Running from this Sunday to next, the 16 highest ranked players in the world will perform on a one-table set-up for snooker's second-oldest title, and one of its most prestigious, in a straight knockout, bestof-11 frames format until the best-of-19 final.
Judd Trump is the defending champion from 2023; the number one seed, he is favourite with the bookies at 11/5, only slightly ahead of the 9/4 third seed Ronnie O'Sullivan who is searching for a record-extending eighth triumph here.
But in truth, The Masters is as difficult to call as ever. Its format leaves no room for error, and with all players proven world-beaters anyone can defeat anyone - last year Trump won from fourth seed, replacement Hossein Vafaei beat Mark Selby in the opening round, and 14th seed Stuart Bingham made it all the way to the semis.
Yet there is a certain feeling around O'Sullivan in the major tournaments at present. He openly expressed that he wanted the UK Championship this season, and so it was no surprise that he went and won it last month.
In doing so, he ticked off the first part of a potential single season Triple Crown, one of the few achievements he has not yet ticked off in the sport. If that is a personal goal, he will be hard to beat.
His path is a difficult one, however. He faces Ding Junhui, 20/1 for the title, first up in what should be a blockbuster fixture on Monday. Ding lost to O'Sullivan in the UK Championship final, and if O'Sullivan is not firing, the Chinese player is more than capable of overthrowing him.
Whoever wins will face either 16/1 Neil Robertson or 20/1 Barry Hawkins in the quarter-final. On form, Hawkins should win, especially given Robertson has not played for a month after a poor start to the season - but his respite could have reset him.
His potential list of semi-final opponents does not make for easier reading; second seed Luca Brecel, 18/1, leads the way while he faces 22/1 Jack Lisowski, with 14/1 Shaun Murphy and 28/1 Zhang Anda the final contestants on that side of the bracket.
So, does Judd Trump's side of the bracket offer a more reasonable path to the final? Hardly. The out of form 28/1 Kyren Wilson is first up in the Round of 16, while 18/1 Mark Williams takes on 40/1 Ali Carter, 13/2 Mark Selby takes on the 100/1 longest shot of the tournament Robert Milkins and, in probably the game of the opening round, 14/1 Mark Allen faces 16/1 John Higgins.
