Coral Players Championship snooker: tournament preview, free tips and TV channel

Free snooker tips, best bets and preview for the Coral Players Championship snooker in Southport.

When to watch

Starts ITV4, 7pm Monday

Best bet

Yan Bingtao to win the Coral Players Championship
1pt each-way 45-1 bet365

Coral Players Championship: tournament preview

Judd Trump and Neil Robertson unsurprisingly, given the fine season both are enjoying, head the betting for the Coral Players Championship, which starts in Southport on Monday evening.

Trump tops the title market at 5-2 with Robertson a 9-2 chance. It's 11-1 bar the pair with Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby leading the chase.

Each quarter of the draw features one of those four stars, so anyone thinking of backing an outsider should be looking for a pretty strong reason why one of the market leaders could come unstuck early on in the week.

Of the leading quartet, Selby has been something of a sleeping giant this season and the Jester could find Mark Williams a tough first-round opponent.

Outsiders worthy of second glances are Dave Gilbert and Yan Bingtao.

Gilbert is playing well but opens against Murphy and so the Tamworth potter will need to be on top of his game from the outset, while Riga Masters champion Bingtao, who seems to be over his back trouble, would need to defeat Kyren Wilson and then probably Robertson to make the semis.

Upsets do happen in this tournament, however, and so a chance is given to the progressive Yan, who is on offer at generous odds.

Michael Holt is the rank outsider after his long-awaited triumph in the Shoot Out. The Hitman's reward for his Watford heroics is a first-round meeting with Trump.

First-round draw - top half: J Trump v M Holt, J Higgins v G Dott, Ding Junhui v S Maguire, M Selby v M Williams; bottom half: N Robertson v J Perry, Yan Bingtao v K Wilson, M Allen v T Un-Nooh, S Murphy v D Gilbert.

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