Snooker – enjoyable to the last ball

While most people know their way around the terms and style of play, many new fans might not be too familiar with the differences of different cue games. We are not living in the age of night-long pool sessions anymore, after all.

Billiards is played on a table without pockets using three balls. One white ball with a red dot, one white ball and one red ball. Here players accumulate points by hitting both balls with the cue ball. The goal is to score more points than your opponent.

Pool uses 15 balls and a cue ball and is played on a table with six pockets. Some variations are played with just nine balls and the number of local variations and rule-sets worldwide is staggering. After a initial shot hopefully determining which player get to pocket which type of ball (solid-coloured vs. striped), whoever manages to get rid of his and the 8-ball wins.

Snooker is also played on a table with six pockets. The table, however, is bigger than a pool table and its pockets are significantly smaller. The game is played with 15 red balls, a cue ball and six numbered object balls. You cannot pocket red balls continuously, instead a red and object ball have to be pocketed in turn. The latter are worth different points. Efficient play, therefore, would be to chain red and other balls together to amass lots of points in fewest shots needed. This way your opponent will have a hard time catching up even if you miss and it's their turn. Achieving more than 100 points this way for example is referred to as a "century".

Current world snooker rankings aside, there are a few names on our list of greatest players that managed to influence both the game and the players following in their footsteps. In no particular order:

• Ray Reardon, the world first ever number one when rankings were introduced. He was famous for both his appearances as well as engaging with the crowd in between turns. Five-time world champion, too.
• Dennis Taylor, famous for his big glasses he would wear upside-down. Oh, and of course for winning against Steve Davies with the final black in the final frame back in 1985. The match was watched by more than 18 million viewers in the UK alone and made him an even bigger star overnight.
• Jimmy White is a bit of an edge case, really. He won the Masters. He won the UK championship. He’s played a maximum break. But he never the World Championship. Insane to think about, really.
• John Higgins. Good old match fixer Higgins. Joking of course, one has to respect somebody playing at the highest level for more than 20 years while also dealing with all sorts of allegations.
• Steve Davies was on the receiving end of Taylor’s flash of genius back in 1985. Despite all that he won Worlds 6 times and retired only in 2016 at the ripe age of 59. Legend.
• Finally, Ronnie O’Sullivan. A name already immortalised, with several records, six Masters titles, five UK Championships and five Worlds. Still plenty of years ahead of him, he is a true savant at the game. Not in least with all his vests, mind you.

All our avid snooker fans will be pleased to hear that we on Admiral got only the best betting odds for all snooker matches going on in the world of snooker today! Got a hunch on who might win the first frame? Or perhaps even the whole match? no problem the choices are endless. After all every match is more exciting when you have a stake in the game. With our live-centre providing you with betting options even for matches mid-game there is room for some really big bets. Every move changes the game and gives you a chance to win big. Which colour goes first into the pocket, who wins the first frame, which scores will the match end on, who wins the entire match these are all possibilities for you to bet on. Try your luck now at the snooker table and show us how much you know about the world sport and its players this season!

The second longest running tournament series to date in the circuit, the Masters. It is an invitational event that has got only the best players to offer. The top 16 players in the world are matched against each other every season at this grand event. Since 2012 it has always taken place at London's Alexandra Palace. Ronnie O'Sullivan holds the record for being crowned the winner most often at the Masters, with a grand total of 7 wins so far. Given its importance in the snooker circuit, we make sure our customers get only the best odds for betting on every match at the event. We offer a wide variety of custom bets for the event and unique markets and odds for one of the most esteemed snooker tournaments all year. Take part in these year’s Masters by betting on some top matches!

The biggest of all the Championships when it comes to snooker no doubt. All players from around the world gather here to duke it out in the biggest snooker tournament there is, and the winner is certain to be remembered. Every match, every frame, every ball that goes into a pocket is a big deal here. It's all players dream to one day attend this event. First contested in 1927 it is now watched by over 300 million viewers all over the glove and one of the biggest tournaments viewed by spectators in sports in general. Whilst the snooker Championships were held in many different places over the years, it has since then found a new permanent home in the Sheffield Crucible Theatre in 1977. The legend Joe Davis won the first 15 tournaments ever held in a row and thus seemingly established a pattern for the history of a tournament which seems to be continuously dominated by specific players. A slight decline in popularity saw no tournament for a few years in the early '50s but ever since the invention of coloured TV had opened up an entirely new avenue for the sport, it has nought but grown since then. Steve Davis, Stephen Henry, Ray Reardon, crowd favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan and most recently Mark Selby have all dominated the World Championship over the course of the history of snooker. Especially Stephen Henry holds the record for the most titles won in the modern snooker era with a total of 7. The Championship takes place over the course of 17 days between late April and the beginning of May and offer some of the greatest matches the sport has to offer every year. The total number of matches played over the course of this period is enormous and the quality of said matches are likewise outstanding even when a certain player dominates the field. In fact, this makes it somehow even more amazing to see the sheer domination in the matches that are occurring at such a high level of play. A definite must watch for any avid snooker fan, but also the best time to start betting on the winner of each match as the tournament progresses. Be certain to spice up your snooker experience with some proper bets at amazing odds and markets and win big!

One of the new tournaments in the snooker circuit introduced as part of the Barry Hearn's snooker revolution. First contested in 2016 with the Chinese player Liang Wenbo claiming the title and his very own first ranking victory, this new snooker tournament is quickly become a fan favourite. Since that day, the tournament has become somewhat of a battlefield for the English players such as Stuart Bingham, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby all having added their names to the tournaments highly esteemed trophy. The tournament also had us bear witness to some of the most exciting snooker matches to date. Alongside all the other English tournaments such as the Northern Ireland, Scotland and Welsh Open tournaments, the Open forms the Home Nation Series. This series of snooker tournaments offer an astounding 1 million £ for any player able to snag all the four tournaments in a single season. The English Open takes place in mid-October and is a wonderful time to start betting on some world class snooker matches.

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