The competitiveness of snooker also means that favourites can be vulnerable. It is obvious that the more genuine challengers there are in a sport, the more likely favourites are to lose. But even when a favourite is likely to win, in snooker his quote is often over-priced. This is particularly true in the early rounds of tournaments that are played over fewer frames. In theory the longer a match, the more likely the better player will have chances to prove his superiority.

 

So, for instance, a match over the best of nine frames can become something of a lottery. This applies not only to who wins the match, but also to points scored (Sporting’s Volcano market pitches the players’ aggregate point supremacy over a match) and fifty-ups. Slow starters are particularly at risk, but a player who is off form and hoping to play his way into a game may find he is knocked out before he has a chance. One of the elements that gamblers often struggle to understand in any sport is how events are interrelated—in effect it is the equivalent of lateral thinking in betting.

 

This can particularly apply to spread betting markets where a movement in one market can influence prices on another or where an element can have a direct influence on the quote of another apparently unrelated market. So, for example, in cricket the quote for a batsman’s runs will fall as other batsmen are out because he will have fewer partners and potentially less batting time at the crease.