The final table is set in the 2024 SunBet Poker Tour (SPT) Time Square ZAR15,000 Main Event as a field of 391 entries has been whittled down to the last nine contenders at the Time Square Casino in Pretoria. They are all vying to take home the biggest slice of the ZAR4,926,600 ($266,036) prize pool in the second stop of the year at this very venue.
Leading the way for tomorrow's grand finale is Adam Woolf with a stack of 3,645,000, good enough for 73 big blinds. Early on Day 2 after the money bubble had burst, Woolf was all-in and at risk against Nico Wiechers but spiked his two-outer on the river to stay in contention. From there on, he was responsible for several eliminations especially in the late stages to cement his status as the chip leader.
Second in chips is South African poker veteran Warren Zackey with 2,255,000, who finished 22nd in the 2009 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas. Third in chips is the last woman in the field, Mariette Language. Her roller coaster ride throughout the day ended with 2,050,000 in chips.
Other notables still in contention include Banks Solomons (1,790,000) and Harold Brooks (1,125,000). The only finalists hailing from outside of South Africa is Patrice Ah-Nien, following into the footsteps of David Ng who reached the final table in the previous edition in March 2024. Ng cashed once more and bowed out in 33rd place.
Seat Assignments for the Final Table
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warren Zackey | South Africa | 2,255,000 | 45 |
| 2 | Mariette Language | South Africa | 2,050,000 | 41 |
| 3 | KM | South Africa | 1,850,000 | 37 |
| 4 | Harold Brooks | South Africa | 1,125,000 | 23 |
| 5 | Banks Solomons | South Africa | 1,790,000 | 36 |
| 6 | Patrice Ah-Nien | Mauritius | 820,000 | 16 |
| 7 | Jedd Kossew | South Africa | 1,200,000 | 24 |
| 8 | Gerrit van der Spoel | South Africa | 1,095,000 | 22 |
| 9 | Adam Woolf | South Africa | 3,645,000 | 73 |
There are 41:58 minutes left in level 24 at blinds of 25,000-50,000 and a big blind ante of 50,000. The final table is scheduled to restart at 11 a.m. local time and the PokerNews live updates will be published according to the security delay of the cards-up coverage and commentary on the SunBet Poker Tour YouTube channel.
The penultimate day started with 63 Day 1 survivors and the top 49 spots were paid. Among those bowing out before the money were Ahmed Karrim, Jehan Richards, Huawei Sun, and Stephen Courtney. Karrim's exit was sealed via two-outer when the dominated pocket pair of Solomons turned a full house.
Solomons was also responsible for bursting the money bubble when he flopped a set of eights against Jarred Solomon. Second on the all-time money list of South Africa according to The Hendon Mob database, Solomon flopped top pair with ace-king suited but found no help in three-way action.
Once the money stages were reached, the eliminations kept coming at a rapid pace. Sugen Singh, winner of the March Main Event in a three-way deal, was among the first to head to the payout desk. Jacobus de Nysschen fell victim to the hot run of the start-of-the-day chip leader Imran Bhojani, who remained a bigger stack until deep in the evening.
Gavin Sardini, finalist of the March edition at the Time Square Casino Pretoria and runner-up of the ZAR50,000 High Roller, was knocked out by Zackey on the final four tables. The UK's Max Deveson, who recorded several deep runs in SPT tournaments in the last few years, was the first casualty on the final three tables soon after.
Bhojani claimed another victim with the elimination of live satellite winner Quintin Heather-Clark and soon after, the roller coaster ride of previous runner-up SM came to an end in 24th place against Giovanni Zanette. The 33rd place finisher in the 2024 WSOP Main Event himself then had to settle for 19th place after he was unable to spin up a short stack.
Another big name in the close-knit poker community in South Africa is Darren Kramer, who has already cashed for more than $1.3 million in live poker event. His tournament ended in 14th place when a jack-high flush draw failed to get there against Ah-Nien. It only took slightly more than an hour after the following break to reduce the field to the final nine and the action concluded for the night.
The winner of this major live poker series in South Africa, held in cooperation between the Monster Jam Poker Tour and Sun International, will be crowned on Sunday, August 11, 2024. All finalists have locked up ZAR102,130 ($5,413) and the eventual champion will take home the trophy, winner's bracelet and top prize of ZAR1,021,290 ($54,128).
Stay tuned for the conclusion of this event with the exclusive updates right here on PokerNews.
Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Winner | Prize (in ZAR) | Prize (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,021,290 | $54,128 | |
| 2 | 715,195 | $37,905 | |
| 3 | 459,800 | $24,369 | |
| 4 | 303,970 | $16,110 | |
| 5 | 234,015 | $12,403 | |
| 6 | 193,860 | $10,275 | |
| 7 | 162,330 | $8,603 | |
| 8 | 132,130 | $7,003 | |
| 9 | 102,130 | $5,413 |
