Information ahead of the 2024 Snooker Shoot Out, including the first-round draw, the prize money on offer, and how to watch.
The Snooker Shoot Out, which runs from Wednesday to Saturday in Leicester, represents the tenth ranking event of the 2024/25 campaign.
The setting at the Mattioli Arena couldn’t be much more different compared to last week’s prestigious UK Championship in York.
It will very much be a more relaxed atmosphere inside the Mattioli Arena as every fan’s favourite tournament to either love or hate returns to the schedule.
Everything that has to be said on the Shoot Out’s status as a ranking event does not need to be repeated.
It’s a tournament to be won, and the confidence from getting one’s hands on the silverware here can lead to much greater things on the circuit.
Just look at the trajectory of Chris Wakelin’s career since he emerged with the trophy less than two years ago.
Wakelin is one of several former champions back in the Snooker Shoot Out draw this year.
Mark Allen is the reigning champion, the Northern Irishman becoming the first current member of the top 16 to be the last player standing a year ago.
A lot of high-profile players choose to skip this week’s action considering its unpredictability and a relatively low prize fund, but there are still plenty of marquee names in the field.
Allen is joined in the 2024 Snooker Shoot Out draw by the likes of Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Zhang Anda, and Ali Carter.
2024 Snooker Shoot Out prize money
Champion: ยฃ50,000
Runner-up: ยฃ20,000
Semi-Final: ยฃ8,000
Quarter-Final: ยฃ4,000
Last 16: ยฃ2,000
Last 32: ยฃ1,000
Last 64: ยฃ500
Last 128: ยฃ250
Highest Break: ยฃ5,000
TOTAL: ยฃ171,000
What is the Snooker Shoot Out format?
The Snooker Shoot Out, which incorporates a random draw for each round, is always a controversial inclusion as a ranking event given its deviation from the normal rules of the game.
Each match lasts only one ten-minute frame, with a 15-second shot clock in operation for the first five minutes and a 10-second shot clock required for the remaining time.
Players lag to determine who breaks off, every shot must result in a ball hitting a cushion or being potted, and there is ball-in-hand for any foul committed.
Originally an invitational, the event was upgraded to ranking event status in 2017.
Alongside Allen and Wakelin, Ryan Day, Hossein Vafaei, Michael Holt, Anthony McGill, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh are other former champions in the 2024 Snooker Shoot Out draw.
2024 Snooker Shoot Out draw
Round of 128 (bo1)
Wednesday 1pm UTC
Matches approximately every 15 minutes.
Mark Allen vs Ross Muir
Hossein Vafaei vs Julien Leclercq
Jiang Jun vs Antoni Kowalski
Lyu Haotian vs Tian Pengfei
Robert Milkins vs Joe Shannon
Louis Heathcote vs Ahmed Aly Elsayed
Jonas Luz vs Paul Deaville
David Gilbert vs David Grace
Matthew Selt vs Ryan Day
Dean Young vs Florian Nuessle
Fan Zhengyi vs Wang Yuchen
Daniel Boyes vs Wu Yize
Anthony McGill vs Sophie Nix
Joel Connolly vs Aaron Hill
Joe Perry vs Gong Chenzhi
Reanne Evans vs Gary Wilson
Wednesday, 7pm UTC
Matches approximately every 10-15 minutes
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Jimmy White
Zhou Yuelong vs Andrew Pagett
Pang Junxu vs Zak Surety
Haris Tahir vs David Lilley
Jordan Brown vs Si Jiahui
Cheung Ka Wai vs Andrew Higginson
Huang Jiahao vs Hammad Miah
Xiao Guodong vs Anthony Hamilton
Matthew Stevens vs Yuan Sijun
Daniel Womersley vs Long Zehuang
Chris Totten vs Duane Jones
Ian Burns vs Ma Hailong
Joe O’Connor vs Sanderson Lam
Haydon Pinhey vs Mitchell Mann
Noppon Saengkham vs Liu Hongyu
Ashley Carty vs Kayden Brierley
Thursday, 1pm UTC
Matches approximately every 10-15 minutes
Mark Selby vs Baipat Siripaporn
Stan Moody vs Riley Powell
Lewis Ullah vs Steven Wardropper
Jackson Page vs Manasawin Phetmalaikul
Mink Nutcharut vs Liam Graham
Zhang Anda vs Hatem Yassen
Sion Stuart vs Martin O’Donnell
Alfie Burden vs Ben Woollaston
Graeme Dott vs Ben Mertens
Bai Yulu vs Jamie Clarke
Vladislav Gradinari vs Daniel Wells
Tom Ford vs Xing Zihao
Robbie Williams vs Michael Holt
Bulcsu Revesz vs Farakh Ajaib
Jimmy Robertson vs Liam Pullen
Sean O’Sullivan vs Shaun Murphy
Thursday, 7pm UTC
Matches approximately every 10-15 minutes
Neil Robertson vs Simon Blackwell
Oliver Lines vs Allan Taylor
Stuart Carrington vs Dylan Emery
Mark Davis vs Liam Davies
Iulian Boiko vs Jack Lisowski
Ishpreet Singh Chadha vs Amir Sarkhosh
Mark Joyce vs Joshua Thomand
Gerard Greene vs Robbie McGuigan
He Guoqiang vs Stuart Bingham
Jamie Jones vs Rory Thor
Anton Kazakov vs Artemijs Zizins
Kreishh Gurbaxani vs Lei Peifan
Mostafa Dorgham vs Elliot Slessor
Alexander Ursenbacher vs Xu Si
Joshua Cooper vs Jak Jones
Ali Carter vs Chris Wakelin
Click here for updated results
(snooker.org)
How to watch
There are several viewing options depending on where you are located in the world. A full list of global broadcasters is below.
Europe
Eurosport
discovery+
China
CCTV5
Huya.com
CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel
CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin
Hong Kong China
Now TV
Malaysia and Brunei
Astro
Philippines
Tap
Taiwan
Sportcast
Thailand
True Sport
All other territories
Matchroom.live
Featured photo credit: WST
yelloooow!
Classic.
Wakelin has undeniably used it as a platform to elevate his career but it should never be ranked. Not only does it deviate from proper snooker rules, the event is not enough of a meaningful test to justify ranking status.
I dont agree. Top 16 players have enough extras and bonusses and benefits like the Masters and Saudi etc. For lower ranked players this can be their bonus.
They have these “bonuses” due to earning it. Every player has the opportunity to qualify for them.
To win a major ranking event should be a challenge of coming through a format that tests you over a decent sized format and is played to proper snooker rules.