From World Championships to smaller tournaments and leagues, snooker is a very popular sport for a bet and odds are you have your favourite for the World Championships this year - although it's unlikely you'll net the millions of pounds the top players are reputed to earn in their careers from the odds on your bet. However, a snooker bet can be great fun and following your favourite player as he competes in the tournaments can still land you a fair few pounds if they win!

Snooker is played with a cue (a long pole with a soft tip) on a larger table with pockets on all four corners and in the middle of the long cushions on the sides. The table is covered in a soft material called baize, with a full-size table around 12ft long and 6ft wide. There are several balls on the table, which players must pot with the cue in a certain order to gain points. Missing the ball or potting the wrong ball can incur penalties and lets the player's opponent take a turn or extra turns. A player or his team wins by scoring more points than his opponent in several matches called frames.

If you fancy a flutter, your best bet is the Snooker World Championships, which have been held annually in Sheffield since 1927. You can follow the event on the BBC in the UK, Eurosport in other parts of Europe and even in the Far East. If you'd rather start small, there are minor ranking tournaments available which decide who takes a shot at the World Championships, with the UK Championships the most prestigious of these. Many feel these games are too slow, however and the Premier League Snooker events were created to meet the demand for faster games with timed shots.