2024 SunBet Time Square

SPT Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info

2024 SunBet Time Square

Final Results
Winner
Prize
707,675 ZAR
Event Info
Buy-in
15,000 ZAR
Prize Pool
5,266,800 ZAR
Entries
418
Level Info
Level
26
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
80,000
Players Info - Day 2
Players Left
12

SPT Main Event

Day 2 Completed

Pillay and Bitton Lead Final 12 Players in 2024 SunBet Poker Tour Time Square Main Event

Level 22 : Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Keegan Pillay
Keegan Pillay

The penultimate tournament day of the 2024 SunBet Poker Tour Time Square Main Event has whittled 71 Day 1 survivors to just 12 hopefuls, all hoping to secure the biggest possible slice of the ZAR5,266,800 ($281,989) prize pool at the Time Square Casino in Pretoria.

Once again, the newest live poker series in South Africa surpassed the guarantee of the marquee event at the same venue where the inaugural stop took place back in 2022. It is hosted in partnership between the Monster Jam Poker Tour (MJPT) and Sun International Group, which owns the entertainment property on the outskirts of the administrative capital. The 418-entry strong Main Event with a buy-in of ZAR15,000 (~$790) attracted mostly local players from all over the country and will determine a champion on Sunday, March 10, 2024.

After ten levels of frantic live poker action, the field was whittled down to one dozen contenders and all but one of the finalists represent South Africa. Cash game player Keegan Pillay leads the way with 2,790,000 while Roy Bitton (2,650,000) and David Ng from Mauritius (2,045,000) complete the overnight podium.

Also still in contention is Jarred Solomon, who sits in second place on the all-time money list of South Africa according to The Hendon Mob database. He finished Day 2 on a high note and bagged up 1,690,000 in chips, good enough for sixth place.

Chip Counts for the Final Day

PlacePlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Keegan PillaySouth Africa2,790,00070
2Roy BittonSouth Africa2,650,00066
3David NgMauritius2,045,00051
4SMSouth Africa1,820,00046
5Jarred SolomonSouth Africa1,690,00042
6Danny DayaniSouth Africa1,290,00032
7Sugen SinghSouth Africa1,235,00031
8Norman CherrySouth Africa1,200,00030
9MAJSouth Africa905,00023
10Gareth KalilSouth Africa580,00015
11Gavin SardiniSouth Africa555,00014
12Edgar AntezanaSouth Africa320,0008
Jarred Solomon
Jarred Solomon

Day 2 brought all survivors of the four starting tables back to their seats and nearly two dozen of them had to leave empty-handed, as only the top 53 spots were paid. Among the notable casualties before the money were Shannon Elizabeth, Joshua Liebenthal, Jacobus de Nysschen, and Tanith Rothman. High Roller champion Imran Bhojani became the bubble boy when his ace-jack suited ran into the pocket kings of Gareth Kalil.

Father and son duo Brett Toker and Ricky Toker both cashed, the latter winning the family last longer bragging rights with a 32nd place finish. Benjamin "Guppie" Lingenfelder was pursuing a deep run in honour of his father Bennie Lingenfelder, who passed away a few days ago on March 5. He started the day with the chip lead but tangled once too often with Bitton when he three-bet jammed ace-trey at the wrong time.

Benjamin Lingenfelder
Benjamin \"Guppie\" Lingenfelder

The very same outer table produced more frantic all-in showdowns in rapid succession with Day 1d chip leader Graham Savings and Samuel Tebege both heading to the payout desk a few minutes later. The final two tables were reached in the penultimate level of the night, after which Ronit Chamani as the last woman standing departed in 18th place.

Elai Mazor and Moon Khan were knocked out by Danny Dayani before the wild ride of Keegan Pillay culminated in a massive all-in showdown with Marko Nortje. Another two hopefuls bowed out in the final hands of the night to end the day in extraordinary fashion.

The final day will recommence at 11 a.m. local time with level 23, which features blinds of 20,000-40,000 and a big blind ante of 40,000. All levels will last 60 minutes each and the conclusion of the tournament is streamed on the Monster Jam Poker Tour YouTube and Twitch channels. The PokerNews live updates will adhere to the 30-minute security delay to not spoil any of the action.

Remaining Payouts

RankPayout (in ZAR)Payout (in USD)RankPayout (in ZAR)Payout (in USD)
11,072,820$57,9327173,280$9,357
2751,625$40,5888140,200$7,571
3483,230$26,0949107,285$5,793
4323,910$17,4911090,590$4,892
5249,120$13,4521190,590$4,892
6206,460$11,1491290,590$4,892

Tags: David NgJarred SolomonKeegan PillayRoy BittonBenjamin LingenfelderBrett TokerElai MazorImran BhojaniMarko NortjeRicky TokerRonit ChamaniSamuel TebegeShannon Elizabeth

Seat Draw for the Final Day

Level 22 : Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
TableSeatPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
11Gareth KalilSouth Africa580,00015
12SMSouth Africa1,820,00046
13Keegan PillaySouth Africa2,790,00070
15Edgar AntezanaSouth Africa320,0008
18MAJSouth Africa905,00023
19Jarred SolomonSouth Africa1,690,00042
      
101Sugen SinghSouth Africa1,235,00031
102David NgMauritius2,045,00051
104Norman CherrySouth Africa1,200,00030
106Danny DayaniSouth Africa1,290,00032
107Roy BittonSouth Africa2,650,00066
109Gavin SardiniSouth Africa555,00014

End-of-Day 2 Chip Counts (full)

Level 22 : Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Keegan Pillay za
Keegan Pillay
2,790,000
-10,000
-10,000
Day 2 Chip Leader
Profile photo of Roy Bitton za
Roy Bitton
2,650,000
150,000
150,000
Day 1B Chip Leader
Profile photo of David Ng mu
David Ng
2,045,000
120,000
120,000
Profile photo of SM za
SM
1,820,000
20,000
20,000
Profile photo of Jarred Solomon za
Jarred Solomon
1,690,000
-110,000
-110,000
Profile photo of Danny Dayani za
Danny Dayani
1,290,000
15,000
15,000
Profile photo of Sugen Singh za
Sugen Singh
1,235,000
-15,000
-15,000
Profile photo of Norman Cherry za
Norman Cherry
1,200,000
-400,000
-400,000
Profile photo of MAJ za
MAJ
905,000
55,000
55,000
Profile photo of Gareth Kalil za
Gareth Kalil
580,000
-70,000
-70,000
Profile photo of Gavin Sardini za
Gavin Sardini
555,000
5,000
5,000
Profile photo of Edgar Antezana za
Edgar Antezana
320,000
-30,000
-30,000

Stephen Courtney Eliminated in 13th Place (ZAR75,315)

Level 22 : Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Stephen Courtney
Stephen Courtney

Stephen Courtney raised to 80,000 from an early position and SM three-bet in the cutoff to 210,000. Gavin Sardini folded the 44 thereafter, as did Gareth Kalil with the AQ and a shorter stack behind.

It folded back to Courtney, who moved all-in for 845,000. SM instantly called and the cards were revealed.

Stephen Courtney: 77 All in
SM: KK

The dominated pair found no escape on the J9683 runout and the stacks were counted. SM had 900,000 and covered Courtney to reduce the field to the last 12 contenders.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of SM za
SM
1,800,000
1,085,000
1,085,000
Profile photo of Gareth Kalil za
Gareth Kalil
650,000
-105,000
-105,000
Profile photo of Gavin Sardini za
Gavin Sardini
550,000
-585,000
-585,000
Profile photo of Stephen Courtney za
Stephen Courtney
Busted

Tags: Gareth KalilGavin SardiniSMStephen Courtney

Solomon Hits a Big River

Level 22 : Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Jarred Solomon
Jarred Solomon

First to act over on the live stream table, MAJ opened to 60,000 with the AA and Jarred Solomon called one seat over with the JJ. The flop came Q96 and MAJ's continuation bet for 80,000 was called by Solomon.

After the Q turn, both players checked and MAJ bet the J river for 250,000. Solomon tanked, used a time bank and raised to 630,000 with some 200,000 behind with his full house. MAJ used several time bank extensions before he paid it off to get shown the bad news.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Jarred Solomon za
Jarred Solomon
1,800,000
1,280,000
1,280,000
Profile photo of MAJ za
MAJ
850,000
-750,000
-750,000

Tags: Jarred SolomonMAJ

Djordje Stojic Eliminated in 14th Place (ZAR75,315)

Level 22 : Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Djordje Stojic
Djordje Stojic

Djordje Stojic jammed a shorter stack out of the small blind and was called by David Ng in the big blind, who had arrived not long ago to balance the final two tables.

Djordje Stojic: AQ All in
David Ng: 66

The two overcards missed the 108754 runout as Ng made an eight-high straight, knocking out Stojic in 14th place in the final hands of the night.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of David Ng mu
David Ng
1,925,000
325,000
325,000
Profile photo of Djordje Stojic rs
Djordje Stojic
Busted

Tags: David NgDjordje Stojic

Bitton Still Dominates Feature Table

Level 22 : Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante

MAJ opened to 60,000 with the 97 and Roy Bitton called with the A6 in the small blind, SM did so in the big blind with the 108. On a flop of A96, Bitton check-raised from 80,000 to 225,000 and MAJ folded.

Gareth Kalil then jammed for 680,000 with the KQ and Bitton folded the AJ on the button.

In the meanwhile, Stephen Courtney has chipped below one million again.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Roy Bitton za
Roy Bitton
2,500,000
100,000
100,000
Day 1B Chip Leader
Profile photo of MAJ za
MAJ
1,600,000
Profile photo of Stephen Courtney za
Stephen Courtney
845,000
-500,000
-500,000
Profile photo of Gareth Kalil za
Gareth Kalil
755,000
-155,000
-155,000

Tags: Gareth KalilRoy BittonMAJStephen CourtneySM