Everything you need to know ahead of the 2027 Masters as snooker's second Triple Crown event of the season takes centre stage at London's Alexandra Palace.
The invitational tournament, which saw its landmark 50th staging in 2024, is one of the sport's three premium events alongside the World Championship and UK Championship.
Kyren Wilson picked up a maiden victory in the 2026 tournament, defeating John Higgins 10-6 in the final.
The Masters Snooker - Date
When is the Masters Snooker?
The 2027 Masters is set to get underway on Sunday 10th January and run through to the final on Sunday 17th January.
The competition is a fixture of not just the snooker calendar but the wider sporting landscape, with the Triple Crown event taking place in early in the new year.
The Masters Snooker - Prize Money
Winner (1): | £350,000 |
Runner-Up (1): | £140,000 |
Semi-Final Losers (2): | £75,000 |
Quarter-Final Losers (4): | £40,000 |
First Round Losers (8): | £25,000 |
A bumper £1m is on offer at the 2027 Masters, with the winner set to land a huge £350,000 top prize.
The eight players who bow out in the first round will still pocket a cool £25,000, with the cheque rising significantly with each victory.
A prize of £15,000 will also be up for grabs for the player with the highest break of the tournament.
The Masters Snooker - Venue & Location
The 2027 Masters will once again be held at the iconic Alexandra Palace in London, the same venue which stages the PDC World Darts Championship.
Bar a switch to Milton Keynes in 2021, the tournament has been held in the English capital since its inception in 1975.
First played at the West Centre Hotel and then the New London Theatre, the Masters found its spiritual home at the Wembley Conference Centre in 1979.
The competition remained at that famous venue until 2006 but was then switched to Wembley Arena after the demolition of the Conference Centre in the same year.
Alexandra Palace picked up the baton in 2012, and the Haringey venue has done a good job of replicating the special atmosphere that was produced at the Wembley Conference Centre.
Many of the world's best players now point to Ally Pally as the venue with the best atmosphere in snooker.
The Masters Snooker - Players
Who is playing in the 2027 Masters Snooker?
The 16-player field is yet to be confirmed for the 2027 Masters, as it will be dependent on the world rankings in the lead up to the event.
The Masters Snooker - Schedule
The schedule for the first round of 2027 Masters will not be confirmed until closer to the occasion, once the field is decided.
The Masters Snooker - Format
What is the format of the Masters Snooker?
Last 16: | Best-of-11 frames |
Quarter-Finals: | Best-of-11 frames |
Semi-Finals: | Best-of-11 frames |
Final: | Best-of-19 frames |
The tournament holds a best-of-11 frame format from the last 16 through to the semi-finals, with the final being extended to a best-of-19 affair.
It's a straight knockout competition meaning that once a player has been beaten, they will be eliminated.
The Masters Snooker - History
It won't come as a surprise to discover that current champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has claimed the most Masters crowns with eight title successes.
The Rocket had not lifted the trophy since 2017, but the Chigwell cueman ended a seven-year wait with a hard-fought 10-7 win over Ali Carter in 2024.
Stephen Hendry won five consecutive Masters titles between 1989 and 1993, with the Scotsman having won the tournament six times in total.
Mark Selby has won the Masters on three occasions, with the Jester from Leicester winning on his tournament debut in 2008 and following up in 2010 and 2013.
The likes of John Higgins, Mark Williams, Neil Robertson, Judd Trump, and current champion Shaun Murphy all have a brace of titles on their records.
With three titles, Paul Hunter's name is synonymous with this event, with the trophy now named in his honour.
He famously collected his Masters wins in 2001, 2002 and 2004 - all of them via 10-9 scorelines and featuring amazing comebacks from the Leeds-born talent, who sadly passed away in 2006.
