From Wuhan to Belfast, the World Snooker Tour is steaming full speed ahead in 2023. Qualifying is already underway for the Northern Ireland Open, with seven days of main draw action kicking off on Monday. Expect plenty of great snooker action as a prize pool of £427,000 is up for grabs, along with a good number of valuable ranking points. Read on as we break down all the best 2023 Snooker Northern Ireland Open predictions this week.
The big news ahead of the 2023 Northern Ireland Open is that world No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan has yet again withdrawn from an event due to medical reasons. His last-minute absence from the tournament leaves Judd Trump as the massive favorite heading into the event–but can the Englishman live up to the expectations after playing some excellent snooker over the past month?
We have everything you need to know to bet on the Northern Ireland Open 2023 snooker in this betting guide.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | 2023 BetVictor Northern Ireland Open (Ranking Event), World Snooker Tour 2023-24 |
| 🏟️ Venue: | Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| 🗓️ Dates: | Monday 22 October to Sunday 29 October |
Before we dive into our 2023 Snooker Northern Ireland Open predictions, let’s take a look at what the bookies think. Here are the latest 2023 Northern Ireland Open snooker odds:
Looking at these World Snooker Tour 2023-24 odds from bookies in Northern Ireland, there’s an enormous favorite in the form of Judd Trump. Last week’s Wuhan Open winner pays just 4.00 (3/1) to win here in Northern Ireland, less than half of what second favorite Mark Allen is on, with the world No 4 returning 8.50 (15/2) for a win. Shaun Murphy is in the mix, as is Neil Robertson, with the pair paying 9.00 (8/1) and 10.00 (9/1) respectively. Rounding out the top five betting favorites, Jack Lisowski and Mark Williams are tied on 12.00 (11/1).
First held in 2016, the Northern Ireland Open has become a staple in the World Snooker Tour. As a ranking event, it attracts the biggest names in the sport and has been won by Judd Trump on three occasions. This year, it’s the second event in the Home Nations Series and the sixth ranking event of the 2023–24 snooker season.
The tournament will feature a 64-man draw, playing best of seven frames through to the first three rounds, best of nine in the quarter-finals, best of 11 in the semi-finals, and best of 17 in the final.
With Mark Allen winning the past two editions, can the Northern Irishman hold off a red-hot Judd Trump yet again in 2023? Read on for our snooker 2023 NIR Open betting guide.
We’ve done the hard yards and sorted through the latest snooker odds to come up with three expert picks. Here are our top 2023 Snooker Northern Ireland Open predictions:
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He’s done it before, the past two years in fact. World No. 4 Mark Allen loves playing in Belfast with a raucous home crowd behind him. With no Ronnie O’Sullivan and a tired Judd Trump, conditions are perfect for the Northern Irishman to defend yet again his title and equal Trump’s record of three in a row at the Northern Ireland Open.
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There’s no denying that Judd Trump is in hot, hot form right now. The Englishman has been playing a full schedule, competing in the English Open and Wuhan Open back to back, despite having to put in some big travel days to do so. Oh yeah, and he won both events.
Trump also knows what victory tastes like in Northern Ireland, having won this tournament three times in a row between 2018 and 2020. We don’t think he’ll go all the way this year simply because winning three consecutive events on the World Snooker Tour is almost unheard of, and the chances of Trump being able to maintain his focus after flying all the way back from Wuhan are slim.
However, considering how well he’s seeing the game this month, we expect he’ll make a deep run. In the opposite half of the draw to Mark Allen, there’s every chance Trump falls just one match short here.
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This one is a bit of a dark horse bet, but the 2023 Northern Ireland Open snooker odds are looking right for this wager. World No. 39 Zhang Anda has had a mixed season so far, having a respectable run at the Wuhan Open last week, losing to compatriot Lyu Haotian in the round of 16.
Having just been home and recharged, plus gained a few confidence-boosting wins, we think there’s every chance Anda will be primed to pull off an upset in what is arguably the weakest quarter of the Northern Ireland Open 2023.
The Northern Ireland Open gets underway this Monday, with seven days of exciting snooker action coming out of Belfast in the sixth ranking event of the WST season. Judd Trump is in red-hot form after winning the English Open and Wuhan Open in consecutive weeks, and many punters will surely pick him on their favorite live betting sites. But we say he’ll fall just short to the defending champion, Mark Allen, who is poised to win his third title at this event in a row.
