The World Snooker Tour is zipping all over the globe this season, with the Wuhan Open in China sandwiched between the English Open and Northern Ireland Open back in Europe. Despite the jet-lag some may be feeling, the 2023 Northern Ireland Open gets underway this Monday, with a 64-man draw and £427,000 on the line.
News today is that world No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the event due to medical reasons. With the three-time finalist out, and Judd Trump storming into Belfast off the back of two consecutive WST wins, can the Englishman make it three in a row? Defending champion Mark Allen will certainly hope not, as he looks to win three in a row himself, having claimed this title the past two years.
We break down all the latest betting odds from bookmaker bet365 ahead of the 2023 Northern Ireland Open next week and outline the best bets to make before the first break.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: October 20th, 11:30 P.M. (GMT)
It’s no secret who bookmaker bet365 thinks will win the 2023 Northern Ireland Open. With two wins already this month, Judd Trump is paying an incredibly low 4.00 to claim the title in Belfast next weekend. His odds are less than half those of defending champion Mark Allen’s, who sits at 8.50 to prevail.
Behind these two, Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson offer the next closest odds at 9.00 and 10.00 respectively, before Jack Lisowski and Mark Williams round out the top five betting favourites on 12.00. Odds to make the final follow a similar trend, with Trump paying 2.75 through to Lisowski on 7.00.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: October 20th, 11:30 P.M. (GMT)
In the absence of Ronnie O’Sullivan, we see two clear bets to make on the 2023 Northern Ireland Open. First of all, we believe Mark Allen will defend his title yet again, winning his third Northern Ireland Open for a return of 8.50. The Northern Irishman simply loves playing in front of the home fans so much and is in good nick this season as his No. 4 ranking indicates.
For our second bet, we say it will be Judd Trump who Allen defeats in the final. The pair are on opposite sides of the draw, making this meeting very realistic. Trump is in red hot form having just won the English Open and Wuhan Open in consecutive weeks, but chances are the travel and volume of snooker will catch up to him. Expect the Englishman to fall just short but still generate a healthy return of 2.75 for making the final.
