The Masters: Prediction, Tips and Odds

The Masters, the second major of the snooker season, starts at Alexandra Palace on Sunday and Racing Post’s Adrian Humphries has picked out his best bets for the tournament.

Neil Robertson, who has replaced Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Masters draw after the Rocket’s withdrawal from the tournament, has been installed as 15/2 fourth favourite after some promising performances this season.

But while the Thunder from Down Under could make his presence felt - he plays John Higgins in round one - his performances have not quite been up there with his pre-slump ones, so punters may wish to factor that in before getting involved in the outright market.

Judd Trump is the 11/4 favourite, hardly surprising considering the Ace in the Pack’s excellent form this season. But world champion Kyren Wilson, who lost to Mark Allen in the 2018 Masters final, has been handed a decent early draw and the 11/2 second favourite could take some stopping in his quest to capture a second major crown.

The Masters betting tips and predictions

Kyren Wilson to win the Masters - 11/2

Kyren Wilson has beaten Judd Trump in their last two final meetings - in the Xi’an Grand Prix and Northern Ireland Open this season, the most recent a 9-3 victory - and the Warrior could be overpriced at 11/2 to lift his second major piece of silverware at the Masters.

Wilson’s matchplay has gone up a notch since his World Championship triumph last May and, while Trump has won three titles in the first half of the season - the Shanghai Masters, the Saudi Arabia Masters and the UK Championship - the Warrior is more than capable of silencing the world number one these days.

Of course, they won’t meet in the final at Ally Pally this year - they are on course for a semi-final collision. But after two winnable early-round outings, Wilson could easily run into Trump with a place in the final at stake. If that happens, given the pair’s recent head-to-head record, there’s a case for wanting to be with Wilson and not Trump.

Trump is no certainty to make the last four anyway. He opens against in-form Barry Hawkins, who he beat 10-8 in the UK final in early December. And the Hawk is another player who would be fully deserving of ditching his maiden tag at major level.

The winner of that opener would face Mark Williams or Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals and both of those players have also enjoyed excellent first halves of the season.

The third quarter is a bit of a lottery, but that may not be the case with the fourth, in which it would be disappointing if Wilson failed to impose himself on the tournament with victories over lesser-ranked opponents.

Si Jiahui to win the Masters - 20/1

The top half of the Masters draw is more awkward, but a case can be made for a modest second outright interest on Si Jiahui.

Si opens against 2018 champion Mark Allen, who has been enjoying a pretty good start to the campaign.

But Si, a hugely talented operator, is still relatively unexposed in major competition and while Allen has been doing a good job at ensuring he is less vulnerable these days in the biggest tournaments, the Northern Ireland ace may still find Si a handful.

Mark Selby has been flattering to deceive this season so there may be an opportunity for Ali Carter in round one, but the winner of that one may then find Si a doughty foe should the Chinese youngster upend Allen.

And with doubts over Robertson’s form still existing, it would not be a huge surprise to see 2015 Masters winner Shaun Murphy progress to the semi-finals.

Were Murphy to meet Si in the last four, the younger player has already posed big problems for the 2005 world champion so there’s definitely a path through to the final day for the calm-tempered 22-year-old.

Read more snooker betting tips and predictions on site

The Masters odds

Judd Trump - 11/4
Kyren Wilson - 11/2
Mark Selby - 13/2
Neil Robertson - 15/2
Mark Allen - 17/2
Shaun Murphy - 11/1
John Higgins - 14/1
Ding Junhui - 16/1
Mark Williams - 16/1
Luca Brecel - 18/1
Si Jiahui - 20/1
Barry Hawkins - 22/1
Zhang Anda - 28/1
Ali Carter - 28/1
Chris Wakelin - 33/1
Gary Wilson - 33/1

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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.