The World Championship is the most coveted prize in snooker and the 2023 iteration of the tournament promises to be a thriller to end the campaign. There are a number of talented players on the tour who are capable of making a charge for the crown, and we’ll give our top tips as to whom will walk away from The Crucible with the trophy in hand.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
O’Sullivan will start the World Championship as the favorite to win the crown for the second year in a row and for the eighth time in his illustrious career. However, he is not an automatic pick as he was the leading contender in the UK Snooker Championship odds and was defeated in the quarter-finals by a 6-0 margin to Ding Junhui.
He has not won successive titles at the World Championship since 2013. O’Sullivan can easily go out in the first round as he can make a charge to the final. His odds of 4/1 might be worth avoiding, although everyone knows he can be truly dominant at his best.
Judd Trump
Trump was beaten by O’Sullivan in the 2022 final as he was blown away by the quality of O’Sullivan over the course of the contest. The left-hander was not at his best in the 2021/22 season but managed to flick a switch at the World Championships to produce a run to the final.
The 33-year-old has endured a similar start to the 2022/23 season in ranking events where he has been off the pace compared to his rivals. Carefully watch his form towards the end of the campaign because as of now he is not providing value as the second favorite, despite his incredible pedigree around the table.
Neil Robertson
Robertson was the player in form in the 2021/22 season and was a pick of many pundits to win his second World Championship crown. The Aussie won the English Open, Players Championship, and the Tour Championship. He seemingly had everything working in sync in his game to end his drought at The Crucible after first winning the title in 2010.
However, Robertson was dumped out of the competition in the second round at the hands of Jack Lisowski in a 13-12 thriller. Robertson seems to be the ultimate tease when it comes to betting on the World Championship. He has all the attributes but can never seem to put it all together for the tournament. If his odds are beyond 10/1, he could be worth a look due to his sheer talent.
Mark Allen
Allen is enjoying the season that Robertson had last term and has already won two crowns at ranking tournaments. The 36-year-old was extremely impressive to secure the Northern Ireland Open, triumphing on home soil for the second year in a row with a 9-4 victory over Zhou Yuelong. Allen followed up his success with his first UK Championship title, overcoming Ding Junhui with a sensational comeback in the final.
The Northern Irishman is playing some of the best snooker of his career, but he does not have a great record at the World Championship. His best performance came in 2009 when he reached the semi-finals and lost out to John Higgins. In Allen’s past four tournaments he has failed to progress beyond the second round. If he remains in form though, Allen could be a solid bet to go all the way.
