Masters Snooker Day 1 Tips: Robertson v Murphy set to be a thriller

• Robbo and Murphy to serve up centuries

• Final frame decider on the cards?

• Selby match to go deep

Perhaps uniquely among snooker tournaments, there is no such thing as a banker at the Masters. An invitational restricted to the top-16 eligible players means everybody is world-class and everybody deserves their place in the Alexandra Palace line-up. They all arrive relatively fresh following the Christmas break.

Robertson v Selby could well be the final

Do bear that in mind before piling into odds-on favourites. It would be perfectly logical to look at Sunday's two first round matches and see a 'banker double' on Neil Robertson and Mark Selby, to beat Shaun Murphy and Hossein Vafaei respectively. It pays around 1.84/5 but doesn't appeal to me.

That isn't to quibble with either man's claims. They fought out a superb semi-final at the English Open before Christmas, with Selby prevailing before went on to lift the title. Robertson is probably the best in the world right now, and playing some scintillating snooker without getting his head over the line. They could well meet in the final, and Selby is one of my quartet of outright selections.

However neither Murphy or Vafaei is a pushover, and both have plenty of previous against their superior opponent. Whether they progress or not, I reckon at least 1.84/5 will become available about one of the favourites at some stage in-running, and expect close matches.

Murphy is on the comeback trail

Defending champion Robertson kicks off the tournament against what appears to be a rejuvenated Murphy. He has been really struggling with injury and looked on a downward spiral, but there was enough in his pre-Christmas form to think he's on the comeback trail.

Two years ago he turned up here with no form and played brilliantly to beat Mark Williams at this stage. His claims this year are better. At the previous major, he beat Judd Trump with three tons before going down to a superb Jack Lisowski performance. At the English Open, he lost to eventual champion Selby in a decider.

Whilst Robertson leads their head-to-head by a commanding 17-10 scoreline, it isn't so one-sided once digging a little deeper. The frame score is 153-137 - which merely reflects the reality that the Aussie has achieved more throughout their careers - and in majors, he only leads 5-4.

Daily double (pays £5.63 to a £1 stake)

Three or more centuries in Robertson v Murphy @ 2.56/4
Over 9.5 Frames in Selby v Vafaei @ 2.255/4

Try two bets. First, the odds about 6-5 either way amount to around 7/2. That appeals in what looks a high-class affair, as does 6/4 about three or more centuries. Robertson is averaging a ton in less than every six frames this term and Murphy in less than every eight.

No reason why Vafaei should fear Selby

Vafaei is making his Masters debut, so any bet carries considerable risk that he may take time to settle. However he's struck me in previously as very well-suited to the big occasions. And he should not fear Selby, having knocked him out of the last two UK Championships. He only trails their head-to-head 4-3, and by two frames at 29-27.

Betting-wise, I must follow the same plan that has worked so well, over so many years in Selby matches. For all his class, he is prone to starting slowly and makes harder work of matches than the initial odds imply. There has never been a greater comeback player in history. Unless Vafaei freezes at the start, I'm confident we'll see over 9.5 frames here.

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