World Snooker Championship 2023: What is the prize money for Crucible champion? Previous winners, Ronnie O’Sullivan odds

Is Ronnie O’Sullivan going to triumph yet again at the 2023 World Snooker Championship? He will be very well compensated if he does clinch an outright record eighth world title at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield this year.

The Rocket, who is looking to eclipse fellow snooker legend Stephen Hendry on the all-time list of champions on the sport’s biggest stage, is currently level with the Scot on seven Crucible crowns. The stakes could hardly be higher with the standalone record on the line.

For some big-name players, such as O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson and Mark Williams, each edition of the World Championship affords another golden opportunity to add their tallies, for others it is simply about securing a title that will go down in folklore.

Before we take a look at the odds for the tournament winner, which O’Sullivan unsurprisingly tops, let’s run through the eye-watering prize money on offer and also the previous winners of snooker’s greatest event.

The winner of the event will receive £500,000 from a total prize fund of £2,395,000. The breakdown of prize money is shown below.

What is the prize money for the World Snooker Championship?

• Winner: £500,000
• Runner-up: £200,000
• Semi-finals: £100,000
• Quarter-finals: £50,000
• Last 16: £30,000
• Last 32: £20,000
• Last 48: £15,000
• Last 80: £10,000
• Last 112: £5,000
• Highest break (including qualifying): £15,000
• Bonuses: £40,000 is the reward for a maximum break in the main draw with £10,000 for a 147 in the qualifying rounds. These come as an add-on to the highest-break jackpot.

Previous winners of the World Snooker Championship

Hendry and O’Sullivan each have a staggering seven world titles to their names – the Scot from three fewer appearances (27) – and the legendary duo are out in front on the all-time list.

What needs to be pointed out, of course, is that the below list is reflective of the fact that the ‘modern era’ of the sport is considered to have begun in 1969. Prior to that, the event was a ‘challenge format’ and not the knockout format that the competition now has.

If we were to factor in world champions from prior to 1969, the English trio of Joe Davis, Fred Davis and John Pulman would be atop the standings with 15, eight and eight titles to their names, respectively.

• 1969 – John Spencer (ENG)
• 1970 – Ray Reardon (WAL)
• 1971 – John Spencer (ENG)
• 1972 – Alex Higgins (NIR)
• 1973 – Ray Reardon (WAL)
• 1974 – Ray Reardon (WAL)
• 1975 – Ray Reardon (WAL)
• 1976 – Ray Reardon (WAL)
• 1977 – John Spencer (ENG)
• 1978 – Ray Reardon (WAL)
• 1979 – Terry Griffiths (WAL)
• 1980 – Cliff Thorburn (CAN)
• 1981 – Steve Davis (ENG)
• 1982 – Alex Higgins (NIR)
• 1983 – Steve Davis (ENG)
• 1984 – Steve Davis (ENG)
• 1985 – Dennis Taylor (NIR)
• 1986 – Joe Johnson (ENG)
• 1987 – Steve Davis (ENG)
• 1988 – Steve Davis (ENG)
• 1989 – Steve Davis (ENG)
• 1990 – Stephen Hendry (SCO)
• 1991 – John Parrott (ENG)
• 1992 – Stephen Hendry (SCO)
• 1993 – Stephen Hendry (SCO)
• 1994 – Stephen Hendry (SCO)
• 1995 – Stephen Hendry (SCO)
• 1996 – Stephen Hendry (SCO)
• 1997 – Ken Doherty (IRL)
• 1998 – John Higgins (SCO)
• 1999 – Stephen Hendry (SCO)
• 2000 – Mark Williams (WAL)
• 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (ENG)
• 2002 – Peter Ebdon (ENG)
• 2003 – Mark Williams (WAL)
• 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (ENG)
• 2005 – Shaun Murphy (ENG)
• 2006 – Graeme Dott (SCO)
• 2007 – John Higgins (SCO)
• 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (ENG)
• 2009 – John Higgins (SCO)
• 2010 – Neil Robertson (AUS)
• 2011 – John Higgins (SCO)
• 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (ENG)
• 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (ENG)
• 2014 – Mark Selby (ENG)
• 2015 – Stuart Bingham (ENG)
• 2016 – Mark Selby (ENG)
• 2017 – Mark Selby (ENG)
• 2018 – Mark Williams (WAL)
• 2019 – Judd Trump (ENG)
• 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (ENG)
• 2021 – Mark Selby (ENG)
• 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (ENG)

O’Sullivan the favourite in latest tournament odds

• Ronnie O’Sullivan – 7/2
• Mark Selby – 11/2
• Judd Trump – 6/1
• Neil Robertson – 7/1
• Shaun Murphy – 8/1
• Kyren Wilson – 14/1
• Mark Allen – 14/1
• John Higgins – 16/1
• Mark Williams – 18/1
• Ding Junhui – 20/1

O’Sullivan will be ‘trying my hardest this year’

“I try to get a perspective on the game and on my life, and I think that is better now,” said O’Sullivan. “I don’t want to be defined by snooker, a result, achievements. If they come, great. But yeah, I probably play it down.

“I will be trying my hardest this year, obviously. I think I have another four good genuine attempts at [winning an eighth world title].

“I do care, of course, I care. I just try to have a better perspective on it. It is a big part of my life, but not all of my life. I am not going to invest everything into it.

“If it happens, great. I don’t have to be fully focused 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Once I put my cue down, I try to forget about snooker and enjoy my life.”

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