Who are the most successful players in Masters snooker history? Players with the most Masters title wins

Over its fifty previous iterations, the tournament has often seen displays of brilliance from some of the greatest players to grace the sport, but who has won the title most often?

Ronnie O’Sullivan | 8-time winner (1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2024)

O’Sullivan is far ahead at the top of the tree with eight wins, most recently in the previous edition, when he ended a seven-year drought. He is both the youngest and oldest Masters winner, illustrating his superiority at his most successful event. O’Sullivan won his first title at the age of 19, and he will be confident doing so again three decades on. On top of his eight wins, he has also made the final another six times, finishing runner-up. This brings his total to 14 final appearances - five more than anyone else.

Stephen Hendry | 6-time winner (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996)

Unlike Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 29-year span of success, Hendry won his across just seven years in a period of total dominance in the sport. During this period he achieved five consecutive Masters titles, a feat that no one has come close to. In Hendry’s sixth and final victory, he defeated a young O’Sullivan 10-5 at the Wembley Conference Centre, before finishing runner-up two years later in an excruciating loss on a respotted black against Mark Williams.

Mark Selby | 3-time winner (2008, 2010, 2013)

Selby shot himself to snooker stardom with his maiden Triple Crown win at the 2008 edition, easing past Stephen Lee in only his second major final. Two years later, Selby would snatch victory in one of the greatest Masters finals, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-9 in a dramatic win. The Leicester potter rounded off his trio of titles with a 10-6 beating of Neil Robertson in the 2013 final, before losing the following Masters final to a vengeful O’Sullivan 10-4.

Cliff Thorburn | 3-time winner (1983, 1985, 1986)

Canadian Thorburn became the first non-British player to lift the Masters when he beat Ray Reardon 9-7 in 1983, five years after narrowly losing to Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins in the 1978 final. Thorburn proceeded to win two of the next three editions to cement himself as one of the tournament’s legendary players, becoming the tournament’s first three-time winner.

Steve Davis | 3-time winner (1982, 1988, 1997)

The Nugget enjoyed dominance of the sport throughout the 1980s, picking up a couple of Masters titles before a classic 1997 performance against Ronnie O’Sullivan completed a hat-trick. Davis also achieved the only whitewash to occur in a final of a Masters tournament with a 9-0 demolition of Mike Hallett in 1988.

Paul Hunter | 3-time winner (2001, 2002, 2004)

Hunter became only the third player in history to achieve a Masters treble in 2004 with a stunning 10-9 win over Ronnie O’Sullivan. Hunter had made a habit of grasping victory in spectacular fashion, with each and every final going the full distance, contributing to his rapid rise in popularity among snooker fans. After his tragic passing in 2006, Hunter left an unparalleled legacy in the competition, with the trophy being named after him in 2017.

Six players | Two-time winners

Only six other players have mustered two Masters titles in the history of the game: Alex Higgins in 1978 and 1981, John Higgins in 1999 and 2006, Neil Robertson in 2012 and 2022, Mark Williams in 1998 and 2003, Judd Trump in 2019 and 2023, and Shaun Murphy in 2015 and 2025.