Here is my preview for the semi-finals and how I think the final will pan out given my selections using the sports betting odds from https://www.bwin.com.

Neil Robertson 1/4 versus Allister Carter 3/1
(Robertson is leading 6-2 after one session of play)

My each way tip for the title Carter has done me proud making his way through the draw and clinching a semi-final spot. Unfortunately he has come up against Robertson who seems destined for a genuine shot at the title this season. He is a very seasoned campaigner now and has been on the snooker circuit for around seven seasons. Carter has played in the final before, but Robertson seems to have destiny and ability on his side. I think Robertson will win the coming session and take either an 11-5 or 10-6 lead into the third session. Anything can happen but he showed incredible ability to go 12-2 up against Steve Davis in a race to 13 and he can cope and extend a big lead.

Carter has the ability to come back and has won a ranking title. Touching 30 you feel he is at his peak and this is the best chance for any of the semi-finalists to win the championship given the lack of world class operators like Higgins or O’Sullivan in the draw. There has been a definite changing of the guard with players like Williams, Stevens, Ebdon, Doherty, Lee, Hendry, White and Davis no longer in contention it appears for the major titles after a long period where this collection of players dominated.

The new generation of stars have definitely broken through to the top echelon of the game.

Graeme Dott 6/5 versus Mark Selby 67/100
(Dott is leading 5-3 after one session of play)

I feel for Graeme Dott. He never gets the respect and is never expected to beat top players, yet he does time and time again. He is the only player left in the draw that has won a World Championship title and he cannot be overlooked. I think he could win it and his current form is probably better than when he won the title in 2006.

Mark Selby was doing a lot of joking around and I am not sure he was focused enough in session one. Hopefully a family member or his professional pool playing partner Vikki Layton will point this out to him and remind him of the prize and that he must be 100% focused if he is to win. There was obviously needle between Selby and O’Sullivan in their quarter final and Mark played well because of it, joking around with Dott is dangerous. Selby knows he should win this match and this could be a banana skin for him.

Although I completely respect Graeme Dott’s current form and appreciate he could win the whole tournament I expect Mark Selby to edge him out possibly in a deciding frame shoot-out. In the other semi-final I would tip Neil Robertson to win the semi-final with a five or six frame lead. The final between Robertson and Selby would be a classic and earmark a new era of younger players contesting for the top titles, with O’Sullivan and Higgins being the experienced campaigners that prove to be their main rivals.

Look out for more betting tips in the near future from this site.

By Malcolm Clarke

Snooker and online sports betting fit together perfectly. The matches are unpredictable with enough swings to provide value opportunities throughout. Unfortunately where money is involved and prize money sparse beyond the best sixteen players in the world there is plenty of room for temptation for players to do something they shouldn’t. To the credit of most snooker players, 99% of pros refrain from such activity but scandals that have caused Jamie Burnett, Stephen Maguire and Stephen Lee to be questioned continue to appear in the news. We hope all the players are not guilty and it is worth mentioning that so far there is no hard evidence to suggest otherwise, but still the name of Snooker gets tarnished.

Stephen Lee, 35, was arrested on February 12th as part of a joint investigation into irregular betting patterns conducted by West Midlands Police and the Gambling Commission. There was no information provided as to what result or bet was in question but as Lee was arrested the likelihood is that there were irregular bets made for a match that he was involved in and that result came to pass, resulting in a big win for the sports bettors. World Snooker has pledged to launch their own investigation on the matter, which is ongoing. Lee was bailed and may face further questions in the future from Police if they undercover new information relating to the alleged irregular bets.

It is not the first time Stephen has made the news for less than positive reasons. In 2000 Lee was arrested for testing positive for Cannabis. At that point in his career he was number five in the World. With World Snooker under a new regime with Barry Hearn involved this is an untimely blow as Hearn looks to re-invent the sport.

Ronnie O’Sullivan is launching a search for “Snookers Next Star” giving one young player expert advice in an effort to create the next marketable snooker player who brings an element of flair and interest to the game. The last thing the sport needed was for more negative publicity. In April it is the showcase event at the Crucible, the World Championships. Ronnie is currently the favourite to win his fourth World Championship title at 5/2 with bwin. John Higgins is second favourite at 9/2 and my pick for the title, Mark Selby, is third favourite at 7/1.

Stephen Lee released a statement via a spokesperson saying he was working hard to try and qualify for the World Championships and wanted to stress he was happy to co-operate with Police in their enquiries. If you would like to bet on Stephen Lee becoming World Champion, bearing in mind he must qualify for the event, his odds are 150/1. If he managed this feat he would be the biggest outsider since Shaun Murphy won in 2005.

As a fan of Snooker I hope that Lee and all others named in alleged betting scandals are innocent. I also hope that however unpalatable the Police get to the truth and quickly. It will not stop me thoroughly enjoying the Snooker action when the World Championships start in the Crucible in April 2010 and I hope you get involved with all of the fun betting action also.

By Malcolm Clarke