Richest Snooker Players of All Time – Who Makes It to the Top?
9 minutes
Last Updated: August 22, 2022
There is a common belief that only prominent sports players are rich, but you would be surprised to know how rich snooker players are!
Snooker is a game loved by millions worldwide, and many sportsbooks also depend on these games to bag profit.
So naturally, the snooker players’ worth gets inflated, and they soon start to swim in money.
In the past, many popular snooker players became filthy rich, but who are the top rankers in the list of richest snooker players of all time?
Stick till the end to find out how much the richest snooker players have in their bank accounts!
10 Richest Snooker Players of All Time
10. Mark Williams
In terms of wealth, Mark Williams, aka “The Welsh Potting Machine,” ranks tenth on our list.
Mark was born on March 21, 1975, and he is a professional snooker player. Mark is a three-time world champion in snooker. He was ranked #1 in 2000, 2003, and 2018.
Mark Williams is an extraordinary player who is considered one of the top players of this century.
He has collected the winner’s trophy for 24 ranking tournaments. He has also won a total of seven non-ranking tournaments and participated in many minor ranking tournaments, and won two of them.
His participation in these tournaments helped him amass a lot of wealth. According to reports, Mark Williams’s net worth is somewhere near $9 million!
9. Willie Thorne
Image courtesy of independent.ie
William Joseph Thorne, born on March 4, 1954, was a great professional snooker player from England.
Due to respiratory failure following a diagnosis of leukemia earlier that year, Willie died on June 17, 2020.
In his professional snooker career, Willie Thorne won only one ranking tournament back in the 1985 Classic.
However, he still managed to crawl up the ladder to become the ninth richest snooker player of all time.
Willie also managed to win six non-ranking tournaments. A few years before he died, Willie Thorne filed for bankruptcy.
He was banned from borrowing over 500 pounds without informing the lender about the bankruptcy.
Nevertheless, his net worth was around $10 million when he was alive. Willie Thorne’s professional snooker player period was between 1975 and 2001. In 2001, Willie retired and took up a BBC commentator job.
8. John Higgins
The Wizard of Wishaw, aka John Higgins, was born on May 18, 1975. John Higgins (MBE) is a professional snooker player from Scotland.
John Higgins was ranked the best snooker player in the world in 1998, 2007, and 2010. He has won 31 ranking tournaments and 20 non-ranking tournaments.
Higgins has also won three minor ranking tournaments in his career. Thanks to all these tournaments, John Higgins could climb up to the top eight positions on the list of richest snooker players of all time.
His current net worth is considered to be around $11 million.
7. John Parrott
Image courtesy of wst.tv
John Stephen Parrott (MBE) is one of the senior snooker players in the world. Born on May 11, 1964, Parrott is the seventh richest snooker player in the world, with a net worth of approximately $11 million.
John was ranked #1 as he became the 1991 snooker world champion. He was in the top 16 of the snooker world rankings for 14 straight seasons. Moreover, Parrott spent 11 of those seasons in the top six.
John Parrott has won a total of nine ranking and seven non-ranking snooker tournaments.
He is known for his dedication during the match. His concentration during a shot cannot be compared to any other player in the world.
Thanks to his dedication and unique playstyle, John won the 1989 European Open, 1990 European Open, 1991 World Snooker Championship, 1991 Dubai Classic, 1991 UK Championship, 1992 Dubai Classic, 1994 International Open, 1995 Thailand Classic, and 1996 European Open.
6. Ronnie O’Sullivan
Ronald Antonio O’Sullivan (OBE) was born in December 1975 and is one of the most famous snooker players hailing from England.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is the current world snooker champion who reigns supreme in all the competitions he enters.
O’Sullivan has been the world champion for a long time now. He was ranked #1 in 2002 and remained number one till 2006. His performance peaked, and he made it to #1 again from 2008 to 2010 and in 2019 and 2022.
Experts believe Ronald Antonio O’Sullivan is the most talented snooker player this game has ever seen.
In terms of wealth, O’Sullivan’s net worth is around $14 million. He earned his fair share of the money by winning a lot of tournaments in his career.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has won 39 ranking tournaments till now and 35 non-ranking tournaments.
Moreover, he is also the champion of three minor ranking tournaments. Ronnie was declared world champion in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, and 2022.
5. Cliff Thorburn
Born on 16 January 1948, Cliff Thorburn is a popular former snooker player known for his explosive gameplay that stunned his opponents.
Having played in many snooker tournaments and winning a good number of them, Cliff Thorburn is the fifth richest snooker player on our list. His estimated net worth is around $15 million.
Cliff won the 1980 World Snooker Championship and 1985 Matchroom Trophy throughout his glorious career.
He was the runner-up in several tournaments like the 1977 World Snooker Championship, 1983 World Snooker Championship, 1983 International Open, 1984 Grand Prix, 1985 The Classic, 1986 The Classic, 1986 International Open, and 1987 International Open.
Moreover, he also won 18 different non-ranking tournaments like the 2018 Seniors Masters, the 1987 Canadian Professional Championship, and more.
Looking back in the history of snooker world champions, the name of Cliff Thorburn is engraved in golden text for his exemplary performance in the 1980 world snooker competition, where he won the gold medal.
Due to his performance in the past few years, in 1980, he was ranked the #1 player in the world. The period of 1984–85 was the golden years of Cliff Thorburn, where he defeated Steve Davis by 9–7 in the semi-final of the Grand Prix.
However, his momentum was broken by Dennis Taylor in the finals by 2–10.
4. Jimmy White
James Warren White (MBE), aka Jimmy White, is a name known to all snooker fans and sports punters.
White is popular for his aggressive gameplay and risk-taking capabilities. His fans named him “The Whirlwind” for his amazing and smooth playstyle. Born on May 2, 1962, Jimmy White won three senior World titles.
In the peak time of his career, he won 1986 The Classic, 1986 Grand Prix, 1987 British Open, 1988 Canadian Masters, 1991 The Classic, 1992 European Open, 1992 British Open, 1992 Grand Prix, 1992 UK Championship, and 2004 Players Championship.
His achievements do not end here. Jimmy White also was the runner up in tournaments like
- 1982 Professional Players Tournament
- 1984 World Snooker Championship
- 1987 The Classic, 1987 UK Championship
- 1988 International Open
- 1990 World Snooker Championship
- 1991 World Snooker Championship & UK Championship
- 1992 and 1993 World Snooker Championship
- 2000 British Open
- 2004 European Open.
In all these tournaments Jimmy White played, he gained a lot of fame and money. According to some reports, Jimmy White’s net worth is around $19 million. He ranks fourth on our list for his overall wealth and fame.
3. Dennis Taylor
Image courtesy of eurosport.com
Dennis Taylor is a Northern Irish professional snooker player who is popular for his amazing shots that put the viewers in awe.
He made a special place in the hearts of all the snooker fans worldwide with his performance in the 1985 World Championship.
In that match, he faced off against the star player of that time, Steve Davis, in the finals.
Dennis Taylor has now retired as a professional snooker player and currently works as a commentator for snooker tournaments.
During the peak time of his career, he was ranked the world’s second-best snooker player during 1979–1980. He was only behind the then-champion Steve Davis.
In terms of fame and trophies, Dennis Taylor is second to none. Dennis Taylor has won the 1984 Grand Prix, 1985 World Snooker Championship, Triple Crown, and more. Collectively Dennis won two ranking tournaments and 17 non-ranking tournaments.
After losing the 1990 World Cup due to his teammate Tommy Murphy, Dennis became desperate to prove his worth as one of the leading snooker players in the world.
Dennis then defeated Tommy in the following Irish Masters, but his performance after that match kept going down. Thus, he decided to retire from playing snooker professionally.
During his glorious career as one of the best snooker players in the world, Dennis amassed a lot of wealth, and currently, he is worth $20 million (approximately).
2. Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry is a famous snooker player and commentator. Born on 13 January 1969, Stephen is ranked second on our list.
Stephen Hendry, aka The Golden Boy, belongs to Scotland, and he won the World Snooker Championship seven times. Stephen Hendry net worth is approximately $29 million!
During his professional snooker career, Stephen has won six Masters titles. Moreover, he is a record holder of winning the UK Championship five times.
The popular snooker tournament, the Triple Crown, has also recorded his name in its hall of fame for winning the tournament 18 times.
Stephen won six Masters titles, and five were consecutive. He won the Masters title from 1989 to 1993 consecutively.
In 1994, Stephen Hendry was awarded the title of MBE. Looking back at the ranking titles won by Stephen, it numbers up to 36 which is a record in itself. His record was only broken once by O’Sullivan, who won 39 ranking titles.
Stephen Hendry was in the news in 2012 when he decided it was time to rest his professional snooker career.
At the age of 46, the golden boy retired after he participated in his 27th World Championship. His decision was not abrupt; he told the press that he suffered from severe loss of form.
However, the crazy snooker lover could not last long in his comfortable retirement home and made an amazing comeback in September 2020.
1. Steve Davis
Steve Davis is a former professional snooker player. Steve was born on 22 August 1957, in Plumstead, London, England.
He was made MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1998 and was given the title of OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2000.
Now retired, this English star snooker player is nothing but a legend for the young generation of professional snooker players.
Steve Davis net worth is approximately $30 million. Steve Davis holds the record of winning six snooker world championships.
He amassed most of his wealth by winning these championships and doing advertising work.
Steve Davis retired in 2016 and is now living a quiet and comfortable life. During his peak time in the 80s, Davis not only won six world championships but also held the title of number one for seven consecutive years.
This is a feat none could achieve other than Steve. These are the reasons why Steve ranks number one on our list.
Besides the snooker world championship, Steve also won many other prominent tournaments like the UK Championship six times, the Masters three times, and the Triple Crown titles 15 times.
He became the first player to achieve a stunning victory in all three Triple Crown events in a single season!
His record is shared with only one person, and that is Mark Williams. Steve Davis, aka Ginger Magician, is also interested in other games like chess and is very good at it.
Final Say on the Richest Snooker Players
Snooker players are no doubt one of the most respected and wealthy players in the world. Our ranking of richest snooker players reveals that Steve Davis is the winner with a net worth of $30 million.
The runner-up in our list is Stephen Hendry, whose net worth is $29 million. The competition is close, but Steve Davis is the clear winner regarding overall wealth and skills.
