Riyadh Season Championship snooker predictions, betting tips and odds: Rocket can end the year in style

Where to watch the Riyadh Season Championship

DAZN, 2pm Wednesday

Best bet for the Riyadh Season Championship

Ronnie O’Sullivan
1pt 7-2 general

Riyadh Season Championship predictions

The Riyadh Season Championship will wrap up elite snooker for the calendar year and the 12-player event emulates the World Masters, which took place in March in featuring a 'golden ball'.

Just like the World Masters, which was won by Ronnie O’Sullivan, this tournament features a unique Gold Ball worth 20 points and can only be potted at the end of a 147, carrying a huge incentive of $1 million for any player successful in achieving the feat of a 167 maximum break.

Each frame will begin with the Golden Ball on the baulk cushion level with the brown spot and it remains on the table until it is no longer possible to make a 147. John Higgins came close to a historic 167 when missing the yellow in March’s edition.

The field features the top ten players in the world rankings plus two local wild cards, with all matches over the best of seven frames until Friday’s final, which is over the best of nine.

It’s a tiered draw, with Ding Junhui and Zhang Anda playing local amateurs in round one, while Shaun Murphy and Luca Brecel enter the fray in round two.

The remaining six players join in at the quarter-final stage and O’Sullivan may be overpriced to follow up his victory in the inaugural running of this tournament nine months ago.

The Rocket’s powers may be on the wane but the hefty purse that comes with winning this event will provide the seven-time world champion with huge motivation to bring his A game to Riyadh.

O’Sullivan was 11-4 when taking the spoils in March but a stop-start season means he is as big as 7-2 for a repeat triumph.

Ronnie’s route to the final would be Ding or Murphy before taking on Mark Selby or Mark Allen, avoiding the likes of Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson and Mark Williams until a potential title decider, and his Saudi ambassadorial role is expected to keep him focused.

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