World Championship Snooker Betting: Quarter Winners

World Snooker Championship Betting / Tareq Quiroz / 15 April 2009 / Leave a Comment

In trying to pick the winner of this great tournament it is common to come unstuck at the final four. Fortunately, the Quarter Winner markets mean you don't have to go beyond that stage, says Tareq Quiroz.

The First Quarter contains the world number one and defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan. I am sure he will progress to the quarter-final but he will probably come across recent China Open winner Peter Ebdon at that point. These two have a history and should Ronnie be found wanting in the mental department then Ebdon is the man to take advantage. At odds of [11.0] Ebdon is the man for quarter one.

Quarter two is very competitive and if the tournament second favourite Mark Selby is to come through he will have to do it the hard way. He doesn't come here in the best of form and possibly out of sorts since being served with a writ live on TV. This quarter is primed for the taking for John Higgins. I think the [3.5] for the former World Champion is decent value.

Quarter three is definitely the most interesting. With Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui, Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams all in this quarter they will take most of the attention. A perfect foil for the quiet man of snooker Marco Fu. Whilst the others play for their reputations I fully expect Fu to blindside them and take this quarter at attractive odds of [6.5].

The Fourth Quarter is probably the least appetising but at the same time very intriguing. Stephen Maguire is the deserved stand out favourite in this group. Talent wise Maguire is a world champion in the waiting but heed the warning that when the Scot is playing poorly he is truly dreadful. He has no B game and at [2.4] Maguire has to be the biggest lay in the Quarter Winner markets.