Mark Selby successful, some pundits and fans began to view this nickname with irony. Former world champion and now BBC commentator Dennis Taylor has given him the nickname “Sat Nav Selby” due to his knowledge of angles and ability to lay and escape from snookers. Selby is also a pool player. He was the 2006 WEPF eight-ball pool world champion and was the 2015 Chinese Pool World Championship runner-up. Selby was born in Leicester, England. Malcolm Thorne, the brother of Leicester-born snooker player Willie Thorne, spotted Selby's snooker ability and provided Selby practice so he could practise every day after school. Selby's
Mark Selby won the WEPF World Eight-ball Championship, beating Darren Appleton 11–7 in the final at Blackpool. On 2 February 2015, Selby played in the 2015 Chinese Pool World Championship , but lost to Darren Appleton 19–21 in the final. Selby is a fan of Leicester City, whom he has supported since childhood. His 2014 World Championship victory came on the same day as City celebrated their promotion to the Premier League with an open-top bus parade, while his 2016 World Championship victory came on 2 May 2016, which he won just 11 minutes after the team sealed their first Premier League