Top 10 best snooker players of all time
Snooker is a sport that dates back to India in 1875. The professional snooker scene took off in the 1920’s, with the game having been dominated by select players since. Here, I’ll take a look at the leading snooker players in history, from Joe Davis to Ronnie O’Sullivan. The list of top 10 snooker players in the history of the sport Joe Davis Stephen Hendry Ronnie O’Sullivan Steve Davis Alex Higgins Ray Reardon Dennis Taylor John Higgins Mark Selby Jimmy White Who are the best professional snooker players in the world? The players listed above have multiple world championship wins and numerous other titles between them. I will now take a closer look at the top 10 snooker players of all time, including their greatest career achievements: 1. Joe Davis, 1919-1964 Joe Davis, born in 1901, was a 15x Snooker World Champion. The Englishman remains the only player to be undefeated at the World Snooker Championship, while he also recorded the first ever century break at the tournament in 1930. Davis was also a world Billiards champion, before becoming the first player to achieve a maximum break in 1955. Davis would likely have won more Snooker World Championships, if he had not chosen to focus on other tournaments from 1946. Davis was awarded an OBE in 1963, with the legendary figure having paved the way for how Snooker is played today. Davis passed away in 1978 at the age of 77. 2. Stephen Hendry, 1985-2012 Stephen Hendry won a total of 36 tournaments during his professional snooker career, including seven successes at the Crucible. The Scot has over 700 century breaks and 11 maximums, earning him nicknames including The Golden Boy and The Ice Man. Hendry’s first became world champion in 1990, when he overcame Jimmy White in the final. He won the title five years in a row from 1992-1999. Hendry delighted many fans when he returned to the professional scene in August 2020. While it has not been the fairytale return that he will have hoped for yet, Hendry has stated that he still hopes to compete at the Crucible once again. Hendry was awarded an MBE in 1993, while he is a 6x WPBSA Player of the Year. 3. Ronnie O’Sullivan, 1992 – Present The current world no.1, O’Sullivan, nicknamed “The Rocket”, is the biggest snooker star around. Known for his incredible shot making, hot temper and ability to play with both hands, the Romford-born player has seven World Snooker Championship wins to his name to date. O’Sullivan became the youngest player to win The Masters at the age of 19, and he has continued to break records throughout his career. Now 47, O’Sullivan has amassed over 1,200 century breaks and 15 maximums. With 39 tournament wins, the game often appears to be too easy for the man who was awarded an OBE in 2016. He has also been nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award several times. With over £13 million in career earnings to date, it remains to be seen as to how long Ronnie will continue to delight snooker fans. Find the best betting apps here, so you can bet on snooker on the go. 4. Steve Davis, 1978-2016 Davis brought the curtain down on an illustrious career in 2016, having won the World Championship six times and became one of the first stars of snooker. As well as his successes at The Crucible, Davis also won six UK Championships and three Masters titles. Davis was the first player to make over £1 million in prize money. Known affectionately as “The Nugget” and the “Romford Slim”, Davis made just a single maximum break during his career. He won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1988. He remains the only snooker player to have ever done so. Away from snooker, Davis also tried his hand at pool, where he played for Europe on a regular basis at the Mosconi Cup. Davis even appeared on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here in 2003, having been made an OBE in 2000. 5. Alex Higgins, 1971-1997 Alex “Hurricane” Higgins was very much a force to be reckoned with both on and off the table. The two times world champion is one of a select number of players to have won Snooker’s Triple Crown, having also achieved success at the UK Championship and Masters. Higgins passed away in 2010 at the age of 61. Alex Higgins was an inspiration to many of the top players who followed him, including O’Sullivan and Jimmy White. Higgins’ rivalry with Steve Davis was a talking point in snooker for many years during the ’80s and ’90s. The Northern Irishman was known for his speed around the table and unusual technique. Best snooker players. 18+ BeGambleAware.org Please play responsibly. 6. Ray Reardon, 1967-1991 Reardon was the player of the ’70s. Known as “Dracula” because of his appearance, Reardon won six World Championships in all, the first of which came in 1970. The Welshman also became the first ever world number 1 player, when the rankings were established in 1976. Despite r
Snooker is a sport that dates back to India in 1875. The professional snooker scene took off in the 1920’s, with the game having been dominated by select players since.
Here, I’ll take a look at the leading snooker players in history, from Joe Davis to Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The list of top 10 snooker players in the history of the sport
- Joe Davis
- Stephen Hendry
- Ronnie O’Sullivan
- Steve Davis
- Alex Higgins
- Ray Reardon
- Dennis Taylor
- John Higgins
- Mark Selby
- Jimmy White
Who are the best professional snooker players in the world?
The players listed above have multiple world championship wins and numerous other titles between them. I will now take a closer look at the top 10 snooker players of all time, including their greatest career achievements:
1. Joe Davis, 1919-1964
Joe Davis, born in 1901, was a 15x Snooker World Champion. The Englishman remains the only player to be undefeated at the World Snooker Championship, while he also recorded the first ever century break at the tournament in 1930.
Davis was also a world Billiards champion, before becoming the first player to achieve a maximum break in 1955. Davis would likely have won more Snooker World Championships, if he had not chosen to focus on other tournaments from 1946.
Davis was awarded an OBE in 1963, with the legendary figure having paved the way for how Snooker is played today. Davis passed away in 1978 at the age of 77.
2. Stephen Hendry, 1985-2012
Stephen Hendry won a total of 36 tournaments during his professional snooker career, including seven successes at the Crucible. The Scot has over 700 century breaks and 11 maximums, earning him nicknames including The Golden Boy and The Ice Man.
Hendry’s first became world champion in 1990, when he overcame Jimmy White in the final. He won the title five years in a row from 1992-1999. Hendry delighted many fans when he returned to the professional scene in August 2020.
While it has not been the fairytale return that he will have hoped for yet, Hendry has stated that he still hopes to compete at the Crucible once again. Hendry was awarded an MBE in 1993, while he is a 6x WPBSA Player of the Year.
3. Ronnie O’Sullivan, 1992 – Present
The current world no.1, O’Sullivan, nicknamed “The Rocket”, is the biggest snooker star around. Known for his incredible shot making, hot temper and ability to play with both hands, the Romford-born player has seven World Snooker Championship wins to his name to date.
O’Sullivan became the youngest player to win The Masters at the age of 19, and he has continued to break records throughout his career. Now 47, O’Sullivan has amassed over 1,200 century breaks and 15 maximums. With 39 tournament wins, the game often appears to be too easy for the man who was awarded an OBE in 2016.
He has also been nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award several times. With over £13 million in career earnings to date, it remains to be seen as to how long Ronnie will continue to delight snooker fans.
Find the best betting apps here, so you can bet on snooker on the go.
4. Steve Davis, 1978-2016
Davis brought the curtain down on an illustrious career in 2016, having won the World Championship six times and became one of the first stars of snooker. As well as his successes at The Crucible, Davis also won six UK Championships and three Masters titles. Davis was the first player to make over £1 million in prize money.
Known affectionately as “The Nugget” and the “Romford Slim”, Davis made just a single maximum break during his career. He won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1988. He remains the only snooker player to have ever done so.
Away from snooker, Davis also tried his hand at pool, where he played for Europe on a regular basis at the Mosconi Cup. Davis even appeared on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here in 2003, having been made an OBE in 2000.
5. Alex Higgins, 1971-1997
Alex “Hurricane” Higgins was very much a force to be reckoned with both on and off the table. The two times world champion is one of a select number of players to have won Snooker’s Triple Crown, having also achieved success at the UK Championship and Masters. Higgins passed away in 2010 at the age of 61.
Alex Higgins was an inspiration to many of the top players who followed him, including O’Sullivan and Jimmy White. Higgins’ rivalry with Steve Davis was a talking point in snooker for many years during the ’80s and ’90s. The Northern Irishman was known for his speed around the table and unusual technique.
6. Ray Reardon, 1967-1991
Reardon was the player of the ’70s. Known as “Dracula” because of his appearance, Reardon won six World Championships in all, the first of which came in 1970. The Welshman also became the first ever world number 1 player, when the rankings were established in 1976.
Despite recording a 146 break, Reardon never actually made a maximum. He is also an MBE, a title he was granted in 1985. Reardon was the oldest-ever world snooker champion up until 2022 when 46-year-old O’Sullivan broke the record.
7. Dennis Taylor, 1972-2000
Northern Irishman Taylor was the winner of the 1985 World Snooker Championship. Despite never reaching no.1 in the world rankings, Taylor was a hugely popular player. Meanwhile, his highest career break was 141.
Taylor’s biggest career moment was the World Championship Final against Steve Davis, where he lost the opening eight frames, before winning 18-17! Over recent years, Taylor is a broadcaster and even appeared on Strictly Come Dancing.
8. John Higgins, 1992-Present
Scottish player Higgins has won over 30 ranking events during his career. His list of successes includes four World Championships and three UK Championships. Known commonly as the “Wizard of Wishaw”, Higgins was ranked in the world’s top six from 1996 to 2012!
Still competing today, Higgins was banned for six months and handed a £75,000 fine back in 2010. Since his return, he has been unable to rediscover his best form as of yet.
9. Mark Selby, 1999-Present
Nicknamed “The Jester from Leicester”, Selby is a four times world champion and one of the world’s leading players today. Despite losing the match, Selby became the first player in history to make a maximum break in a World Championship final in 2023. The 39-year-old has over 20 ranking event wins to his name, while he became the sixth player to win all Triple Crown tournaments twice.
He is competent in other sports too, having won the WEPF Eight-Ball Pool World Championship in 2006. He won his first World Snooker Championship title in 2014, with his last success having been in 2021.
10. Jimmy White, 1980-Present
White is widely regarded as being the best player never to win the World Championship. His career started in 1980, with the London-born star having won ten ranking events to date. Now in his 60’s, White is known as the “Whirlwind”.
He is a record four times World Seniors Champion, but six World Snooker Championship final defeats will continue to haunt White. However, in 1992, White became just the second player to hit a maximum break at The Crucible.
Who is the current number one snooker player?
It will come as no surprise to snooker fans that Ronnie O’Sullivan is the current world no.1. The seven times world champion finds himself ahead of the likes of Luca Brecel, Mark Allen, Mark Selby and Judd Trump in the rankings.
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Who won the 2023 Cazoo World Snooker Championship?
Luca Brecel has won his first-ever World Snooker Championship in 2023, defeating Mark Selby in the finals with a score of 18-15. Brecel, a Belgian player, showcased his incredible skill and determination throughout the tournament, ultimately emerging victorious in the highly competitive event. This win marks a major milestone in Brecel’s career.
Who is the best snooker player ever?
This is a difficult question to answer. Joe Davis dominated the early professional years. However, in the modern era, there are two clear candidates, Hendry and O’Sullivan. You can make your own mind up.
Who is the best snooker player in the UK?
The majority of the world’s leading snooker players are from the UK. Ranked no.1 in the world, O’Sullivan is rightly regarded as one of the best talents to emerge from the UK.
Who has the most 147 breaks in snooker?
Surprise, surprise, it is once again Ronnie O’Sullivan who comes out on top in this area. The fan favourite has 15 maximum breaks in total, including the quickest on record, in just 5 minutes and 20 seconds. However, it was Mark Selby who recently became the first player to ever score 147 in a World Snooker Championship Final.
How much do professional snooker players make?
Snooker prize money has increased on a regular basis over the years. For example, the winner of the World Snooker Championship now walks away with £500,000! Throughout the season, the world’s top players can potentially earn millions from making it to the latter stages of high-profile events.
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Which snooker player has earned the most in his career?
Having collected over £13 million from tournament earnings during his career, O’Sullivan is way out in front in terms of money made from snooker. John Higgins is believed to be one of his closest rivals in terms of earnings, with the Scot having won almost £10 million to date.
What are the biggest snooker tournaments in the world?
The snooker season is made up of a large number of ranking events. Undoubtedly, it is the World Snooker Championship that stands out. However, the European Masters, British Open, UK Championship and German Masters are among the other tournaments that attract the interest of snooker fans.
Where can you bet on the best snooker players?
It will come as no shock that snooker is an increasingly popular sport to bet on in the UK. All of the leading online bookmakers cover snooker tournaments and events. You can place pre-match, live and outright bets on your favourite players. However, it is the following betting sites that rank the highest for snooker:
1. BetUK
Launched in 2012, BetUK has been my go-to for betting on snooker events from around the world. I can bet on popular markets like total frames, highest break, and outright tournament winner. Snooker odds at BetUK are regularly among the best online. Plus, I was able to claim £30 in free bets when signing up.
