2021 World Snooker Championship – Day 5 Betting Picks
In today’s 2021 World Snooker Championship betting preview, we take a look at three bouts. Check out our betting tips and predictions for Mark Williams vs Sam Craigie, Mark Selby vs Kurt Maflin, and Shaun Murphy vs Mark Davis.
Mark Williams v Sam Craigie
Wednesday, April 21 – 10:00 BST
Sam Craigie is making his debut at the Crucible Theatre and he hopes to make it a memorable one. Even though this is his first time at the World Championship, Craige is not to be underestimated.
In some ways Craigie has been playing under the radar for a while, and while we don’t believe he has it in him to win it all, Craigie is definitely a solid player. However, the only question that is important here is whether he can defeat Mark Williams.
And the answer is: probably not. Williams has been showing good form – good, not great, which makes him a reasonably strong competitor at the World Championship, but not one we would expect to go all the way.
Although we value Craigie highly, we can’t make ourselves to bet against Williams. At the same time, the offered betting odds don’t make the favorite a good option either. This one is a pass for us.
No Prediction
Shaun Murphy v Mark Davis
Wednesday, April 21 – 10:00 BST
Shaun Murphy and Mark Davis met quite a few times in their careers, and there wasn’t much to set them apart. Murphy has won three out of their last four meetings with 5-3, 5-3, and 4-1, albeit those meetings came in 2014-2016.
Their most recent clash has happened in December 2019, when Murphy got his revenge and win 4-0. But does that result indicate Murphy is the better player? Well not necessarily, but you can’t really argue with the bookmakers who have him as the favorite for this match.
That said, we aren’t too big on Murphy for this one. He has had a very shaky season and hasn’t had a chance to play that many games either, having been stuck in Milton Keynes.
Davis might seem like a weaker player on paper, but he has done surprisingly well in the qualifiers and hasn’t disappointed this season either. This might seem like one of those gut-feeling bets, but we can see Davis coming out ahead – and you can’t really complain about the offered betting odds.
Prediction: Mark Davis to win – 4.33 at Bet365
Prediction: Over 2.5 Centuries – 2.10 at bet365
Mark Selby v Kurt Maflin
Wednesday, April 21 – 14:30 BST
Mark Selby and Kurt Maflin met here before, way back in 2015 when Shelby won 10-9 as the defending champion. The bookmakers seem to agree Selby should come out ahead again on Wednesday, and while that might be true, we don’t expect Maflin to just roll over and die.
Selby has won two ranking events this season, which sparked the belief that he is at his best. With all due respect, he was at his best when he won three World Championship titles. And that was four years ago.
Maflin has had a much less convincing season, but it’s not like he has looked bad. In the qualifiers, he took down Jak Jones (6-4) and Robert Milkins (10-4) without any real issues, which is a good sign, to say the least.
Even though either of the two is as established as Selby, we have faith in Maflin to force another tight affair with the Jester from Leicester. Over 15.5 frames seem about right for this one.
Prediction: Over 15.5 frames – 1.72 at Bet365
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