Snooker, first played by British soldiers stationed in India in 1875, is one of the most popular table games in the world. With over 100 million players internationally, the game is prominent in more than 110 countries.
As one may expect, a game this popular has some impressive tournaments where players put their skills to the test to prove they are the best. These championships feature the best players on the planet—who are handsomely rewarded if they win.
Below are some of the biggest championships with the largest prize pools for winners and players who show exceptional skill.
The World Snooker Championship
The world’s biggest, oldest, most famous, and most prestigious snooker tournament is easily the World Snooker Championship. Running since 1927 and hosted by the World Snooker Association at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, since 1977, the tournament has a staggering prize pool of £2.39 million for 2023. This money isn’t all for the best player, however.
While the tournament winner still wins big, taking home a staggering £500,000, the runner-up to the top trophy rakes in £200,000 for their efforts.
Aside from these main prizes, the highest break earns £15,000, semi-finalists get a cool £100,000, and even quarterfinalists can smile all the way to the bank with winnings of £50,000.
Players Championship (Duelbits Players Championship)
Organised by the World Snooker Tour, the Players Championship (officially titled the Duelbits Players Championship in 2023) is one of many ranked events throughout the year. The latest event, held between 20 and 26 February 2023, was hosted at Aldersley Leisure Village.
Those qualified to play in the tournament were pulled from the one-year ranking list held by the World Snooker Tour. As such, only the best players competed for their share of the £385,000 prize pool.
Although substantially less than that offered by the World Snooker Championship, the prize pool pays out generously to those in the top spots. First-place winner Shaun Murphy took home £125,000 for dethroning Niel Robertson (who won the tournament in 2022).
Second place was also rewarded generously, with prize money of £50,000. Semi-finalists cashed in £30,000, while those who made it to the quarterfinals won £15,000. The highest break winner claimed £10,000.
2023 Masters (Cazoo Masters)
Another ranked event held by the World Snooker Tour is the annual Masters. In 2023, this was officially named the Cazoo Masters and was the 49th iteration of the tournament that has been running since 1975.
This invitation-only tournament featured the top 16 players from the world snooker ranking. The ranking, managed and updated by the World Snooker Tour, is based on the performance of professional players during ranked events throughout the year.
With a total prize pool of £725,000, the 2023 tournament took place at the Alexandra Palace in London in early January. The winner, who was paid via a massive cheque rather than an electronic payment like those reviewed on Portfel Internetowy, scored an impressive £250,000.
Coming second also means a hefty payday, with a prize of £100,000. Semi and quarterfinalists earn £60,000 and £30,000, respectively, while the player with the highest break gets rewarded with a generous £15,000.
BetVictor Championship League
Founded in 1946, BetVictor is one of the biggest names in sports betting. It also happens to be the organiser of the annual Championship League in the UK. In 2023, the Morningside Arena in Leicester was the venue of choice for the massive tournament.
Split into two parts, the tournament has an invitational and ranking competition. While the invitational has some of the best players, the prize fund is not extensive, at only £10,000 in winnings for the top player.
The ranking championship, however, features a total prize pool of £328,000. This tournament took place between June and July 2023 across four stages, including the final, with 32 players battling it out for the top spot.
Across these stages, players won prizes between £3,000 and £6,000. In the final stage, the top player took home a cool £20,000—significantly less than the other tournaments detailed above—and second place earned £10,000.
Conclusion
While there are many additional ranked tournaments on the world’s snooker calendar, particularly those hosted by the World Snooker Tour, those listed above are the richest. They offer prizes that any player would be happy to receive as a reward for their show of skill.
And with the prize pools increasing annually, it shouldn’t take long before pro players can earn even more by placing well in these tournaments. This could spur the formation of even more tournaments for the millions of snooker players worldwide who want to show off their talents.