2024 World Snooker Championship outright predictions and betting tips: Ronnie O'Sullivan can make history

Ladbrokes are offering £40 in free bets when you bet £10 on the World Snooker Championship. You can grab your free bets here. 

We’ve included instructions on how to grab your offer later on in this article.

When does the 2024 World Snooker Championship start?

The action from the Crucible begins at 10am on Saturday, April 20

Where can I watch the World Snooker Championship?

Live on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer & Eurosport, from 10am Saturday

Best bets for the World Snooker Championship

Ronnie O'Sullivan to win title
2pts 9-4 general

Mark Selby to reach final
1pt 7-2 general

You can bet on the World Snooker Championship here and get £40 in free bets with Ladbrokes

World Snooker Championship predictions

Adrian Humphries' top tip

Ronnie O'Sullivan to win title 9-4

Luca Brecel tops this year's World Championship draw by virtue of being the defending champion, but unsurprisingly the story going into the season-concluding marathon is once again Ronnie O'Sullivan and, in particular, whether he can win a modern-record eighth world crown.

O'Sullivan has been superb this season, posting trophy triumphs in the UK Championship and Masters, as well as going all the way in the Shanghai Masters, World Grand Prix and inaugural Riyadh World Masters.

So as well as trying to pull clear of former rival Stephen Hendry in number of Crucible titles won, O'Sullivan is also bidding to become only the fourth player to win all three majors – the UK, Masters and Worlds – in the same season.

Previous winners were Steve Davis in 1987-88, Hendry in 1989-90 and 1995-96 and Mark Williams in 2002-03.

But while there have been negatives about O'Sullivan going to Sheffield in previous seasons, he has been pretty faultless in this campaign and has rubber-stamped his claim to be the world's best player at the age of 48.

Of course, O'Sullivan has always had the talent, but it has been a combination of a committed fitness programme, which he has maintained for many years, and taking advice from psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters that has enabled him to achieve so much in snooker.

The statistics show that O'Sullivan has long since surpassed Hendry as the greatest player in the game's history. But if there is still anyone who contends the Rocket's right to that title, what better way than to move one clear of Hendry in snooker's biggest and best tournament?

If there is a slight negative about O'Sullivan's draw, it's regarding his opening match. The Rocket starts out this year against Jackson Page, who has already shown that he loves the big occasion and is capable of putting on a show at the Crucible.

But if the tournament favourite can bring his vast experience to bear against the young Welsh prospect, and he ought to be able to do that, he could then get settled into the tournament nicely.

Further appointments with Barry Hawkins, Ding Junhui or Gary Wilson in the quarter-finals and Judd Trump or Williams in the semi-finals could ensue.

Williams, of course, defeated O'Sullivan in the final of the Tour Championship this month. But while the Welshman's triumph was a popular one, it will have also served to sharpen up O'Sullivan and give him clues about what is required in the coming 17 days in Sheffield.

O'Sullivan would need to step things up to exact revenge on Williams, but he knows he has the beating of possible opponents Trump, Ding, Gary Wilson and Hawkins.

Another positive for the Rocket is that there is nobody among the seeds in the top half of the draw who also looks capable of denying him on current form.

Next best bet

Mark Selby to reach final 7-2

There are a few seeds in the top half who have been below their best recently, but if one player is capable of stepping things up at the Crucible, it's four-time champion Mark Selby.

The Jester from Leicester threatened to give up the game after a poor performance recently, but Selby remains one of the world's best players when his game clicks into gear.

Like O'Sullivan, Selby has had issues with his mental health. But after trying to tackle those issues in recent seasons, the Jester went on to post some positive efforts encouragingly.

Last year it felt like the world and his wife were happy to see Brecel, a hugely popular figure on the circuit, take the title in Sheffield. And Selby, who lost to Brecel in the final, seemed almost as happy about the Belgian's triumph as if he'd won it himself.

Selby opens this year with a clash against fellow Leicester cueman and friend Joe O'Connor. The qualifier is a talented performer so the seed will have to be on top of his game from the outset.

But the first seed Selby could meet, Kyren Wilson, has not been at his best this season, while Mark Allen, who the Jester could meet in the last eight, would be no certainty to get past another four-time champion in John Higgins.

Selby should also fear no seed in the top quarter of the draw and would almost certainly be favourite to win his semi-final, should he make the last four. Brecel will do well to repeat last season's heroics, but two-time Crucible finalist Ali Carter is likely to be a threat to any opponent while 2005 champion Shaun Murphy could also have more of a say in matters in Sheffield this year.

But O'Sullivan's title claims are hard to oppose this season, so it's probably worth backing Selby to simply make the final, albeit at decent odds this year.

Grab £40 in Ladbrokes free bets when you bet £10 on the World Snooker Championship

We’ve already mentioned that Ladbrokes are offering £40 in free bets when you bet on the World Snooker Championship.

Here is how you can claim this £40 Ladbrokes free bet offer when you place a qualifying bet on the tournament.

• Head over to Ladbrokes through this link to sign up
• Click the sign-up button and follow the process to fill in your details
• Place a £10 qualifying bet at minimum odds of 1.5 (1-2)
• Once your qualifying bet settles, 4x £10 free bets will be automatically credited to your account
• Note that your 4x £10 free bets apply to different markets, so ensure you read full T&Cs

Ladbrokes betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new player promotion before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the details of this Ladbrokes betting offer and what's expected of you as a new player.

The promotion from Ladbrokes gives you 4x £10 free bets to place across racing, football and other relevant markets. Some free bets are only applicable to certain sports, so it’s worth taking a minute to read through the T&Cs of this offer.

• 18+. New UK & ROI customers. 
• Offer ends 30/04/24. 
• Min first deposit £10 and place win or each-way bet within 14 days of account registration at min odds 1.5 to get 4 x £10 free bets. 
• Restrictions & T&Cs apply. 
• 18+. For more info visit www.begambleaware.org

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