World Snooker Championship

In the end, there will be no bloodied and breathless champion with a sole arm raised aloft by a referee following 12 rounds of brutal punishment. There will be no flying dismount from a mud-splattered but triumphant jockey after a frenetic four miles of Grand National mayhem. In fact, with a relatively civilised crowd and a well-dressed man in shirt, bow tie, and waistcoat, it will have more in common with a bank's employee of the month award ceremony than the culmination of one of the world's most prestigious sporting events.

Although there will be an absence of blood, sweat, and exuberant celebrations, rest assured that the man holding aloft the snooker world championship trophy at about 10 p.m. on May 5 will have gone through a set of physical and mental challenges that befit the finest of sporting events. For what snooker lacks in athleticism and immediacy, it more than makes up for in terms of precision, concentration and tension. The margins for error are seldom more than a couple of millimeters, and it's this appreciation of exactitude that has seen the world championship become one of the most viewed events on the BBC's sporting calendar.

The strict dress code and formal nature give the impression that the world championship is deeply ingrained in sporting culture, but it's important to note that the current incarnation of the event only came into being in 1977, when the event moved to the Crucible in Sheffield and was decided over a two-week period. Prior to that, the event took months to complete at various locations around the UK, very often at times when competitors drawn to play each other had gaps in their diaries. The switch to the condensed format allowed for a much more TV-friendly product, and subsequently, the profile of the event grew to the point where it is one of the most cherished tournaments in UK and Irish sport.

Football fans will be familiar with a recent trend in which flair is replaced by functionality in order to garner success. As with Capello's Real Madrid, Mourinho's Chelsea, and Benitiez's Liverpool, success is achieved by grinding down opponents rather than blowing them away in a storm of splendour. Although teams staying faithful to the doctrine of free-flowing expression, like Barcelona and Arsenal, will occasionally strike a blow for the romantics, it is rare that the most aesthetically pleasing teams get their hands on the silverware. In snooker, this is nothing new.

If world championships were handed out simply based on excitement generated and public popularity, Ronnie O'Sullivan would have won the event for the last decade, taking over the mantle from Jimmy White. Since he made the whirlwind 147 in a world-record time of five minutes and 20 seconds in the opening round of the 1997 tournament, the Rocket's exhilarating style has been the biggest draw in the game. Yet, like the prodigiously gifted Alex Higgins before him, Ronnie has collected the biggest prize in the sport just twice, losing out to opponents widely regarded as having only a fraction of their talent and charisma. For all their ability, the examples of O'Sullivan, Higgins, and White illustrate that when it comes to winning the world championship, much more is required than a swagger and sporadic brilliance.

The very fact that Steve Davis has claimed the title on six occasions shows that it is stability rather than the spectacular that gets rewards at the Crucible. Stephen Hendry offered more in the way of crowd pleasing, yet each of his seven titles owed a sizeable chunk to prudence as opposed to bravery at those key moments of uncertainty. In more recent times, the likes of Peter Ebdon and Graeme Dott have landed the prize by using dour tactical play to stifle more risk-taking opponents. Even Mark Selby, the emerging force of the 2007/2008 season, has had to endure criticism from Ronnie O'Sullivan for his defensive and "negative" style of play. Although never likely to capture the imagination, opponents have become increasingly aware that they can frustrate more exciting players with safety-based game plans. Concentration and mental strength are rarely qualities that excite the audience, but what excites the audience should have little influence when choosing your selection for the world championship.

Cloth of Guard?
Ronnie O'Sullivan will head into this year's event as the warm favourite. The fact that his short price of around 3/1 is largely down to his popularity and profile, as opposed to his actual achievements, makes him irresistible lay material. If perhaps the 3/1 carries more liability than you would strictly be comfortable with, laying him in his first round, second round, or quarterfinals is a must. He will be a big odds-on shot in most of these games, despite the fact that he could come up against a two-time former world champion in the form of Mark Williams in the second round, 1997 world champion and recently resurgent Ken Doherty in the quarterfinals, and, beyond that, possibly defending champion John Higgins, seven-time winner Hendry, and Ding Junhui, a player O'Sullivan himself has described as a potential multiple world champion. Much has been made of O'Sullivan's fragile temperament, and if he doesn't feel right on the day, he will do little in the way of battling his way into form. All in all, O'Sullivan finds himself on an extremely tough side of the draw, and the 3/1 and subsequent implication that he has a 25 percent chance of winning looks wrong.

With the big names set to take each other out in the top half of the draw, there looks to be some real value about the lesser-known names who make up the bottom half of the draw. Bearing in mind that cagey strategy, snookers, and slow play have seen less-talented players overcome superior players, Graeme Dott could reclaim the title he won in 2006 at a rather tasty 40/1.

In many ways, he is the polar opposite to O'Sullivan. He is renowned for his battling qualities, and although his style means that he will never be clutched to the public's sporting bosom in the manner of more popular rivals, he should always give you a good run for your money, particularly in competitions that employ the longer format of matches. His workmanlike style is suited to the longer distances, and considering that the first round is decided by the best of 19 frames and increases all the way to the final, his case receives another positive. In the last four years, he has made it to two finals, winning one. You have to go back seven years to see O'Sullivan rack up two appearances in the finals, and although he won both of his, it illustrates the point that Dott offers genuine value.

Allied to the fact that he is currently ranked as the second-best player in the world is the favourable draw. He will be fancied to beat whichever qualifier he will face in the first round, and could face Steve Davis in the second. Given that the "Nugget's" heyday was over two decades ago, passage to the quarterfinals looks like a distinct possibility. Once he has reached the last eight, likely opponents in the form of Neil Robertson, Shaun Maguire, Stephen Murphy, or Peter Ebdon will not scare the hardy Glaswegian. Even if he doesn't progress beyond this stage, his price will be substantially shorter, allowing you to trade your way into profit. A lack of quality may ultimately see him stumble in the semis or finals, but given Dott's mental fortitude, it's not inconceivable that he could repeat the upset of 2006. It's impossible to ignore that the champion's defence ended with a shocking first round defeat at the hands of Ian McCulloch last year, but at a big price, drawing a line through that blip and forgiving Dott could be a smart move.