The 2025 World Championship is finally here. For those that follow the action closely throughout the years there is always the capacity for shocks and few would be surprised if Round 1 delivered more than a few upsets.
If you are looking to place a bet in the first round that looks to have plenty of value, here are some of the long shot bets you might wish to consider.
Ali Carter to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan - 5/2
In arguably what is the match of the first round, two veterans of the Tour will meet when Ali Carter faces off against seven time World Champion, Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The two have plenty of World Championship history with O’Sullivan beating Carter in the final of 2008 and 2012, the two even faced each other in the final of the 2024 Masters where once again it was O’Sullivan who came out on top. However, the script could be very different this time around.
Whilst there can be no arguments over who the more talented player is, O’Sullivan doesn’t have the matches behind him and in Carter he will face off against a man who has found a nice bit of form.
No longer able to enjoy the luxuries of living inside the top 16 in the world rankings, Carter had to earn his spot in the main draw the hard way by coming through two tough rounds of qualifying.
Prior to his victories in qualifying, the Englishman has reached the semifinals of both the World Open and Welsh Open and certainly has the matches and form under his belt heading into this blockbuster encounter with O’Sullivan.
You can never write off O’Sullivan and he has proved on many different occasions that he can win the biggest tournaments in the game despite not playing a full schedule. Whilst few would be surprised if he were to win, Carter certainly won't make it easy and if O’Sullivan shows signs of rust, Carter could well take advantage.
Wu Yize to beat Mark Williams - 11/10
Whilst the odds on Wu Yize to beat Mark Williams aren’t as big as Ali Carter to defeat Ronnie O’Sullivan backing the young Chinese star to overcome the three time World Champion could be a sensible bet.
Whilst like O’Sullivan, Mark Williams often saves his best snooker for the big stage, 2025 has been dismal for the Welshman as he has struggled to string matches together and has only managed to two victories so far in 2025.
Now 50 and having already won all of the game’s biggest prizes it isn’t surprising that Williams’ days at the very upper end of the game seem to be coming to an end.
With his schedule being reduced and him no longer making the frequent trips to China, it is in the big events where Williams needs to cash in on and so far this year he hasn’t been able to do that and he arrives at the Crucible with plenty of questions to answer.
At the other end of the scales when it comes to experience, Wu will be making just his second Crucible appearance.
Ranked 22 in the world and at 21 years of age, Wu is one of the youngest players in the draw and had to battle his way through qualifying. Eventually outlasting another Welshman in the shape of Matthew Stevens 10-9 in the final round of qualification. Having battled his way to the main draw he will have high hopes of reaching the second round for the very first time and looks to have been given a good chance of progression against an out of form Williams.
This will be the first time that the duo have ever met and it looks like a match that could go in any direction. Williams will hope that his experience will see him sneak through whilst Wu will be fully believing he can pull off the upset. This one could be one of the matches of the round.
Ryan Day to beat Luca Brecel - 7/4
Ever since winning the World Championship in 2023 it’s fair to say Luca Brecel has had a mixed time of things and the Belgian hasn’t been able to add another victory to the title he so memorably won two years ago.
A true maverick in every sense of the word, it’s always hard to predict which version of Luca Brecel will turn up. If it’s the version that showcased all of the talent to win the world title then he can be a match for anybody. If it’s the form that has seen him crash out early of numerous tournaments, then this is a match that Ryan Day could well win.
Despite comfortably being in the top 16 in the world rankings, Brecel’s schedule this season has been limited due to his poor form costing him a place in tournaments like the World Grand Prix, Players Championship and the Tour Championship. In fact Brecel hasn’t played a competitive match since the end of February.
In Ryan Day, Brecel comes up against an experienced campaigner who is used to competing on the World Championship stage.
A three time quarterfinalist, he knows what it takes to win matches on the Crucible stage and he certainly will have the talent and ability to give Brecel a tough game.
Having come through two rounds of qualifying in fairly convincing fashion, Day arrives in Sheffield confident and he will hope to pounce on any weaknesses in the Belgian’s game.
Brecel couldn’t get past round 1 last year and if he falls at the first hurdle once more he is set to plummet down to 44 in the world rankings.
There is plenty on the line in the match. The pressure is well and truly on Brecel. Being one of the seeded players in the draw coupled with the fact that Brecel has an abundance of ranking points to defend, backing Ryan Day to come through this match could be one of the very best bets of the entire first round.
Andrew Blakely
At 35, Andrew Blakely stands as a seasoned expert in both snooker and its betting intricacies. A dedicated player and analyst, he offers keen insights derived from years in the field. Through his writings, Andrew aspires to guide enthusiasts navigating the captivating world of snooker betting.
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