The sharp-shooting Snooker Shoot Out moves to Leicester’s Morningside Arena for this year’s renewal and as always there promises to be plenty of thrills and spills.
There are 128 players battling it out for the trophy after the tournament was upgraded to a ranking event in 2017, but with some of snooker’s big-hitters deciding to sit this event out it does give an opportunity for lower-ranked potters to pick up some prize money.
All matches are played over just a single-frame format, with a ten minute time limit and there is a random draw at the end of each round. It’s 15 seconds per shot in the first five minutes of the match and the clock then drops to ten seconds for the final part of the contest.
Previous Experience Could Count
There have been eleven different winners in the eleven stagings of this event, but there is some merit in looking at previous performances in this unique competition. Michael Holt finished runner-up at the Watford Colosseum in 2019, before lifting the crown a year later and Graeme Dott and Xiao Guodong have both made the final on two occasions.
Mark Selby was beaten by Ryan Day in last year’s final and the Jester is the 18/1 market-leader this time around. The fact those odds are so high shows what an open tournament it is and punters are sure to be well rewarded for finding the winner.
Lisowski Worth Considering
Clearly, a quick cue-action and a fast-thinking mind are advantages in this event. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Jack Lisowski, Zhao Xintong and Gary Wilson are recording the lowest average shot times on the snooker tour this term. The Rocket has declined to take his place in the Leicester field, but Lisowski is in the line-up and he looks a decent punt at 30/1.
The Gloucester potter is a talented performer and has made six ranking event finals in his career. Of course, Jackpot is yet to win his first major tournament, but it only looks a matter of time. Lisowski has looked in decent nick this season, and it’s a format and atmosphere that is unlikely to hinder the excellent Cheltenham cueman.
Robertson Could Rise to the Challenge in Leicester
Another player that could outrun his odds is Jimmy Robertson. J-Rob enjoyed a strong start to the season when making the semi-finals of the British Open and he certainly has the ability to be challenging a little more often.
Things cooled a little for the Bexhill man in the middle part of this campaign, but Robertson did manage good wins over Matthew Selt and Luca Brecel to reach the quarter-final of the World Grand Prix last month. J-Rob has the break-building skills, rhythm and speed of thought to be a force in this event and he could go well at 45/1.
*All odds correct at time of writing
