Helsinki International Snooker Cup: Prediction, Tips and Odds

The ever-growing popularity of snooker in Finland has helped get the inaugural Helsinki International Snooker Cup up and running and the eight-man tournament is set to feature four world champions, including newly-crowned Crucible hero Kyren Wilson.

Joining Wilson in the draw is 2023 world champion Luca Brecel, 2019 winner Judd Trump and 2015 champion Stuart Bingham, as well as former six-time runner-up at the Crucible Jimmy White.

Jak Jones, the man that Wilson beat 18-14 in the 2024 World Championship final earlier this month, has also been drafted into the tournament as Jack Lisowski’s replacement and the eight-strong field is completed by Ryan Day and Robert Milkins.

It’s a one table set-up at the Helsinki House of Culture in the Finnish capital, with matches played through afternoon and evening sessions and the tournament starting on Saturday 25th May.

The tournament concludes on Sunday 26th May, with the semi-finals and the final taking place across two sessions.

The quarter-finals will be played over a best-of-seven format, with the semi-final a best-of-nine and the final becoming a best-of-11.

Wilson faces Day in his quarter-final, with the winner taking on either Trump or Milkins, while the bottom half of the draw sees Brecel clash with White and Bingham doing battle with Jones.

Helsinki International Snooker Cup betting tips and predictions

Luca Brecel to win Helsinki International Snooker Cup - 3/1

Brecel has a big season ahead of him, with his first-round exit at the World Championship meaning he has plenty of ranking points to defend following his Sheffield success in 2023.

This isn’t worth any ranking points but there is a total prize pool of 150,000 euros up for grabs and Brecel is a player that tends to get himself up for the finer things in life.

The Belgian has evidently won bigger prizes during his career but it’s not a bad pot for a weekend’s work and the draw couldn’t have been much kinder, with him opening up against the weakest of the octet in White.

A best-of-seven can leave the leading lights vulnerable but veteran White is not the force of old and, having exited the recent World Senior Championship against Igor Figueiredo at the quarter-final stage, it is tough to see how he can live with the scoring power of Brecel.

The reward for coming past White would be a semi-final showdown with Bingham or Jones, who both competed in the last four of the World Championships so could still be feeling the effects of that.

Losing in the opening round of the World Championships to Dave Gilbert may actually work in Brecel’s favour for this as he has had over a month to relax and recover.

The key for Brecel is that he avoids the two tournament heavy-hitters in Wilson and Trump, who are set to lock horns in the semi-final, and it means he could be the fresher man if he makes it to the showpiece.

This is an invitational event and Brecel has a good record in those recently, having finished runner-up to Ronnie O’Sullivan at both the Shanghai Masters and the World Masters of Snooker in Riyadh last season.

There is no O’Sullivan in this field and there is every reason to expect the Belgian to be motivated to impress in front of a European crowd that is going to give him plenty of support.

Ryan Day to win Helsinki International Snooker Cup - 16/1

Many will be expecting Wilson or Trump to come through the top half of the draw but, at the prices over this short format, there are grounds to take on both.

The Warrior now has the pressures of being a world champion to live up to and that can take some adjusting to, while it is unlikely that he has spent much time on the table since his Crucible heroics.

That favours Trump, but he’s a short-priced favourite and it could be worth having an interest in Day, who faces Wilson in his best-of-seven quarter-final.

The Welshman is a four-time ranking event winner and is an extremely aggressive player, which should be suited to this snappier format and passionate crowd.

Dynamite Day will be keen to showcase his scoring talents and he and Wilson have shared their last six meetings equally, with the Warrior recording two of his wins over an extended best-of-11 and a best-of-19 format.

That is definitely a battle Day can win and, with Trump no certainty to even come past the dangerous Milkins in his quarter-final, he must make appeal at what look generous odds.

Read more snooker betting tips and predictions on site

Helsinki International Snooker Cup odds

Judd Trump - 7/4
Luca Brecel - 3/1
Kyren Wilson - 4/1
Stuart Bingham - 7/1
Jak Jones - 8/1
Ryan Day - 16/1
Robert Milkins - 25/1
Jimmy White - 100/1

View the full market and more odds for the Helsinki International Snooker Cup on site

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.