Ken Doherty

Ken is a snooker expert at Gambling.com and one of Ireland's most successful players, having competed at the highest level of the sport for more than three decades.

The 1997 World Champion, he defeated Stephen Hendry 18-12 at the Crucible to end the Scot's run of five consecutive world titles. Ken went on to reach another two World Championship finals and won six ranking titles during his professional career.

Since moving into broadcasting, he has become a respected commentator and pundit, using his experience at the table to provide insight into players, tactics and the biggest tournaments in snooker.

Areas of Expertise

• Snooker
• Snooker Betting & Analysis
• World Snooker Championship
• Professional Snooker
• Match Tactics & Strategy

Professional Experience

Ken's success began before he joined the professional tour. In 1989, he won both the World Under-21 Amateur Championship and World Amateur Championship before turning professional the following year. His first ranking title arrived at the 1993 Welsh Open.

His defining achievement came at the 1997 World Championship. Ken defeated Hendry in the final to become the first player to win both the amateur and professional world titles and remains the only player from the Republic of Ireland to have become professional world champion.

Ken proved that victory was no one-off, returning to the Crucible final in 1998 and again in 2003. He also reached three UK Championship finals and two Masters finals, climbed as high as world number two and compiled more than 350 competitive century breaks.

After 36 years as a professional, Ken retired from the main tour in 2026. His involvement in snooker continues through exhibitions, seniors events and broadcasting, including commentary and punditry for the BBC and Channel 5.

What Ken Does at Gambling.com

At Gambling.com, Ken draws on decades of elite-level experience to provide expert analysis of snooker's biggest players, matches and tournaments.

His contributions include World Championship analysis, where he assesses contenders, match-ups and tournament prospects from the perspective of someone who has lifted the trophy himself. 

Recent contributions have included analysis of Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Zhao Xintong.

Every contribution follows Gambling.com's Editorial Policy and combines Ken's first-hand playing experience with the insight he has developed as a commentator and pundit.