Snooker Shoot Out 2022 Betting Tips | Five best outright selections
Mark Allen in action (WST)
The Snooker Shoot Out returns for four days of shot clock chaos, and we’ve picked out our top five outright tips for the title.
The unique one-frame competition features 128 players competing for a £50,000 top prize at the Morningside Arena in Leicester from January 20-23.
After being held behind closed doors in Milton Keynes last year, the Shoot Out will welcome back a vocal crowd, with drama and excitement guaranteed.
No player has ever captured the Shoot Out title on more than one occasion since the event began in 2011, while only 20 players have registered a century break.
All frames are capped at ten minutes, with the player scoring the most points declared the winner.
Players have 15 seconds to complete each shot during the first five minutes of the frame, while just 10 seconds will be allocated during the last five minutes.
Snooker Shoot Out 2022 Betting Tips
Mark Allen @ 25/1 with Skybet
Such is the unpredictable nature of the Shoot Out that the tournament favourite is priced at 20/1, but a number of big hitters follow in the market around the 25/1 mark.
One of them is is Mark Allen, a player with previous Shoot Out pedigree, having finished runner-up back in 2013.
The world number 13 has won the Northern Ireland Open this season, while also finishing runner-up in the first staging of the Championship League, and is renowned for his fluency around the table.
Allen reached the Last 16 of this tournament a year ago, his best performance since the tournament became ranked in 2017.
Zhao Xintong @ 28/1 with William Hill
UK Championship winner Zhao is a player whose playing style is perfectly suited to the Shoot Out, so it’s perhaps surprising he has not faired better in this event than his results suggest.
His best run to date came in 2019, when he reached the Third Round, but the quick-fire Chinese cueist is a different animal altogether having picked up his first Triple Crown title last month.
His average shot time of 19.98 seconds is the fourth fastest on the tour, meaning he should have no problem adapting his game to this format and he appears overdue a strong run in the Shoot Out.
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh @ 28/1 with Skybet
Un-Nooh is a master when it comes to this unique format, and as the fastest player on tour, is deservedly among the pre-tournament favourites.
The Thai star claimed the Shoot Out title in 2019 – his only ranking triumph to date – and has not lost in the opening round since it became a ranking event.
With an average shot time of just 17.16 seconds this season, ‘F1’ is ready-made for this competition and threatened again last year by reaching the Last 16.
The former Six Reds champion relishes the unconventional formats and looks to have a relatively straightforward opener against amateur top-up Kuldesh Johal.
Jack Lisowski @ 33/1 with Bet365
Lisowski is another player whose Shoot Out record would perhaps be expected to be greater given his rapid playing style and attacking mindset.
Only Un-Nooh and Ronnie O’Sullivan have a faster average shot time than ‘Jackpot’ this season (18.46 secs) and he comes into this event on the back of defeat to O’Sullivan at The Masters.
Quarter-finalist in the UK Championship, Lisowski reached the Last 16 of this event in 2017 and has reached the Third Round on a further three occasions since making his debut a decade ago.
Six times a ranking event runner-up, it would be somewhat fitting if Lisowski’s long-awaited first ranking silverware came at the Shoot Out.
Xiao Guodong @ 40/1 with Bet365
Xiao is one of only three players to have appeared in the final of the Shoot Out on more than one occasion, falling agonisingly short of glory in both 2015 and 2017.
The former Shanghai Masters finalist is far down the average shot time in comparison to most other favourites, with his 24.37 seconds per shot ranking 65th from 128.
He has not lost in the opening round of this tournament since 2013 and has reached the Third Round in his last two appearances, giving punters a decent run for their money.
A renowned break-builder, Xiao made a century in this event two years ago and is one of only 20 players to have done so in the 11-year history of the Shoot Out.