2021 The Masters predictions – Trump Looks Set To Maintain Recent Form

The Masters takes place at the Alexandra Palace in London every year, and is widely regarded as one of the most exciting and prestigious tournaments on the circuit. Interestingly, the Masters isn’t actually a ranking event, but being part of Snooker’s Triple Crown, and having one of the biggest prize pools, it’s easily one of the most popular. 2021 The Masters predictions looks at odds on the 16 players invited to compete for the title this time around.

Fans are always buzzing at the return of the tournament, and tickets can sell out very quickly, with ticket sales increasing 25% since 2017. But if you don’t have one, you can also watch Masters snooker live streaming on digital devices with bet365 anywhere. The bet365 live streaming service is one of the best ways to watch live snooker – all you need is a funded account or to have placed a bet in the previous 24 hours to qualify.

Invitation only tournament is part of snooker Triple Crown

Of the three Triple Crown snooker events this season, The Masters will be the second. And while the UK Championship and the World Championship are open to all professional players, The Masters is invitation only, open to just the top sixteen players in the world. The tournament lasts one week and is played as a knockout event with 4 rounds. Players must win 4 matches to win the title – the round of 16 tie, quarter final, semi-final and final. All matches are best of 11 frames, increasing to best of 19 in the final. 2021 will see the 47th edition of the tournament, culminating with the final being shown live on the BBC on Sunday 17th January 2021.

First played in 1975, it is the second longest running tournament behind the World Championship. Notable winners have included Ronnie O’Sullivan – with the most Masters titles at seven – and Stephen Hendry with six. Steve Davis, Mark Selby, Cliff Thorburn and Paul Hunter have all won three Masters Finals. In 1988, Steve Davis became the first player (and only to date) to whitewash his opponent in the final, beating Mike Hallett 9-0. If you’re interested in wagering on other Triple Crown events this season, you can also read more here Bet on Snooker World Championship Winner at the Crucible. And check out online gambling sites in the UK to see what markets and wagers are available.

As an extra incentive to players, total prize money for this year’s event is £725,000, broken down as follows:

2021 The Masters predictions favour the World Champion

So who is looking good for the win? Ronnie O’Sullivan won his first Masters title aged 19, the youngest person ever to do so. He is always a popular choice to win the Masters, seeming to thrive on the shorter frame format compared with the World Championship. He has, however, pulled out of the tournament this year, saying he felt his spot at the showpiece event should go to someone who will “give 110%”. Whatever the reason, it will certainly make the tournament easier for the competition, although possibly a little less entertaining.

Judd Trump is the bookies’ favourite right now, and for good reason. Trump completed the career Triple Crown with his victory at the World Championship, and heads into the Masters as the number one ranked player in the world. Snooker fans have known for a long time that Trump has the raw talent to be the dominant force in the game. And it looks as though his struggles to succeed on the biggest stages are behind him, with possibly many more big titles to follow. He is now very much the man to beat at Alexandra Palace.

Mark Selby is another serial winner, landing the last of his three titles in 2013. On winning the 2016 UK Championship, he also become only the sixth player to win all three Triple Crown events more than once, following previous Masters and World Championship successes. If you’re looking for futures bets, DoubleBet Sportsbook are offering odds on no less than 28 people to win the tournament, with bets open until 10th Jan 2021.

Odds on top 7 at DoubleBet Sportsbook:

2021 The Masters predictions – how to bet on The Masters

Because the tournament involves the top sixteen players in the world, there are rarely any real shock results here. And ultimately, the winner needs to win only four matches, the first three of which are best of eleven frames. For this reason, the earlier rounds tend to involve a lot of close matches. In 2016, for example, four of the first round matches went to a deciding frame. It’s not unknown for higher seeded players to be knocked out in the first round, so unlike many tournaments, it’s often worthwhile considering a bet on the outsider.

The Masters features the best players in the world. And with the tournament being such a crowd pleaser, it attracts a range of betting markets and promotions. Betting on the number of centuries, and the player to score the highest break are always popular – these players are often different to the overall winner of the tournament. With each match taking place at a different time, betting in-play is also popular, as you can enjoy concentrating on one game at a time. And, as always, it pays to look at the form guide leading into the tournament. So if you want to take a look at some added value offers from trusted online bookmakers, check them here at online sportsbooks in the UK, and maximise your chances of success.

You can discover more about DoubleBet Sportsbook here.