Nigel Bond was the defending champion,[1] but he lost in round one 15–30 against Robert Milkins in a repeat of the 2011 final.

Unlike traditional snooker, if a ball did not hit a cushion on every shot, it was a foul.

In the event of a draw, each player received a shot at the blue ball.

The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:[4] The draw for round 1 was made on 6 November 2011, on the second day of the World Seniors Championship.

The draws for each round up to and including the semi-finals were random, conducted live at the venue.