KM Tops Day 1a in Pretoria; Solomons and Ah-Nien Among the Survivors
The August edition of the 2024 SunBet Poker Tour in Pretoria has seen the first of five starting days conclude in the ZAR15,000 Main Event. Compared to the previous edition at the same venue in March, it was a timid start for the crown jewel of the schedule as just 65 entries were recorded compared to the 105 entries in Spring. Most notables of the close-knit South African poker community were still involved on Day 2 of the ZAR50,000 High Roller, which had also seen a drop in participation as well.
With 15 levels of 50 minutes each or down to the top 15% of the field set as goal, the latter was reached in the final level of the night and 10 players advanced. Leading the way in the early morning hours at the Time Square Casino Pretoria was local player KM, who turned his 40,000 starting stack into 519,000. There is already a significant gap to Banks Solomons (310,000) and Quintin Heather-Clark (292,000), who complete the overnight podium.
Final Chip Counts After Day 1a
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KM | South Africa | 519,000 | 87 |
| 2 | Banks Solomons | South Africa | 310,000 | 52 |
| 3 | Quintin Heather-Clark | South Africa | 292,000 | 49 |
| 4 | Harold Brooks | South Africa | 291,000 | 49 |
| 5 | Melissa Kalil | South Africa | 258,000 | 43 |
| 6 | Wesley Wiegand | South Africa | 252,000 | 42 |
| 7 | Patrice Ah-Nien | Mauritius | 212,000 | 35 |
| 8 | Pravir Rama | South Africa | 186,000 | 31 |
| 9 | Alvin Pillay | South Africa | 183,000 | 31 |
| 10 | Caleb October | South Africa | 143,000 | 24 |
Harold Brooks finished just a single chip behind the bronze spot with 291,000 and was responsible for the final elimination of the night when he won a flip against Mariette Language. Of the ten players to advance were nine from South Africa, while Patrice Ah-Nien made it through with 212,000 in chips. Ah-Nien is part of a small travelling player group from Mauritius and cashed in this event in March, finishing in 30th place for ZAR29,390.
Alvin Pillay reached the final three tables in the previous stop here in Pretoria and also needed just one entry to secure his spot for Day 2 in the opening flight, as he bagged up 183,000. The same was not the case for Gareth Kalil, who finished in 8th place back in March as he ran with kings into aces to bow out in the penultimate level. His sister Melissa Kalil fared batter and advanced with 258,000.
Other notable casualties throughout Day 1a were Hennie Appel, Darren Kramer, Okkie Fourie, Huawei Sun, Menesh Keshav, and Stephen Courtney. The previous champion Sugen Singh was also unable to get through on the first bullet but won another shot in the evening satellite, so he will be back for sure to try and win another SunBet Poker Tour title.
The live poker series in South Africa takes place in cooperation between the Monster Jam Poker Tour (MJPT) and Sun International, one of the leading Hotels, Gaming and Entertainment Group operators in the country. Another four starting days are scheduled for the ZAR15,000 Main Event, which boasts a ZAR4,000,000 guarantee.
Stay tuned for more live poker action from South Africa right here on PokerNews, as the next winner of the SPT will be crowned on Sunday, August 11, 2024.