Generally thought to have been invented in India by British Army officers, snooker is known as a fiendishly difficult game of dimensions and angles. While a playing surface measuring 11ft 8ins by 5ft 10 ins can seem daunting for mere mortals, the stars make break-building seem like child’s play.

Massive in the 1970s and 80s when stars like Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins, Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White and Steve ‘The Nugget’ Davis were major celebrities, snooker suffered a downturn in later years before being reinvigorated with a new breed of stars, who have reintroduced the razzmatazz back into the game.

While the Snooker World Championship in Sheffield every April remain the sport’s pinnacle, new, fresher formats and tournaments like the Premier League, the Shoot Out and the 888-sponsored Champion of Champions, as well as an upsurge in events overseas, have made it far more accessible to punters.

With this expansion has come a boom in sports betting, particularly in-play betting. At 888sport we cover every single event and have dozens of live markets on each, making an at-times sedate sport utterly thrilling to watch.

A game in which momentum can swing in the blink of an eye, punting live gives bettors the ideal chance to pounce and collect some juicy prices when all had apparently seemed lost.