Snooker Shoot-Out 2024 Predictions: Can Murphy work his magic in Leicester?

Next up on the Snooker Calendar is the only ranking event on tour to be played under different rules, the Snooker Shoot-Out.

As always we have our snooker expert Dean Strand (@DSSnookerTips) on hand, with his comprehensive preview and Snooker Shoot-Out 2024 Predictions.

History, Location and Format

The Shoot-Out dates back to 1990 but has been held yearly since 2011, when it was revived as the Snooker Shoot Out.

The 128-man tournament is being held in back at the Mattioli Arena in Leciester again, having had a move to Swansea last year.

What makes this tournament totally unique, is it is played over a single frame per match, with a shot-clock in effect. The audience are also encouraged to be loud throughout, in stark contrast to the silent nature of a normal snooker tournament.

Given it's unpredictable nature, this ranking event throws up some unusual winners and no person has ever won it more than once.

The defending champion is Mark Allen from Northern Ireland, who beat Cao Yupeng in the 2023 final, becoming the first ever no 1 seed to win the Shoot-Out.

Prize Money

Snooker Shoot-Out Odds

0.5 pts Shaun Murphy each-way (1/2 - 2 Places) @ 28/1

At 28/1 Murphy looks a little big in the betting to me, I would have had him among the favourites. His first round draw against Barry Hawkins definitely could have been easier but Hawkins might not be as motivated for this one following his UK Championship final defeat this weekend.

The Shoot-Out can often be about who handles the pressure the best and Murphy more than showed he can handle the pressure with a superb maximum break in last years event.

The Magician hasn’t won this event before but he’s made a quarter final and semi final and he’s never an easy player to beat here with a 56.25% win rate.

0.5 pts Long Zehuang each-way (1/2 - 2 Places) @ 50/1

Long Zehuang made his debut in this event last season and looked more than comfortable in the format, beating Tom Ford, Noppon Saengkham and Duane Jones to reach the last 16 where he was beaten narrowly by Steven Hallworth.

He’s a very talented player and has already risen to 65 in the rankings in his second season on tour. Earlier this season he beat Mark Selby and Jack Lisowski on his way to his first semi-final in the Wuhan Open.

A good first round draw against amateur Daniel Womersley and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him have another good run this week.

0.3 pts Jamie Clarke each-way (1/2 - 2 Places) @ 66/1

Clarke is an obvious pick for me - outside of the players who have only entered this event once or twice, Clarke has the second best win ratio with 13 wins out of 19 matches.

He’s entered this event six times finishing in the last 16 once, quarters once and semis once.

Another player with a favourable draw facing Bai Yulu first up and odds of 66/1 for a player with a such a good record here look good value to me.

0.3 pts Julien Leclercq each-way (1/2 - 2 Places) @ 80/1

The Shoot-Out is definitely an event where quicker players have an edge and there aren’t many players on tour quicker than Julien Leclercq, with an average shot time of 19.7 seconds, the sixth quickest on tour.

His game looks perfect for this event and his results have backed this up too. In his first season he beat two former winners, Michael Holt and Dominic Dale on his way to the final, where he wasn’t given a chance as Wakelin cleared up immediately.

Last year wasn’t as good, as he lost in the second round to eventual finalist Cao Yupeng but a record of seven wins out of nine in the format is still a very good win ratio and odds of 80/1 look worth an each-way bet.

0.2 pts Ka Wai Cheung each-way (1/2 - 2 Places) @ 125/1

The only debutant I’m backing this year and it’s another naturally quick player, Ka Wai Cheung.

His results on the tour this season have been mixed and his safety play can be lacking at time but he’s a very good break builder, making seven centuries in 18 matches this season.

Had wins over Stephen Maguire and Stan Moody this season as well as a few narrow defeats to some very good players. 125/1 looks a decent price to me.

0.2 pts Dean Young each-way (1/2 - 2 Places) @ 150/1

Dean Young has been the third quickest player on tour this season behind O’Sullivan and Un-Nooh and it’s no surprise that he’s had decent results in the past here with a very solid record of eight wins out of 13 matches.

Three years ago he beat Haotian, Sijun and former winner Holt to reach the last 16 and it’s taken Mark Williams and Ali Carter to beat him in the last two editions, only one pot away from beating Mark Williams.

His results in general have improved this season too, with four wins in his last nine and victories over Un-Nooh and Milkins this season.

Check out the rest of our Snooker Betting Tips over at Betfred Insights.