April Sports Betting Preview : The Masters, Snooker World Championship and UFC action

Last Updated : 5th April, 2019 By FREEBets.org.uk

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There is world class golf, formula one, snooker, UFC and boxing to look forward to in what will hopefully be a very profitably April.

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April 2019

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April is a huge month of sport as we see the first golf major of the year begin, the Snooker World Championship come around, the Formula One season hot up and serious fighting to be done.

There is of course, the Premier League season nearing a climax, but if you are looking for some other sporting events to stick some cash on, here are some cracking options.

11-14 April – Masters Golf

As ever, there is a stellar field heading to Augusta for the Masters this month with a wide range of top quality golfers capable of donning the green jacket at the end of the four rounds.

Among the favourites are the likes of Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, and back near the top of the betting list is Tiger Woods, who is bidding to win a fifth Masters and a first since 2005.

Through the 1990s and early 2000s it was a reasonably predictable tournament, with the same winners cropping up on a regular basis. However, the last few years have sprung a number of surprises, including Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed over the last three years.

It is well worth backing a first-time winner again this year in the shape of Matt Kuchar, who looks tremendous value at 45/1 to do well in the first major of the year. The 40-year-old has managed four top 10 finished at Augusta in the last seven years in an impressive show of consistency in the idyllic setting.

Two of Kuchar’s nine PGA Tour wins have come in recent months, picking up the Mayakoba Golf Classic and the Sony Open in Hawaii as he rises back to 16 in the world.

Paddy Power are paying 10 places for each-way bets and Kuchar looks fabulous value to return a profit.

Matt Kuchar to win the Masters at 45/1 E/W with Paddy Power

14 April - Chinese Grand Prix

There has been much talk about Ferrari’s straight line advantage playing a big part at the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix and the bookies clearly agree. Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel are the joint favourites to triumph in Shanghai, but this means that there is great value elsewhere.

Lewis Hamilton has won this race five times and three times under the Mercedes banner. The German manufacturers have won the Shanghai Grand Prix more than any others and in four of the last five years.

Leclerc showed his pace in Bahrain, but it was Hamilton who won the race, and it is worth backing the Brit to get the jump on the youngster again. The world champion has been a relentless winner for years and knows this track as well as anybody. At third favourite Hamilton is tremendous value.

Lewis Hamilton to win the Chinese Grand Prix at 5/2 with Boyle Sports

13 April – UFC 236: Max Holloway v Dustin Poirier II

Likely to be a contender for fight of the year, Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier meet at UFC 236 to battle it out for the company’s interim lightweight title, while champion Khabib Nurmagomedov remains suspended.

These two met way back in February 2012 with Poirier picking up a submission victory at featherweight, but much has changed since then. Holloway is the reigning featherweight champ these days and is on a monstrous 13-fight winning streak, with his last loss coming to Conor McGregor in August 2013.

Since beating Holloway, Poirier has lost four times, but is coming off an impressive run of wins over Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez, all within the distance.

Holloway is the hot favourite to win this one, and it is hard to disagree, despite the way the first fight went. Stepping up to lightweight is only going to give ‘Blessed’ more power in the punches that have seen him knock out his last four opponents – Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo (twice) and Pettis.

The ‘Diamond’ has been knocked out twice before and Holloway can leave him sparked for a third time. In recent weeks we have seen the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Pettis step up in weight to score huge knockout wins, and Holloway will do the same here. Probably not in the one-punch, dramatic style, but his volume hitting will stop Poirier before the end of the fifth.

Holloway to win by stoppage odds are not available yet, but keep an eye on Unibet who are currently offering 4/9 on him to win

20 April - 6 May – Snooker World Championship

Ronnie O’Sullivan is the clear favourite to win the Snooker World Championship this year, and there are plenty of reasons to get behind the Rocket in Sheffield. He is the world number one, he has had a fantastic season and is coming off impressive wins at the Players Championship and Tour Championship.

However, given that he has not won any of the last five world titles, there are also causes for concern, especially with Ronnie at such a short price of just 5/2 to get his hands on the trophy. Many believe that the longest format matches don’t suit the 43-year-old who tends to lose interest for a session of a long contest and is punished on the grandest stage in the sport.

It is certainly worth looking elsewhere in the market and backing a player each-way. The man that we should be eyeing up is Neil Robertson, who has reached three consecutive finals – the Welsh Open, Players Championship and Tour Championship, winning the first and losing the second two to O’Sullivan.

The Aussie looks likely to be on the other side of the draw to O’Sullivan and Mark Selby, which gives him a superb chance of reaching the final. Even if he is beaten by the Rocket in the showpiece, the Thunder from Down Under is great value to make it that far, as easily one of the top three players on the planet right now.

Neil Robertson to win the Snooker World Championship at 8/1 E/W with Betfair

20 April – Terence Crawford v Amir Khan

Amir Khan is taking on one of the most difficult missions in world boxing as he travels to New York to take on one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, Terence Crawford.

The American is a stellar talent, boasting a record of 34-0 and having picked up world titles in three different weight divisions. He currently holds the WBO welterweight strap and that is what is on the line against the man from Bolton.

Khan fought twice last year, winning them both, but looking starkly different in each bout. He sparked an over-matched Phil Lo Greco in April but then laboured to a really unimpressive points win over Samuel Vargas in September.

It is hard to tell how much Khan has left, but the general consensus is that he is barely at world level anymore, never mind anywhere near the very elite, where Crawford resides. Bud is 1/8 to win this fight, and that sums up the situation.

Crawford has knocked out his last five opponents, but four of those have gone past the sixth round. The American is not a one-punch knockout artist, but a volume puncher that will grind his opponents into submission.

Everyone knows about Khan’s ropey chin, but he will be smart enough to get to the second half of the 12 rounds, only to be stopped late on as Crawford proves far too much for him.

Terence Crawford to win in rounds at 8/5 with Ladbrokes