I’ll go for the three figure shot of Tom Ford. Ford made the semis of this event in 2012 and is another excellent long potter who won’t be worried about the shot clock or the atmosphere. If anything he will embrace it which is a positive.
He hasn’t been as consistent as he’d like to be for a while but this could be the weekend he needs where he can go on the attack with a bit of freedom and it is worth paying to see if the draw can open up for him and if he can take advantage.
Back B.Hawkins to win Snooker Shootout (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Ladbrokes (1/4 1-4)
Back M.Gould to win Snooker Shootout (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 41.00 with Bet365 (1/4 1-4)
Back R.Day to win Snooker Shootout (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 41.00 with William Hill (1/4 1-4)
Back T.Un-Nooh to win Snooker Shootout (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Bet365 (1/4 1-4)
Back T.Ford to win Snooker Shootout (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 101.00 with Ladbrokes (1/4 1-4)
