kevshat Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I know there's a bit of snooker to be played before this tournament begins on Sunday but I think it's worth getting the thread up early as it's one of snookers best events. The whole tournament is live on the Beeb (TV and website) and looking at the draw it should be a fantastic week of snooker. The format is the usual one with all the matches best of 11 frames apart from the final which is the best of 19 frames. The only difference is this will be the first Masters at the Ally Pally as opposed to Wembley. Hopefully wind doesn't stop play this week :lol. Draw can be found here:- http://www.worldsnooker.com/staticFiles/3b/98/0,,13165~170043,00.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fader Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters I'm really looking forward to this. Will take a proper look tonight and do a few write ups. Here's hoping for a profitible tournament. :ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muse Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Shaun Murphy Vs Martin Gould Martin Gould @ 2.6 Martin is one of the most improved players in the last year. He has reached a semi final and final of the last two PTCs he's played in. Murphy on the other hand has had a bellow average season so far aside from winning an invitation event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThusPrider Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Early thoughts on odds: Ding vs O'sullivan Defending champion gets us underway. Hes had bad records against O'sullivan, but it depends on how O'sullivan is treating this game. If he doesnt take this too seriously, Ding can easily knock in a couple of centurys and steam ahead. Perhaps Ding 2.625 has some value. Trump vs Bingham Very generous odds being offered on Trump @ 8/15 imo. I'd say Trump should have this in the bag 75% of the time, and 8/15 is definately better than 1/3 (75%) by a long margin. I'd expect Trump to challenge for this title. Carter - Dott Carter 10/11 Against Dott (11/10) also looks good. Carter is extremely composed and will feel that if he plays well he is a serious challenger for this years Masters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fader Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters 5pts Trump to win The Masters 13/2 Various My favourite player. I backed him in the UK Championships and he won with some style, without even needing to go into top gear, beating good players along the way. I've backed him for the champions league and he is in final 8 of that, again beating the likes of Selby and the very much in-form Murphy and now with the Masters coming along I think there is nobody more in form than Trump. 2pts Shaun Murphy to win The Masters 16/1 Bodog Beat Selby 3-0 in the champs qualifier. May not be a big tournament or priority for these guys, but that's still some serious form. Done well in the PDC event and I think for 16/1 that's got to be some value there. Would need to beat Gould and then Selby and has already shown he can do that. 2pts Mark Allen to win Q2 13/2 Bet365 Allen's performance in the UK Champs was brilliant for me. In the final to be honest he could of easily won that if it wern't for the massive lead Judd Trump had at the end. I think he won like 5 frames on the spin after Judd getting 8 on the spin. If he can play like that in this tournament, he will win this Quarter. 2pts Shaun Murphy to win Quarter Q3 5/2 Bet365 Another man in brilliant form. Done very well on the PDC events and is going well in the champs league too, getting into the last 8 beating Selby 3-0 in the final of the qualifiers. His potting and positional play is on fire right now, so this is great value. He will need to beat Selby again, but he has shown that's doable. 2pts Dott to win Q4 18/5 Boylesport Dott would need to beat Carter (which I think he will) and then probably Higgins in the 2nd round. Higgins can be hot and cold. He could go out R1 or win it, but I don't think he plays enough tournaments to be in the right frame of mind to win this and Stevens by what I've seen recently are in poor form and I feel Dott can beat any of these on his day. He is far more consistant nowadays and this is a nice price. 1pt Name the finalist - Trump Vs Murphy 25/1 Skybet Bit of fun bet. Two most in-form players for me, so why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadley Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters 2pts Dott to win Q4 18/5 Boylesport Dott would need to beat Carter (which I think he will) and then probably Williams in the 2nd round. Both Williams and Stevens by what I've seen recently are in poor form and I feel Dott can beat any of these on his day. He is far more consistant nowadays and this is a nice price. I believe that its Higgins or Stevens for the winner of the Dott Carter match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fader Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters I believe that its Higgins or Stevens for the winner of the Dott Carter match. good spot, I should re-read before posting. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferret147 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters If you want a laugh have a look at Niky's predictions - http://youtu.be/ECa_yHfrfRs I would love for her prediction of the winner to some true but sadly I do not think it will happen. On the good side if Stevens looses to John Higgins in the first round he will be travelling to Birmingham the next day to film a episode of A Question of Sport. SN: Shaun Murphy films a episode of Pointless for The BBC this week ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHughes Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Mark Selby to win The Masters - 13/2 Skybet Selby looks like he has the favour of the draw avoiding o'sullivan, trump, robertson and Williams to name a few. He is the world number 1 but has not really had a good major tournament performance in a while so therefore I think that he is due one. I feel this could be the one though, he has already won the masters twice before and with the favoured half of the draw I can see him certainly up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussP Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Really looking to this:nana Outright bets first and I do feel like a bit of a fraud as I'm taking 3, rather than my customary 2 (one from each half) but, at the prices, I hope you think I'm justifed:ok S.Maguire to win The Masters, 1pt EW @ 25/1 Coral (1/2 odds 1-2) S.Maguire to hit highest break at The Masters, 1pt EW @ 16/1 Bet365 (1/4 odds 1-3) I'm really expecting Maguire to go well this week at an event he's reached the semi finals on 3 occasions. Is in cracking form at present, winning the last PTC event and getting as far as the last 16 previous to that. In the last ranking event, the UK, he got to the quarters before succumbing to eventual winner & man of the moment, Judd Trump. No shame in that, considering his 2 wins there were against fellow countrymen Stephen Hendry & John Higgins. Opens up against Mark Williams and is the underdog but Williams ain't in great form and has a very poor H2H against Mags. In the high break market, I always like to follow Maguire who has a habit of hitting at least 1 high ton per event and he is seeking the highest break here at the Masters for the 3rd year on the trot. That would be some achievement and at a big price looks well worth an EW investment. M.Gould to win The Masters, 0.75pts EW @ 40/1 Betfred (1/2 odds 1-2) I do feel with the introduction of the PTC events, current form has more of a bearing than it's ever had and, if that's the case, Martin Gould is a stupid price at 40's. Admittedly, he has a tough quarter in that he faces another in form animal in Shaun Murphy first up before a likely quarter final against fav, Mark Selby. However, I really think Gould will be suited by the venue and atmosphere and is a fearless player now, improving leaps and bounds over the last 12 months. His current form is none too shabby either, with a final and semi final appearance in the last 2 PTC's, making him the current form player. In the UK, he did lose to Murphy 6-4 but will be looking for revenge and I think this price is not reflective of his chances. G.Dott to win The Masters, 0.75pts EW @ 25/1 Betfred (1/2 odds 1-2) As many will know, I'm a huge fan of Dotty. A much better player than he's often given credit for, Dott has a lovely draw this week and it's on that basis I'm taking this bet. He opens up with a match against an out of form & despodent Ali Carter, who has talked of retiring at the end of the season. With that frame of mind & the battling qualities of Dott, I expect the Scot to come through that. He then faces either John Higgins or Matt Stevens, 2 players I'm convinced he has the beating of and, in Higgins, someone he knocked out of the UK last month. Reached the semi of the penultimate PTC, losing to eventual winner Tom Ford, so it can be said he's cueing well too. In such a tight event, I think he's got one of the better draws and I expect him to go well this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevshat Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters 2 for me this week outright wise. 2pts ew M.Selby to win The Masters 13/2 William Hill (1/2 1,2) Mark Selby arrives in London having had a good season so far with wins in the Wuxi Classic and Shanghai Masters not to mention a decent PTC series where he won events and went deep in others. He really enjoys this tournament having won it twice and he will be looking to complete his hat trick this year and especially with this being the first tournament at the Ally Pally. Selby has avoided the top half of the draw which is crucial because that's a minefield and he's landed himself in the easier quarter of the draw too which is a bonus. He'll face Stephen Lee and then the winner of Gould or Murphy so I would expect Selby to make it to the semi finals and from there we will have hit the value in this bet. Having won the tournament twice we know he has what it takes to win this tournament and beat the best and having been in good touch for the first half of the season I think he could be the one to beat with his draw this week. 1pt ew S.Maguire to win The Masters 25/1 Coral (1/2 1,2) Stephen Maguire is in the more difficult top half of the draw so he will need to play well for this to land but he is playing well and there's no reason why he can't come through this draw. We saw in the UK Championship that Maguire is working hard and fighting well and more importantly for his game he is scoring well. He continued that in Germany last week in the PTC tournament which he won with a series of fine performances and if he brings that game with him to London this week then I think he could take some beating. For so long Stephen Maguire has underachieved from the man who looked like he was going to take the world by storm when he won the UK title 8 years ago but he has played well in the PTC's over the last 2 years and that has given his game the confidence boost it needed to get him scoring heavily again and playing good match snooker. He will have it tough here but when he plays well he is still as good as anyone and at this price given the good form he's been in I'll have a small bet to see how much damage he can do in that top half of the draw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevshat Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters One match bet to begin with. 4pts R.O'Sullivan (-1.5 frames) to beat D.Junhui 17/20 Sportingbet This is Ronnie O'Sullivan's patch and he usually always plays well here and I think we might just see some vintage Ronnie this week. He'll have friends and family in the crowd cheering him on and we've seen in this tournament in the past how that can intimidate Ding. This match is completely sold out and the London fans absolutely love O'Sullivan. I've been to many of his matches in this tournament and the crowd do hinder his opponent particularly when this tournament used to be in the Conference Centre but at Ally Pally the same effect could happen. Ding doesn't come into this match off the greatest form this season. In the main I think he's struggled in the PTC events and his major event results haven't been a lot better. It could be that the fact he's defending the title he won 12 months ago inspires him to produce his best snooker which he's known for being able to provide at the drop of the hat but I'm not so sure that will be enough anyway. The way Ronnie is sliding down the rankings this could be the last time he plays in this tournament and if it is I think he'll want to do some damage on his way out. Not only has O'Sullivan walloped Ding in the final of this before he thrashed him in the final of the Premier League which was their most recent meeting. I don't think Ding is scoring heavily enough this season to beat O'Sullivan and I think the home hero will come through this and come through it no worse than 6-4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussP Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters One for me in the opener. R.O'Sullivan to score highest break v D.Junhui, 4pts @ 8/11 Ladbrokes I'm in agreement with Kev here. I don't think Ding is playing well enough nor is he capable to defending his crown. I think the pressure of coming here as champion, as well as the intimidation of playing Ronnie in his own backyard, will affect his already unsteady game. We all know how Ronnie loves to entertain and I firmly believe he'll be in that mode today as this is the event he always wants to do well in. I see at least 1 frame from the Rocket where he'll score big and think he's too big a price to outscore Ding here. O'Sullivan generally has a 'hold' over Ding, remember that 10-2 mauling a few years back! Looking forward to this opener and hoping that a O'Sullivan ton will be enough to start us off on the right footing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussP Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Good start Kev:clap And a winner for me too, let's hope it's a sign of things to come. Taking 2 in tonights match. S.Maguire to beat M.Williams, 3pts @ 11/8 BlueSq S.Maguire to score highest break v M.Williams, 4pts @ Evs Bet365 I've already said enough about Maguire's credentials in both these markets as I've taken him outright but just to clarify; he's a player in top form at present, going very well in the PTC's and only lost out to eventual winner Judd Trump in the UK. He also has an excellent 4-1 H2H against Williams, including a 5-3 victory at last season's Welsh Open. From a break perspective, he's hit the highest at this event in the last 2 years and is a player who quite often hits a 130/140 in his matches. Mark Williams rise back to the game's elite has been nothing short of amazing but recently he's shown signs that his game is not all it's cracked up to be. Started the season well, reaching the final of both the Australian and the Shanghai but since then, has been awful. Beat Jogia and lost to Walden at the UK and has beat no-one of note at the PTC's in between. There was always a theory with Williams that he only ever scored enough to win a frame and wasn't that bothered about big breaks. In the last 12 months, he's dispelled that with some excellent break building but, with the state of his game currently, I'll think he'll be solely focused on getting frames on the board. The current form of the respective players make me confident that we can bring both the bets in here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevshat Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Great work Russ :clap. +3.40 for me with the Ronnie handicap coming in. I'm going to take two for tonight and add another outright to the portfolio. 4pts M.Williams vs S.Maguire - Over 9 frames 11/10 Bet365 4pts S.Maguire to make highest break Evs Betfred I think this should be a really good match tonight between two gutsy and very good players. While I think Maguire will edge it because he comes into the tournament in very good form I don't think Williams will go down without a fight. He rarely does. I think whoever wins this will win it 6-4 or 6-5 because they are quite evenly matched in their game. Williams is the more consistent with his game but the form guide is definitely in favour of Maguire both in terms of his form coming into the tournament and his surprising 4-1 head to head record. That will give Maguire confidence although it isn't the sort of thing Williams will worry about so I expect a good game here with at least 10 frames. I'm happy to take Maguire to make the highest break here with the form he's in and the scoring power he currently has in his game. Williams has never really cared for big breaks but I sense Maguire will be out to lay a marker down so I'll take him to score the highest break in what has the potential for a tight match. 2pts A 147 in the tournament 7/2 Paddy Power Isn't a huge amount for reasoning to this but 147's are becoming almost the norm in snooker at the minute with an insane amount hit in the PTC events and even a Marco Fu one in the World Open qualifiers earlier in the week. We've got the best 16 players in the world in operation this week with the table looking good and a venue which should inspire everyone in a tournament which has never lacked inspiration. Nearly everyone in the tournament is capable of hitting a 147 so I think we'll see one this week if not more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevshat Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Both match bets won in the evening match but I lost the Maguire outright so that leaves me at +9.8pts after the opening day. I'm off to the Ally Pally tomorrow and I'm going to take a load of bets with me. 6pts J.Trump (-1.5 frames) to beat S.Bingham 8/11 Paddy Power 2pts J.Trump to win 6-2 7/1 William Hill 1pt J.Trump to win 6-1 14/1 William Hill I really like the look of Judd Trump in this match. He comes into the tournament absolutely flying after his UK win where he played some of the best snooker you will see in the final of that tournament. When you consider Mark Allen had 4 tons and a 90 and lost 10-8 it says everything about Judd's performance on the day. It was what he would call very naughty and I expect more 'naughty' snooker from the talented youngster on Monday afternoon. He seems to thrive in front of big crowds and he'll have a big crowd all there to see him here. Stuart Bingham is absolutely no mug and shouldn't be thought of as one but I just don't see where he's getting close here. His safety game isn't his strength at the best of times but it's going to be under so much pressure in this match because Judd can pot anything from any position. As well as Bingham can play I just think he'll get frozen out similar to how Stephen Maguire was against Judd in the UK Championship last month. Bingham can take some solace in his 5-1 win over Trump in the Shanghai Masters earlier in the season but I expect Trump to extract maximum revenge here. Both the 6-1 and 6-2 scorelines are overpriced with William Hill compared to the rest and I'm prepared to chance them as I see this being a one sided first round match. 4pts M.Gould to beat S.Murphy 13/8 Bet365 4pts Over 9 frames 11/10 Bet365 3pts M.Gould Highest Break in match 13/10 Paddy Power I'm going a bit mad on this match but with good reason I believe. We've actually got a recent form guide on this match as they met in the UK Championship last month. On that occasion Gould did a no show until he was 5-0 down but when he showed up he banged in 2 tons and reeled off 4 frames in no time and had Murphy very scared as he just about managed to stumble over the line before losing in the quarter final to Ricky Walden in his next match. I don't believe Murphy is playing well this season. For me his shot selection has been too careful and cautious and it's an aggressor's world out there now. He cued very well in the Championship League last week but I've found out the hard way on more than one occasion that although it's match practice it isn't a particularly strong form guide for the proper stuff. If Martin Gould turns up from the first frame here then I think he can beat Murphy. Gould made the final and the semi final of the last 2 PTC events so comes in here in tip top form and not only can he beat Murphy but he can bang in the highest break in the match too. Gould is a very heavy scorer as Murphy found out in York and 13/10 is too big on him having the highest break of this match. One thing Murphy has got in him these days is a fighting instinct and I think that can see this match go pretty close. We know Gould fights. We saw it in York and so this match should go at least 6-4 if not 6-5 but when it's won I think the more aggressive Gould will have won it and recorded the highest break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThusPrider Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Both match bets won in the evening match but I lost the Maguire outright so that leaves me at +9.8pts after the opening day. I'm off to the Ally Pally tomorrow and I'm going to take a load of bets with me. 6pts J.Trump (-1.5 frames) to beat S.Bingham 8/11 Paddy Power 2pts J.Trump to win 6-2 7/1 William Hill 1pt J.Trump to win 6-1 14/1 William Hill I really like the look of Judd Trump in this match. He comes into the tournament absolutely flying after his UK win where he played some of the best snooker you will see in the final of that tournament. When you consider Mark Allen had 4 tons and a 90 and lost 10-8 it says everything about Judd's performance on the day. It was what he would call very naughty and I expect more 'naughty' snooker from the talented youngster on Monday afternoon. He seems to thrive in front of big crowds and he'll have a big crowd all there to see him here. Stuart Bingham is absolutely no mug and shouldn't be thought of as one but I just don't see where he's getting close here. His safety game isn't his strength at the best of times but it's going to be under so much pressure in this match because Judd can pot anything from any position. As well as Bingham can play I just think he'll get frozen out similar to how Stephen Maguire was against Judd in the UK Championship last month. Bingham can take some solace in his 5-1 win over Trump in the Shanghai Masters earlier in the season but I expect Trump to extract maximum revenge here. Both the 6-1 and 6-2 scorelines are overpriced with William Hill compared to the rest and I'm prepared to chance them as I see this being a one sided first round match. 4pts M.Gould to beat S.Murphy 13/8 Bet365 4pts Over 9 frames 11/10 Bet365 3pts M.Gould Highest Break in match 13/10 Paddy Power That will be a nice day out! Agree with this pick. Though Im abit annoyed that odds on trump drifted abit... I was going to back him at 8/15 earlier in this thread with a handicap price closer to 5/6 on -1.5. Anyway 1.73 is still value! Ive also stuck some money on Carter outright at 50/1 on Betfair, he aint no O'Sullivan but surely 50/1 is overpriced for a solid player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImLovinIt Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Both match bets won in the evening match but I lost the Maguire outright so that leaves me at +9.8pts after the opening day. I'm off to the Ally Pally tomorrow and I'm going to take a load of bets with me. 6pts J.Trump (-1.5 frames) to beat S.Bingham 8/11 Paddy Power 2pts J.Trump to win 6-2 7/1 William Hill 1pt J.Trump to win 6-1 14/1 William Hill I really like the look of Judd Trump in this match. He comes into the tournament absolutely flying after his UK win where he played some of the best snooker you will see in the final of that tournament. When you consider Mark Allen had 4 tons and a 90 and lost 10-8 it says everything about Judd's performance on the day. It was what he would call very naughty and I expect more 'naughty' snooker from the talented youngster on Monday afternoon. He seems to thrive in front of big crowds and he'll have a big crowd all there to see him here. Stuart Bingham is absolutely no mug and shouldn't be thought of as one but I just don't see where he's getting close here. His safety game isn't his strength at the best of times but it's going to be under so much pressure in this match because Judd can pot anything from any position. As well as Bingham can play I just think he'll get frozen out similar to how Stephen Maguire was against Judd in the UK Championship last month. Bingham can take some solace in his 5-1 win over Trump in the Shanghai Masters earlier in the season but I expect Trump to extract maximum revenge here. Both the 6-1 and 6-2 scorelines are overpriced with William Hill compared to the rest and I'm prepared to chance them as I see this being a one sided first round match. Nice, thanks, I was tempted to go for the -1.5 handicap initially, but backed out, however, then read your post and was convinced. Made over £100 on this match, thanks a lot bro. ;) :ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidymac Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Nice, thanks, I was tempted to go for the -1.5 handicap initially, but backed out, however, then read your post and was convinced. Made over £100 on this match, thanks a lot bro. ;) :ok Eh. The game is not over yet ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImLovinIt Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters I got cocky :D Is now anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThusPrider Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters I tried to back Trump -1.5 at 1.82 at Betfair, and there was already money laying it so only some of my bet was matched, even with 5% commission this is very good odds against most bookies so I put in a nice wager and I though it will sure to match! Being naughty I caught the conclusion of the game on the BBC website and was relieved to see Trump win by 3 frames... forgetting that only 10% of my stake had been matched on betfair... Comes back to check my winnings and see a real dissapointment :(. Lesson learnt from me! Resisting temptation to chase back losses, im going to place a modest bet on Gould against Murphy. He is one a very underrated player and most mugs money will be on Murphy, rightly the favourite. But I fancy Gould to give him a game. He won some nice events recently and can handle "hostile" crowds. I fancy him to settle quickly and smash in a couple of centurys. Murphy is no pushover, but 8/15 is horrible odds to back, needing to win 65% of the time to profit. Gould +1.5 Evens 5/10 :hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidymac Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters I tried to back Trump -1.5 at 1.82 at Betfair, and there was already money laying it so only some of my bet was matched, even with 5% commission this is very good odds against most bookies so I put in a nice wager and I though it will sure to match! Being naughty I caught the conclusion of the game on the BBC website and was relieved to see Trump win by 3 frames... forgetting that only 10% of my stake had been matched on betfair... Comes back to check my winnings and see a real dissapointment :(. Lesson learnt from me! Resisting temptation to chase back losses, im going to place a modest bet on Gould against Murphy. He is one a very underrated player and most mugs money will be on Murphy, rightly the favourite. But I fancy Gould to give him a game. He won some nice events recently and can handle "hostile" crowds. I fancy him to settle quickly and smash in a couple of centurys. Murphy is no pushover, but 8/15 is horrible odds to back, needing to win 65% of the time to profit. Gould +1.5 Evens 5/10 :hope Agree with the Gould bet, had a bit at evens myself. :hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western skies Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters The Masters was an absolute car crash of an event for me last season, so fingers crossed it goes better this time. Taking this one early and it's a maximum bet. 10pts - G Dott to beat A Carter @ 1.8 with Bet365 The price has dropped since I first checked on Saturday and I'm not surprised, but I think it still represents decent value. Ali Carter has been in shocking form this season. He's had well documented health problems and his motivation has to be questioned as he's openly talking about quitting snooker after the World Championship. He's managed just two last 16 runs in the 12 PTC events, fallen at the first hurdle in Australia and Shanghai, and managed a scrappy 6-4 win over Robert Milkins in the UK before being swept aside by Mark Allen. Dott's major ranking tournament performances haven't been anything to write home about this season either, although he missed Australia through injury, but he's been very solid in the PTCs with a final and three semi-finals putting him 6th on the final order of merit. For me, he's just too solid for Ali at the moment and, unless the Captain's form has undergone a minor miracle over the Christmas period, I can't see how Ali can prevail here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussP Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Oh dear, Stephen Maguire:wall Running late so here are tonights bets. M.Gould to beat S.Murphy, 3pts @ 13/8 Betfred M.Gould v S.Murphy, under 5.5 50+ breaks, 3pts @ 5/4 Paddy Power M.Gould v S.Murphy, under 0.5 century breaks, 4pts @ 7/4 Paddy Power Another one of my outrights running here and I'm hoping Gould can do the business. As Kev has already said, Gould's been in tip top form in the PTC's whilst Murphy doesn't seem to be on his game. I think Shaun will come here desperately trying to 'stop' Gould playing and believe it could turn into a scrappy affair. Gould's attacking nature though should be enough to take the required 6 frames. We saw yesterday that the players are struggling with the new venue and single table setup and big breaks have been at a premium, Trump aside. I'm taking Martin Gould to overturn his narrow UK defeat here and win what I believe will be a low scoring affair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThusPrider Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters I tried to back Trump -1.5 at 1.82 at Betfair, and there was already money laying it so only some of my bet was matched, even with 5% commission this is very good odds against most bookies so I put in a nice wager and I though it will sure to match! Being naughty I caught the conclusion of the game on the BBC website and was relieved to see Trump win by 3 frames... forgetting that only 10% of my stake had been matched on betfair... Comes back to check my winnings and see a real dissapointment :(. Lesson learnt from me! Resisting temptation to chase back losses, im going to place a modest bet on Gould against Murphy. He is one a very underrated player and most mugs money will be on Murphy, rightly the favourite. But I fancy Gould to give him a game. He won some nice events recently and can handle "hostile" crowds. I fancy him to settle quickly and smash in a couple of centurys. Murphy is no pushover, but 8/15 is horrible odds to back, needing to win 65% of the time to profit. Gould +1.5 Evens 5/10 :hope Bet lost, Bright start by Gould, with both players making mistakes Gould was unable to capitalise and Gould made the last mistake to allow Murphy to clear up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThusPrider Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Higgins vs Stevens All mugs like me know Higgins is the favourite for simply skill reasons. Im not a fan of Higgins, but theres no denying his tournament success and consistancys. Stevens are less used to big events like this, with one table and a crowd of 1,500, as he rarely gets to one-table tournament stages. He hasnt participated in the Master for 4 years, and perhaps should relish this oppotunity, though his previous exploits in the Masters have mainly been getting knocked out in the first round. Higgins will adapt to the atmosphere faster and should get off to a good start. Stevens will struggle but he is a good player and have picked up very nice wins this season in smaller events and should be good on confidence. but this is a different ball park as they say. Bit of a safe bet by me, only because I think even if Stevens go 5 - 2 up, he will find it very hard to find that last needed frame against a resiliant Higgins, and theres a good chance he can turn it around to a decider. (Curse you Higgins, lost me abit of money when I backed Mark in the 2010 UK final @ 5/2...) Higgins 1/2 10/10 VC (BetVictor should I say) Higgins -1.5 WH 4/5 2/10 These are the predictions of a mug, I hope Kev dont wake up at 3am this morning and take a Stevens win at 15/8. Ill be sure then Stevens will win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Higgins v Stevens - 4pts over 9.5 frames @ 2.00 Skybet Higgins v Stevens - 2pts Stevens win @ 2.75 Skybet I fancy a close game between these two and its one that I think Stevens has a decent chance to win - certainly better than the odds on offer IMO. Stevens has already beaten Higgins twice in the premier league this season and has showed signs of getting back to his earlier career form, which has seen him get back into the top 16. Higgins on the other hand hasn't had the greatest of seasons so far, going out of the UK Championship to Stephen Maguire with his best ranking event the QF of the Shanghai Masters. In three meetings between the two last year Stevens holds a 2-1 lead although these wins were both in the Premier League format, with Higgins winning 5-3 in the Welsh open. I dont see either player winning this any better than 6-4, so I will take the over's on frames and a little nibble that Stevens can come out on top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western skies Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters 4pts - J Higgins v M Stevens - over 9 frames @ 2.20 with Bet365 I'm in agreement with BIG X here and think this should be a tight match. Higgins hasn't come close to recapturing last season's inspired form yet and, despite winning in 1999 and 2006, the Masters hasn't been the happiest of hunting grounds for him in the past. He's still a force to be reckoned with of course, but I fancy Matthew can push him all the way here. Stevens still has a tendency to lose far too many close matches and his temperament is suspect when the pressure is really on, but the good thing about this bet is that he only has to go close. His record against the top players in the last few seasons shows that he's more then capable of taking them down to wire, he just can't be relied on to finish the job. For that reason, I can't bring myself to back him here despite Higgins' questionable form, but I do think he's a strong contender to put at least 4 frames on the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevshat Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Easy come, easy go as they say. Was looking good for more profit from the Gould match last night at 1-0 and Gould in the balls then he missed a straight forward green right in front of me and never looked like winning after that. Onto today and I'll take one in the first match of what should be a blinding day of snooker. 4pts J.Higgins vs M.Stevens - Over 9 frames 6/5 Bet365 This is a bit of a weird match to get a hold on really. Both men have won this title but yet you would have to say both have poor records in the event overall. Higgins has claimed never to really get on with the Wembley atmosphere so it will be interesting to see if he copes better in a smaller, more intimate set up at Ally Pally. I didn't think the crowd were as raucous yesterday as I've known it in the Masters and two Londoners were playing so I don't see atmosphere being an issue for Higgins. His form is a different story though as he hasn't really clicked into gear at all yet. He needed a fluke to see off McLeod in the UK Championship and then got a bit of a beating from Maguire in the next round but one thing we know Higgins has is plenty of fight about him. We've seen that with everything he's been through in the last 12 months or so. Matthew Stevens' record here actually surprises me. I always had the thought that he goes well in this. He won it in 2000 but I was surprised to read the programme last night and see he's lost seven first round matches out of seven since then. He's back in this tournament after a bit of an absence though and is playing fairly well and scoring well which he'll need to do in this match. I'm not going to read too much into the Premier League meetings between the two this season because Higgins just turns up for the money in that event pretty much. That means rather than taking Stevens to win which could easily happen with the poor form Higgins has displayed in the bigger events this season, I'll take the over 9 frames as I think both will be good enough for 4 frames and then whatever happens from there could be anything. Both men are have plenty of spirit and 6-4 is the worst I see this ending but wouldn't be surprised if we have the first deciding frame of the week here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LockStockLad Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Re: Snooker: 2012 Masters Howdy Everyone. First of all, I have been a long time admirer of this forum without contributing much. I hope for that to change this year. KevShat, always used to follow your tips an age ago when scanning the threads and nice to still see you writing up informative and well opinionated guidance. I couldn't help pitch in here as Snooker (along with Golf) has been the books I have operated to a profit in the last few years. (Lets not talk about the Nags though :cry). Bar one tip on Mark Allen to win his quarter I've heard little noise about this guy winning this week and the bookies seem to be happy to lay him as well. The Masters has always been the venue where spectators are more vocal, appreciating fast, attacking snooker and applauding anyone with an eye for danger. Anyone who knows the game can see that Allen is more than just a flair player. Ok, he isn't quite as refined in the safety department as others.....its probably what seperated him from Trump when narrowly missing out on the UK but boy did he pot some long balls under pressure in that final and went down admirably. In the big tournaments you want to be on the guy that pots that 50/50 chance that brings frame winning opportunities. The snooker world is rife with ability these days, there really isn't much seperating the the top 16, especially in a race to 5 or 6. Im not sure Ally Pally has the same vibe but Allen should be at home here playing on the big stage. His opener is obviously as challenging as they come but its an evening session at the Masters and Allen will win a big tournament this year in my opinion with some small alterations to shot selection and patience, this could be his chance. 18/1 I feel is too high (which I have just taken). Higgins/Ronnie are not the big fish by any means that they used to be and Ding (eliminated I know) and Selby especially who I had earmerked to take over the mantle seemed to have hit a bit of a brick wall the last 6 months. Allen for me is someone showing courage and progession but more than anything an appetite to win and win handsomely. Mark Allen to win the Masters @ 18/1 Mark Allen to beat Neil Robertson @ 5/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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