SPT Main Event
Day 3 Completed
2024 SunBet GrandWest
SPT Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2024 SunBet GrandWest
Buy-in
15,000 ZAR
Prize Pool
6,350,400 ZAR
Entries
504
Level
32
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Players Left
1
Level 32
: Blinds 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
The biggest live poker event of the year in South Africa and in the history of the SunBet Poker Tour (SPT) has come to an end. Mauritius based Saurabh Gulati has taken down the 504-entry strong 2024 SPT GrandWest Main Event after a three-way deal. He took home the biggest slice of the ZAR 6,350,400 ($351,395) prize pool and denied a home victory for several fierce local competitors at the GrandWest Casino outside of Cape Town on the southern cusp of the African continent.
“Loved it. It was pressure in the start, but after that it got easier with the chip lead and everything. It got so much easier and I had a ball time,” Gulati said in the winner interview after his victory. He joked that there was no big competitor at the table because he “knew I would take it down,” albeit with a big smirk on the face.
For the first time in history, two women reached the final table in the largest live poker tournament of the year in South Africa and they made further history. While narrowly missing out on the victory, Ronit Chamani as well as Diane Walker went the furthest any female player on the tour had gone before. They ended up in three-handed play with Gulati, where a deal was cut to continue play for the trophy.
Walker had joked prior to the start of Day 2 that there was no article written about her after she had topped the late turbo heat 1d with the largest tally. She was full of confidence heading into the final day and exclaimed “I will reach the final table and you will write about me”, and she certainly showcased her talents on the felt these past few days.
Having been left short early into the final table after a clash with Nic Ioannoy, Walker came back to haunt Ioannoy and made it all the way to heads-up play. Chamani took home ZAR 900,000 for third place while Walker earned ZAR 800,000. However, it was Gulati who claimed the winner's trophy after an intense and swingy heads-up duel along with the top prize of ZAR 975,280.
The eventual champion was born in Australia and moved to Mauritius about one and a half years ago, where he jumped back into poker after starting his journey in Sydney more than eight years ago. As has been the case during other SPT stops in 2024, a small crew of Mauritius players made the one way trip from the island and Gulati joined them. Usually, cash games are now his prowess, but the triumph in the largest SunBet Poker Tour Main Event in history so far might have an influence on his preference.
It was a very fitting end to the year for Africa's Richest Poker Tour with tremendous numbers. All guarantees across the board were smashed during the festival and the attendance figures throughout all events increased by more than thirty percent. The ZAR 15,000 Main Event was no different, beating the 429 entries of last year by a wide margin to showcase the growth of the popular live poker tour, which is held in conjunction between the leading South African gaming and hospitality company Sun International and the Monster Jam Poker Tour.
2024 SPT GrandWest Main Event Final Table Result
| Rank | Winner | Country | Prize (in ZAR) | Prize (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saurabh Gulati | Australia | 975,280* | $53,966* |
| 2 | Diane Walker | South Africa | 800,000* | $44,267* |
| 3 | Ronit Chamani | South Africa | 900,000* | $49,801* |
| 4 | Colin Horgan | Ireland | 388,265 | $21,484 |
| 5 | Nic Ioannoy | South Africa | 298,025 | $16,491 |
| 6 | Gareth Fourie | South Africa | 248,430 | $13,747 |
| 7 | Hennie Appel | South Africa | 206,835 | $11,445 |
| 8 | Giovanni Zanette | South Africa | 165,555 | $9,161 |
| 9 | Divan Le Roux | South Africa | 124,230 | $6,874 |
*reflects deal agreement between the final three players
Among the finalists were also Colin Horgan from Ireland, three-time champion Nic Ioannoy, Giovanni Zanette and Edgar Antezana. Horgan had won his trip to Cape Town after his runner-up finish in The Hendon Mob Championship during the 2024 Irish Poker Open and stayed longer to take full advantage of the festival. Antezana came fresh off a big score in the 2024 APT Manila Main Event for PHP 13,850,000 ($ 237,864) one month ago.
It has been a stellar year for Zanette, who made a deep run in the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas and finished in 30th place for $300,000. “It's where I usually finish,” Zanette had said after he had bowed out in the ZRA 75,000 Super High Roller in third place, and he then also cashed in the ZAR 50,000 High Roller before jumping into the Main Event and making it through in one bullet.
Zanette got the ball rolling in the very first hand on the outer table when he left Antezana short, who would bust soon after. The next casualty was Rohan Conradie on the feature table before Horgan jumped back into the top spot by knocking out Wessel Conradie on the outer table with ace-four versus ace-ten.
Once the final table was eventually reached after nearly three full levels, Gulati earned a fortunate double right away. Divan Le Roux then got short and jammed a suited jack into the pocket tens of Diane Walker to become the first casualty. The second all-in showdown ended in a chop before Gareth Fourie doubled with an ace-rag against a baby pair.
Zanette got it in ahead with ace-queen versus king-ten but Gulati hit the ten and king to send Zanette to the rail in eighth place. Hennie Appel got short and busted soon after, while Diane Walker was on the verge of suffering the same fate when she lost a big all-in showdown with queens against the ace-five of Nic Ioannoy. However, Walker doubled two times in quick succession much to the delight of the local rail.
Fourie's attempt at spinning up his short stack ended with jack-ten suited against the ace-jack of Horgan and he finished sixth in his first ever live poker tournament. While on vacation, he played a satellite and turned that into a final table run. The final hand before the second break of the day brought a clash between Gulati and Ioannoy, with the former taking over the lead.
Back from the break, Walker scored her fourth double-up and came from behind with queen-jack against the king-queen of Ioannoy. The clash left the three-time SunBet Poker Tour Main Event winner with a chip and a chair, he doubled once before heading to the payout desk.
Four-handed play saw two local female contenders up against Horgan from Ireland and Gulati from Australia. The highest finish for a female contender in a SPT Main Event until now had been fifth place, which Chamani and Walker both surpassed and they even embraced during four-handed play while the boys were busy in a hand. Said tense moment saw Gulati hero-call with ace-high on the river and he caught Horgan bluffing, after which both fist-bumped.
It seemed inevitable that both would clash again and it happened soon after with another flip. The pocket sixes of Gulati flopped a set versus ace-ten and Horgan was drawing dead on the turn to reduce the field to the final three.
Chamani had carefully picked her spots on the final table to maintain her stack and then doubled through Gulati with kings versus ace-king. With the stacks more even, first deal discussions came up, but a second round was needed to come to an agreement. Chamani was the first to bust thereafter when her top pair was cracked by Gulati's flush draw.
The heads-up duel for the trophy was a topsy-turvy affair. Walker doubled into a commanding lead but Gulati struck back to eventually deny a home town victory for the Capetonian, who recorded her second-largest score on the live poker circuit in South Africa.
This wraps up the final stop of the SunBet Poker Tour in 2024, and the next stop will be in late February at the Time Square Casino in Pretoria. Thanks for following the live poker action from the close-knit poker community in South Africa here on PokerNews.
Level 32
: Blinds 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
Saurabh Gulati open-jammed the button and Diane Walker called all-in from the big blind.
Diane Walker: A♠3♦ 
Saurabh Gulati: 8♥7♥
The K♠8♠8♣ flop left Walker with a mountain to climb. It was all over with the 10♣ turn and the 3♥ river officially ended the tournament. Both embraced after all was over before the winner pictures were set up.
Walker has received ZAR 800,000 for her efforts while Gulati earned the trophy and top prize of ZAR 975,280.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000,000
5,000,000
|
5,000,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 32
: Blinds 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
Saurabh Gulati limped the button with 4♥3♦ and Diane Walker checked from the big blind with the J♣2♠. On the A♣6♣5♣ flop, Walker checked and then jammed into a bet of 600,000. Gulati was not willing to pay just yet and preserved his larger lead instead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
15,000,000
-1,000,000
|
-1,000,000 |
|
|
5,100,000
900,000
|
900,000 |
|
|
||
Level 32
: Blinds 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
Diane Walker made it 1 million to go on the button with the 6♠6♦ and Saurabh Gulati called with 10♣9♥, then checked the A♣10♠5♣ flop. Walker bet 2 million and Gulati opted to call after brief consideration.
Almost one third of the chips in play were in the middle to the 8♦ turn and Gulati checked, Walker checked behind. The 10♥ on the river saw Gulati declare "all of it" for his shove worth 4.9 million and Walker placed her time bank out in front of the chips before checking her remaining stack.
She used two of them and called to fall back to a short stack, reversing the scenario from earlier in the heads-up duel with a four-to-one lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
16,000,000
7,800,000
|
7,800,000 |
|
|
4,200,000
-7,800,000
|
-7,800,000 |
|
|
||
Level 32
: Blinds 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
Saurabh Gulati raised to 750,000 with the 6♦4♣ and Diane Walker defended the 10♣9♣. They checked to the 9♠3♣2♣3♠K♣ river on which Walker bet 750,000, Gulati snap-folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
12,000,000
-1,000,000
|
-1,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
8,200,000
800,000
|
800,000 |
Level: 32
Blinds: 150,000/300,000
Ante: 300,000
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/250,000, 250,000 ante
In a limped pot to the A♠5♠2♥ flop, Saurabh Gulati bet 450,000 with the 6♣3♣ and Diane Walker check-called with the Q♦2♠. She then check-called another 550,000 on the 8♦ turn and 850,000 on the 8♠ river to jump back into the lead.
Gulati then flat-called the J♠7♠ from the button and Walker raised to 1 million with her A♥7♦, which Gulati called.
The 10♥9♥4♥ flop gave Walker the nut flush draw and she checked. Gulati bet 1.1 million. After brief consideration, Walker moved all-in and
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
13,000,000
3,500,000
|
3,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
7,400,000
-3,600,000
|
-3,600,000 |
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/250,000, 250,000 ante
Saurabh Gulati won a small pot when he trapped with ace-king and Diane Walker then limped in with the J♦7♥. Gulati raised the K♣4♠ to 800,000 and earned a call. They checked to the K♥Q♥J♠A♦6♣ river on which Gulati had a bet of 800,000 paid off.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,000,000
1,700,000
|
1,700,000 |
|
|
9,500,000
-1,500,000
|
-1,500,000 |
|
|
||
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/250,000, 250,000 ante
In the very next hand, Diane Walker open-jammed the button and Saurabh Gulati called.
Saurabh Gulati: A♣6♣
Diane Walker: 2♦2♥
The A♦9♥9♠K♥5♥ board gave Gulati a double for 4,450,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,000,000
-5,000,000
|
-5,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
9,300,000
5,100,000
|
5,100,000 |