At noon local time, the second of four starting days awaits in the 2024 SunBet Poker Tour Time Square ZAR15,000 Main Event. Poker enthusiasts from near and far in South Africa are expected to head to the Time Square Casino in Pretoria, the administrative capital of the country.
The live poker event in South Africa is taking place thanks to a partnership between two established brands of the poker and gaming brand in the country: the Monster Jam Poker Tour (MJPT) and Sun International Group, the leading South African gaming and hospitality company. One of Sun International's newest properties is the aforementioned Time Square complex on the outskirts of Pretoria, fewer than half an hour away from the international airport at Johannesburg. It features a four-star hotel, sports as well as entertainment complex and nearby shopping mall.
Launched two years ago with the first event taking place at this very venue, the SPT has become one of the most exciting live poker tours of the country. The entire series already kicked off on February 28 and lasts 12 days total with ZAR12,000,000 in guarantees. Nearly half of that money will be up for grabs in the ZAR15,000 Main Event (~$790), which comes with a large ZAR5,000,000 (~$263,400) guarantee.
Yesterday's first starting day brought a total of 106 entries and 16 players advanced when the top 15% of the field were reached in the final scheduled level of the night. The same goal is also set for today, as a maximum of 15 levels of 50 minutes will be completed. All those who have previously busted on Day 1a as well as those unhappy with their accumulated chips can enter again, as the bigger stack will be carried forward to the race for the money stages and beyond.
All participants start with 40,000 in chips and that makes for a very deep 200 big blinds in the first level at 100-200 with a big blind ante of 200. The late registration and re-entry period is open for the first ten levels and there will be a break every two levels on average with a 60-minute dinner break at the end of level seven. Each Day 1 flight will finish outside of the money with one of eight entries earning a cash price as of Day 2.
Alongside Day 1b of the flagship Main Event, the ZAR50,000 High Roller will also play down to a winner on the live stream table. Likewise, cards will be in the air at noon local time and you can follow the conclusion with cards-up coverage and commentary on a 30-minute security delay via the Monster Jam Poker Twitch and YouTube channels.
Stay tuned right here on PokerNews for all of the live poker action from South Africa, as the live reporting team will be on the floor from start to finish in the Main Event.
