World Championships 2004

celticfc

This years Embassy World Championships from The Crucible, in Sheffield is starting on saturday. It's on for 17 days & will be live via BBCi & also on BBC Two & Eurosport.

Here's the drawsheet.

Anyone got any Predictions?

For me, I'm hopefull John Higgins can lift the trophy, but he's had a dire season so far. I'd like to see Ken take it again too.


Here's Paddy Power's pre-tournament point of view:

Ronnie O'Sullivan 7 - 2
Mark J Williams 11 - 2
Stephen Hendry 9 - 2
Paul Hunter 5 - 1
John Higgins 8 - 1
Ken Doherty 12 - 1
Matthew Stevens 14 - 1
Peter Ebdon 16 - 1
Jimmy White 25 - 1
Stephen Lee 33 - 1
Allister Carter 66 - 1
Quinten Hann 80 - 1
Steve Davis 100 - 1
Mark King 100 - 1
Stephen Maguire 100 - 1
Alan McManus 125 - 1
David Gray 125 - 1
Anthony Hamilton 150 - 1
Chris Small 150 - 1

eirebhoy

Ebdon at 16/1 is my bet. He is playing the best snooker of his career IMO and players never play at their best against him with his slow pace. He should easily get to the quarter's but has a hard task after that. I don't have a clue how Stevens is at shorter odds than Ebdon looking at Steven's potential path to the final.

gerire

I was looking at the odds and too picked out Ebdon as the value each way bet at 16-1. Good selection eirebhoy

Big Ears

Very good odds for ebdon, and decent odds for hunter .
I said Jimmy White , but i honestly dont beleive that will happen

Imposter

Jimmy White played some good snooker in the player's champ last week but imo it was a little error strewn and may not be good enough for the world champs. In saying that Mark Williams has been in a 'don't give a sh1t' mood the last while and nobody else is really setting the place alight either.

So looking for value on those odds and more or less pulling a name from the hat i'll go for Ebdon too.

Eurosport have been great with the snooker this year (German eurosport at least). They showed the Welsh open and last weeks player's championship. The commentator doesn't seem to have much of a clue even though he is aiming his commentary at people who don't know much about snooker, so that might explain why I think it's rubbish.

Silent Assasin

Id love to see Jimmy win (as would everyone) but I dont think he has it in him...
Im going to have to go for Ken though, He always plays well at the crucible and he has the ability and the mental strength...

Does anyone know what price it is for a 147 to be made ??

Genghis

13/8 Silent Assasin

LFCFan

Jimmy could be up against Hendry yet again this year in the 2nd round and so far he's beaten him every time. Could be an positive omen that if he can finally beat Hendry in the World Championships it could give him the confidence to go on and win it. It's set up nicely for him. I would give anything to see the man finally win it. I'd say this could be his last chance as the form he's in now I can't see him keeping up.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Silent Assasin
Does anyone know what price it is for a 147 to be made ??

13/8. It's not worth a bet. If I was to put a bet on a 13/8 it would be Any Ken Doherty match to be decided on the final frame.

Genghis

Right, its time to clear out the final €5.25 in the Paddy Power account. I propose three bets:

1. €2 on Peter Ebdon to win

It’s a good price, he's on form, he tends to be consistent, and he has a good run to the QFs. If he can hold his winning ways against Ken, Ronnie and Hunter (my predictions for his opposition), then he will deserve the title. He can match Ken for endurance, beat Ronnie for mental approach and Hunter for experience. Worth €2.

2. €2 to name the finalists

Not sure which to choose here. I think Stephen Lee is the only player with the potential to stop Hunter getting to the final. So I am thinking either:

Stephen Lee vs Peter Ebdon at 125/1
Stephen Lee vs Ronnie O'Sullivan at 40/1
Stephen Lee vs Ken Doherty at 100/1
Stephen Lee vs Jimmy White at 200/1

3. €1.25 on Ken Doherty to win

Ah, sure you have to.


What do you think?

Silent Assasin

13/8 thats brutal....the final frame match with doherty seems like a good bet. going on last years form anyway.

A Yankee on Hunter (6-4) Higgins (10-11) Doherty (5-2) and Ebdon (11-4) all to win their quarters of the draw looks good to me as well...

11 Euros on that would return a nice healthy 204.98

What do u think ???

Genghis

I don't see Higgins beating Mark King to reach the QF. I expect Mark to have a good tournament since he dramatically retired last year, and his form in the master was good. I also think Ken will meet Ronnie in the QF, and may well lose.

My semi-finalist predictions are:

Hunter
Lee
O'Sullivan
Ebdon

What would the odds on that be?

Genghis

Lads, is there a mistake on Paddy Power. Ronnie O'Sullivan is down for "84/6" to reach semis, surely they mean 4/6.

Genghis

Could be an expensive typo! Ladbrokes have it at 4/6 on their website. I've abandoned my plans outlined above and staked the lot on Ronnie to win his quarter, reaching the semis, at 14/1 (84/6).

celticfc

Originally posted by Genghis
I don't see Higgins beating Mark King to reach the QF. I expect Mark to have a good tournament since he dramatically retired last year, and his form in the master was good. I also think Ken will meet Ronnie in the QF, and may well lose.

My semi-finalist predictions are:

Hunter
Lee
O'Sullivan
Ebdon

What would the odds on that be?

I disagree there, I think Mark King might have a poor tournament, he has a fairly bad record at the long matches at the Embassy, they don't seem to suit him & he didn't have a great week last week either losing to an out of form Mark Williams.

I also see that Dominic Dale is 9-2 to beat Williams, worth a quid or 2.

My SF predictions are:

Hunter
vs
Higgins

Doherty
vs
Hendry

Genghis

Lads, I am new to this betting thing. What should I do?

I seen the Ronnie O'Sullivan bet (84/6 to reach semis) on Paddy Power and immediately backed it. I got my receipt, etc, showing the amount staked, and even the potential winnings (15 times my stake, i.e. 14/1 plus stake back).

I come on here, post the tip, check out ladbrokes, look back at paddypower.com and begin to believe my luck!

3 minutes later I go back to paddypower.com to see not only have they corrected the error (it is now 4/6), they have refunded (and therefore cancelled) my bet! I think this is a little unfair, as I believe that I got a bet at a published price, paid over the money, got a receipt, etc. What annoys me most is that they 'just did it', no e-mail, no record in my transaction, no notifaction by phone, no anything. If I showed you my account you would not see any record of the bet (except for my print-out).

What should I do now? Are they within their rights? If you walked in to a store and you managed to snag a bet at a good price, wouldn't it stand?

*** Edit, there is now a record on my account, the bet was apparently refunded due to 'incorrect price' ***

gerire

Originally posted by Genghis
Lads, is there a mistake on Paddy Power. Ronnie O'Sullivan is down for "84/6" to reach semis, surely they mean 4/6.

Linkage please. Where did you find betting on winning a 1/4 final game?

Ok you got in before me. I think they can do what they have done. But Im looking for rules now for you

Genghis

Its a bit irrelevant, now but the link is:

Quarter Betting

Hope that works as a general link, not one that will work only when I'm logged in.

gerire

They have the right to do it it seems:

_______________________________________________________________
15. We cannot allow for mistakes, nor accept responsibility for any errors or omissions in respect of the announcing, publishing, or marking of prices, runners, times or result, despite every effort to ensure their accuracy. Paddy Power reserves the right to correct any obvious errors. Should funds be credited to a client's account in error, it is the client's responsibility to notify Paddy Power of the error without delay. Any winnings subsequent to the error and prior to the notification of Paddy Power, whether linked to the error or not, shall be deemed invalid and returned to Paddy Power.

16. It there are any blatant errors in prices transmitted bets will be settled at the correct price at the time of acceptance or the Starting Price (where applicable) whichever is the greater.

______________________________________________________________
May be worth a phone call anyway to chance your arm. Sometimes they do honour these bets.....
T&C's javascript:MM_openBrWindowhttp://www.paddypower.com/iframe/content_terms_popup.html','terms','scrollbars=yes,width=650,height=450

Genghis

Yeah, I think I'll call them. It was a €5 bet, ffs. They are in the business of gambling, weasling out of a bet sucks. If they don't take it, I'll probably close the account. You don't think they'd let you cancel a bet if you claimed you mis-read the odds, would they.

eirebhoy

My bets would be an e/w on Ebdon for the tournament and also Ebdon-Hunter final at 50/1.

The Quarters (same predicition as Silent Assasin):

Hunter
Higgins
Doherty
Ebdon

62/1 Accumulator.

BTW - If you are planning on putting a bet on Ken to win, your better off betting on"any other nationality" (which is any nationality other than English, Scottish, Welsh) at 12/1. You never know, Hann, Swail or Wattana could surprise us.:)

Silent Assasin

I noticed he 84/6 for O sullivan earlier on aswell, They did that to me before with a liverpool match, They had liverpool to win 6/1 instead of 1/6

I stuck a Nifty on that and when I went to check my winnings the bet was gone, When I phoned them they said that It wouldnt have been paid in a shop either..

And Eirebhoy are you going to go for an Accumulator or a Yankee on that Bet ?

62/1 sounds very tempting and they are all big names !

Genghis

I rang them, no joy. I did make the point that if you went in to a shop, and place the bet, then the shop would honour it. I told them that I felt that they were using the technology of online betting against me - you simply could not do that online. I also told them that they should honour bets if they are in the business of gambling, and that it was simply bad manners to not e-mail me.

I concluded the call with a request to close my account, refund my balance to my credit card, and remove me from their databases.

I am actually sorry I did all this. I might've been better waiting to see if the bet won, and then kick up the fuss. As far as I am concerned, they made a contract with me, at a price set by them, and I had written proof of it. Regardless of terms and conditions, I think the contract would stand, and they should pay up.

Betting online is too easy anyway, it'll be good for me to give it up.

Creon

i'm backing ken Doherty in this one, remember i'm the guy who picked Ebdon for the irish masters(see Irish masters board) and got him at 16 to 1, i made a nice profit from that one.
But i really think Ken is going to do it again this time. And i'm not a HUGE ken fan so it's not my heart talking above my head.

celticfc

Originally posted by Creon
i'm backing ken Doherty in this one, remember i'm the guy who picked Ebdon for the irish masters(see Irish masters board) and got him at 16 to 1, i made a nice profit from that one.

Nice one.


Ken started off well today but was a bit shakey towards the end of the session, but Joe played well to lead 5-4.

Was a pit about Chris Small havin' to concede his match against McManus. I knew about his spinal problem but it's a pity the steroids are affecting his eyes.

Williams done well to stop the comeback from Dominic Dale. (was 6-1 down, brought it to 7-7) Result: Williams 10-7

Stevens also had a good comeback from 4-1 down to get 5-4 ahead of James Wattana.


Latest:
Hann 3(19)5 Hicks


Tomorrow: ( * = To a finish)

10.00am
J Perry v R Milkins

2.30pm
J Higgins v R Day
Q Hann v A Hicks *

7.00pm
M Stevens v J Wattana *
K Doherty v J Swail *

Silent Assasin

Did anyone see Quentin Hann and Andy Hicks going for each other yesterday ? The Ref had to jump in the middle of them and Quentin told Hicks he would be waiting for him outside...

Allegedly Hann told Hicks that he really enjoyed beating him the last three times and then At the end of the game Hicks told hann he wasnt in the top 16 anymore and Hann told him he was a short bald guy and always would be...

The Red mist descends on the Crucible...Is anywhere safe ??

LFCFan

Originally posted by Creon
i'm backing ken Doherty in this one, remember i'm the guy who picked Ebdon for the irish masters(see Irish masters board) and got him at 16 to 1, i made a nice profit from that one.
But i really think Ken is going to do it again this time. And i'm not a HUGE ken fan so it's not my heart talking above my head.

Oh Dear!

celticfc

Originally posted by LFCFan
Oh Dear!

Indeed, he never really found much form & Joey was potting them off the lampshades. I'd like to see him go far again this year, after all he's the only Irishman left in it now.

Originally posted by Silent Assasin
Did anyone see Quentin Hann and Andy Hicks going for each other yesterday ? The Ref had to jump in the middle of them and Quentin told Hicks he would be waiting for him outside...

Allegedly Hann told Hicks that he really enjoyed beating him the last three times and then At the end of the game Hicks told hann he wasnt in the top 16 anymore and Hann told him he was a short bald guy and always would be...

The Red mist descends on the Crucible...Is anywhere safe ??

Saw that alright, I thaught it was a bit of a laugh to see. Poor Laurie Annandale didn't know what was gonna happen.

Draupnir

Poor auld Ken, Joe was scarily good though, Del Hill must know what he is talkin about!!

Anyone else alway reminded of a Mad Max character by Quentin Hann when you hear his accent and his that crazy "i want to kill you" look in his eyes. The chap is tapped if you ask me.

Silent Assasin

Hann and Barry Hearn should link up, Didnt Hearn say that he wants snooker back to the Rock n Roll days recently...

The best thing would be a game of doubles with Hann/Ebdon and Stevens/Hicks with the loser having to do a forefit of some kind...(for charity of course)


Swail is some player when he gets going...Del Hill was O'Sullivans coach the year he won it, maybe he is the man with the Midas Touch ???

Harry2001

Originally posted by Silent Assasin
Swail is some player when he gets going...Del Hill was O'Sullivans coach the year he won it, maybe he is the man with the Midas Touch ???

He must have - Joe was saying over the weekend that Hill discovered what he was doing wrong after only only three shots and had the problem sorted 5 minutes later

eirebhoy

Originally posted by eirebhoy
BTW - If you are planning on putting a bet on Ken to win, your better off betting on"any other nationality" (which is any nationality other than English, Scottish, Welsh) at 12/1. You never know, Hann, Swail or Wattana could surprise us.:)

I hope you all took my advice.:) At the beginning of the Doherty-Swail match I was up for Doc but when how well Swail was playing I was behind him 100%. Doc rely's on confidence too much while it doesn't seem to bother Swail. I can see Swail going far this year.

I have to say, fair play to the ref of Higgin's match, Makayla Tab (however its spelt). She had a hard time respotting the pink on 2 occasions and added a couple of jokes too.

celticfc

Originally posted by eirebhoy
I have to say, fair play to the ref of Higgin's match, Makayla Tab (however its spelt). She had a hard time respotting the pink on 2 occasions and added a couple of jokes too.

Just talking of the Higgins match, I havent seen the match yet (thankfully I recorded it) but I just seen on the news that Higgins was 9-7 down & Ryan Day was one easy pink away from victory (I could pot it left handed with a blindfold on), he somehow missed it & Higgins came back, won the frame & the last 2 frames for a 10-9 victory.

/me thinks he might be the comback king this year like Ken was last year.

eirebhoy

Yeah, the Higgins match was very good. I feel sorry for Day though, he was beaten by O'Sullivan in the final frame last month and the same again with Higgins. From all first round matches so far Swail looks in the best form.

BTW - Why was the £50,000 order of merit prize given to Ronnie after the player champs? Why isn't it awarded after the world champs?

celticfc

Originally posted by eirebhoy
Why was the £50,000 order of merit prize given to Ronnie after the player champs? Why isn't it awarded after the world champs?

The World Championships are not included in the LG tour (neither is The Masters). Only the other 7 tournaments this year were included & the Players championship was the last one, thats also why double order of merit points were available there.

Creon

Wow really got the Ken Doherty tip way wrong, sorry. But who cold have plausably seen it coming. I know Swail is a very good player and he seems to like the longer matches(just look at his world championship record) but for ken to only win one frame on the sunday and to lose 5 in a row is shocking. No more tips u'll be glad to know, but i think and hope Stephen Hendry will win it. bit of a blind backing as i haven't seen him in action yet but u can never go too far wrong with him

Draupnir

It all about Hunter for me now.

Delighted to see your man McCullouch beat Ebdon, just because he looks like a builder or a bodyguard/gangster. Top class championship this has been so far. Really making snooker that bit more interesting.

Genghis

I am watching each of my bets slowly slip away! For everyones amusement I have decided to post my remaining punts in the competition so you can 'quote and mock' as they inevitably stumble and fall.

1. Name the Finalists: Ronnie and Hunter (€2 @ 6/1)
2. No. of Cenruy Breaks: 41-45 (€1 @ 20/1)
3. Highest Break by?: Paul Hunter (€1 @ 5/1)
4. Highest Break by?: Stephen Hendry (€1 @ 5/1)

I also had money on both Ken and Ebdon to win, but theres no need to post those details!

LFCFan

I have a fiver each way on Swail to win. 50-1. Not bad odds considering he's made the Semi's twice and he looks in good form.

celticfc

White OUT!!!!

also Mark King out!.


Gotta feel sorry for Jimmy , but he didn't really produce on the day. It was a scrappy match, but fair play to Barry Pinches, very big win for him that.

Genghis

Stephen Lee also out. How the top seeds are falling this year.

LFCFan

my each way bet on Swail is looking better all the time

celticfc

Originally posted by Genghis
Stephen Lee also out. How the top seeds are falling this year.

Yep & just lookin' at the Poll, the two with the most votes are already out.

Looks like Ronnie's in a bit of trouble with the WSA - See here

Todays Results:

Hunter 5-4 Parrott
Hendry 10-2 Pettman
O'Sullivan 10-6 Maguire
Gray 6-3 Carter

Genghis

I like Ronnie, but he is becoming more of an arsehole with each passing match.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Genghis
I like Ronnie, but he is becoming more of an arsehole with each passing match.

Blame it on his psychologist.

JippoKelly

I wonder what odds you would have got on Joe Perry getting the highest break of the championship. 145 is gonna be seriously tough to beat.

I'm really enjoying this year's championship. There has already been some really enthralling matches so far (Swail v Doherty and Higgins v Day in particular). Let's hope it continues.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by LFCFan
my each way bet on Swail is looking better all the time

He's still at 50/1. I might put a few quid on him myself. His side of the draw isn't the easiest but he is the only player I watched that didn't get frustrated or miss simple pots at some time during the first round.

The Rooster

I actually think the standard's been pretty poor this year - albeit it has led to very exciting frames and matches.

None of the seeds (certainly none of the top 8 seeds) could be said to be at the top of their game.

For me it looks ominously like Hendry's tournament. And out of the 16 players left, he's my 16th favourite!

Harry2001

More on Ronnie http://www.sportinglife.com/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=snooker/04/04/23/SNOOKER_World_Lead.html

Can't see him winning it now the way he is acting

celticfc

Williams OUT!!!!!!!

Beaten 13-11 by Joe Perry. He had a great comeback though to take the 1st 5 frames of the day to go 11-10 up, but Joe kept his nerve & took the last 3 on the spin.

It's looking more & more like O'Sullivan, Hendry, Higgins & Hunter in the Semi's.

Genghis

With Hunter gone, so too are two more of my bets. My only hope now is that the number of century breaks stays under 45 (slim chance), or that Hendry makes the highest break (and I think he may have less than 9 frames to beat 145 - if I had any money left I'd back Pinches to beat him today).