Scottish Open predictions, snooker betting tips and winner odds

Free snooker tips, best bets and analysis for the Scottish Open, which starts in Llandudno on Monday.

When to bet

Starts 10am Monday

Where to watch

Eurosport 2, 1pm Monday

Best bets

Tom Ford
0.5pts each-way 66-1 bet365

Barry Hawkins
0.5pt 25-1 bet365

Tournament preview

The snooker tour barely has time to catch its breath after Sunday's UK Championship final before rolling on to the Scottish Open in the famous Scottish outpost of Llandudno, Wales.

The qualifying matches, which involve top-16 players and the two wildcards, will be played at the venue, meaning the big-hitters still have some work to do to get into the competition proper.

Given the short-format matches and the low-key nature of the event there is no great desire to take short prices about the fancied cuemen and it could pay to look further down the betting.

Tom Ford is a 66-1 poke and the Leicester potter certainly has the game to outrun those odds.

Model T only made it to the second-round of the UK Championship last week, but he lost in a decider to Luca Brecel and on another day it could have been Ford who was troubling the judge in York.

Ford has made four ranking event semi-finals in the last three-and-a- bit seasons and he looks to have a decent draw in Llandudno.

Mark Davis is Ford's first-round opponent and a second-round tie against either Sunny Akani, Stephen Maguire or Yuan Si Jun doesn't look too daunting. Mark Selby is the big name in that quarter, but if you're going to have to play the Jester the best chance of victory is likely to be in these quick-fire best-of-seven-frame games.

Barry Hawkins showed up well in York last week, reaching the semi-finals and with confidence restored he looks another worth backing in the top-half of the draw.

The Hawk has been going through a bit of a lean spell, but the former World Championship finalist still made the last four of the German Masters, Players Championship and Tour Championship last term.

Kyren Wilson and Brecel are housed in Hawkins' quarter, but Neil Robertson's withdrawal makes things easier and the Kent cueman has the all-round game to go well at 25-1.

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