SPT Main Event
Day 1de Completed
2024 SunBet Time Square
SPT Main Event
Day: 1de
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1de
2024 SunBet Time Square
Buy-in
15,000 ZAR
Prize Pool
4,926,600 ZAR
Entries
391
Level
27
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
100,000
Entries
239
Players Left
40
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
As expected, it was a busy day at the Time Square Casino in Pretoria as the long weekend promised large field sizes for the SunBet Poker Tour Time Square Main Event. Held in cooperation between the South African gaming and entertainment giant Sun International as well as the Monster Jam Poker Tour, the live poker series visited the venue for the second time in the current year.
The marquee event of the series comes with a price tag of ZAR15,000 ($790) and produced a strong turnout in the final two starting days to more than double the field size. Across the opening two flights in the previous two days, 152 entries had emerged but that figure was surpassed by Day 1d alone with 161 entries.
It was then the final turbo heat 1c which added another 78 entries on top to create a field of 391 entries and generate a prize pool of ZAR4,926,600 ($266,036), nearly reaching the attendance of the March edition and breezing past the ZAR4,000,000 guarantee.
Day 1d provided the last chance for players to take advantage of the 50-minute level structure and 25 players advanced with none other than Giovanni Zanette leading the way. Only a few weeks ago, Zanette finished in 33rd place in the record-breaking 2024 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas and showcased his talents on home soil once more. Zanette ended the night with 610,000 in chips, which puts him in second place overall.
Sean Bloom ended Day 1 within eyesight of Zanette as he bagged up 578,000, whereas Chrissy Luyt finished with 420,000. Among the notable survivors in the top ten were also Menesh Keshav (365,000), Warren Zackey (359,000), Brett Toker (348,000), and the runner-up of the previous stop in Pretoria known under his alias SM (340,000).
Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 1d
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giovanni Zanette | South Africa | 610,000 | 122 |
| 2 | Sean Bloom | South Africa | 578,000 | 116 |
| 3 | Chrissy Luyt | South Africa | 420,000 | 84 |
| 4 | Menesh Keshav | South Africa | 365,000 | 73 |
| 5 | Warren Zackey | South Africa | 359,000 | 72 |
| 6 | Brett Toker | South Africa | 348,000 | 70 |
| 7 | SM | South Africa | 340,000 | 68 |
| 8 | Robert Hertzog | Denmark | 334,000 | 67 |
| 9 | Muzamil Gothey | Tanzania | 328,000 | 66 |
| 10 | Muddassir Ameer | South Africa | 273,000 | 55 |
Other notables to advance from Day 1d were Edgar Antezana (247,000), Anand Kumar (231,000), Kade Ollewagen (218,000), Jacobus de Nysschen (127,000), Max Deveson (102,000), and Kinesh Pather (84,000). Antezana has been the only player to bag up in multiple starting days and will carry over his larger stack from today into Day 2 after he had the bottom stack of 56,000 on Day 1b.
Zanette had a healthy stack for most of the day and started his rise to the top of the leaderboard after the end of the late registration. His ascend culminated with the elimination of Elai Mazor when his aces held against pocket kings. Fellow big stack Bloom was responsible for several late eliminations including a double knockout during the final hands of the night.
Many other big names of the close-knit South African poker community didn't make it through the minefields of the penultimate Day 1 such as Ahmed Karrim, Gareth Kalil, Rayhaan Adam, Marko Nortje, Jarred Solomon, Gavin Sardini, and Rudolf Fourie. Karrim, Solomon and Sardini all advanced in the turbo flight 1e and will be back in action at noon.
The Day 1 flights at a Glance
| Flight | Start Time | Level Duration | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1a | Aug 7 at 12 p.m. | 50 minutes | 10 players / 65 entries advanced |
| Day 1b | Aug 8 at 12 p.m. | 50 minutes | 14 players / 87 entries advanced |
| Day 1d | Aug 9 at 11 a.m. | 50 minutes | 25 players / 161 entries advanced |
| Day 1e | Aug 9 at 8 p.m. | 30/15 minute levels | 15 players / 78 entries advanced |
Across the first three starting days, 48 players qualified for Day 2 and they will be joined by the survivors of the turbo heat 1e, which will carry over at least 12 contenders. With all starting flights having concluded in either level 14 or 15, it is expected that the blinds will roll back prior to the pursuit of the money bubble.
The Women's Day Cup, which was hosted during the National Women's Day in South Africa, became a thorough success today as well thanks to the sponsoring brands Craft Hair & Beauty, Goldwell, LaserM Aesthetics, La Boutique Eyewear, Motherkind Co., and Distri-Liq. Prior to the start of the ZAR1,500 buy-in ($81), a brunch for all participants was hosted in the Time Square Pretoria entertainment complex before the largest Ladies Event in the history of the SunBet Poker Tour and Monster Jam Poker Tour (MJPT) drew a field of 123 entries.
This generated a prize pool of ZAR154,980 ($8,369) and the action unfolded right next to the Main Event with most tables rotating to the live-streamed feature table. The tournament concluded in the late evening and filled the room with a buzz from start to finish. Among the finalists were Tanith Rothman and Melissa Kalil, who both made it to the top three. Ann Moodley scored a double knockout to secure the victory and earned the top prize of ZAR41,945.
Final Table Result Women's Day Cup
| Rank | Winner | Country | Prize (in ZAR) | Prize (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ann Moodley | South Africa | 41,945 | $2,265 |
| 2 | Melissa Kalil | South Africa | 27,895 | $1,506 |
| 3 | Tanith Rothman | South Africa | 16,660 | $900 |
| 4 | Julie Ramos | South Africa | 10,460 | $565 |
| 5 | Zoé Klaver | South Africa | 7,750 | $419 |
| 6 | Chantelle Olivier | South Africa | 6,665 | $360 |
| 7 | Marelize Meintjes | South Africa | 5,775 | $312 |
| 8 | Alice Mansour | South Africa | 5,115 | $276 |
| 9 | Joanne Duval | South Africa | 4,495 | $243 |
Kalil will be back for Day 2 of the Main Event at noon local time, where she continues her journey with a stack of 258,000 after advancing in the opening flight. The penultimate tournament day will not only burst the money bubble but also get close to reaching the final table.
As usual, the live updates can be followed right here on PokerNews. All the action will also be broadcasted on the MJPT YouTube channel with cards-up coverage and commentary on a security delay of 30 minutes.
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Out of a field of 78 entries, only 15 players made it through the turbo heat 1e and will join the survivors of the previous three starting days. Jamie Vilela topped the leaderboard with 484,000 in chips followed by Nico Wiechers and David Ng, the latter of which reached the final table here in March. Ahmed Karrim, Jarred Solomon and Gavin Sardini also all advanced as well.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Vilela | South Africa | 484,000 | 97 |
| 2 | Nico Wiechers | South Africa | 297,000 | 59 |
| 3 | David Ng | Mauritius | 284,000 | 57 |
| 4 | Stephen Courtney | South Africa | 250,000 | 50 |
| 5 | Mariette Language | South Africa | 248,000 | 50 |
| 6 | Kosta Kotsikaris | South Africa | 222,000 | 44 |
| 7 | Ahmed Karrim | South Africa | 199,000 | 40 |
| 8 | Gregory Maistry | South Africa | 194,000 | 39 |
| 9 | Jarred Solomon | South Africa | 170,000 | 34 |
| 10 | Gavin Sardini | South Africa | 168,000 | 34 |
| 11 | Teren Ramnundlall | South Africa | 151,000 | 30 |
| 12 | Mike Gossyn | South Africa | 148,000 | 30 |
| 13 | Adam Woolf | South Africa | 145,000 | 29 |
| 14 | Desmen Dharmalingam | South Africa | 106,000 | 21 |
| 15 | Wesley Blom | South Africa | 94,000 | 19 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
484,000
484,000
|
484,000 |
|
||
|
297,000
297,000
|
297,000 |
|
284,000
284,000
|
284,000 |
|
250,000
250,000
|
250,000 |
|
248,000
248,000
|
248,000 |
|
222,000
222,000
|
222,000 |
|
199,000
199,000
|
199,000 |
|
194,000
28,500
|
28,500 |
|
170,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
168,000
168,000
|
168,000 |
|
151,000
151,000
|
151,000 |
|
148,000
148,000
|
148,000 |
|
145,000
145,000
|
145,000 |
|
||
|
106,000
106,000
|
106,000 |
|
94,000
94,000
|
94,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
The penultimate level of turbo heat 1e currently features 27 players out of 71 entries remaining, while the 25 survivors of Day 1d have already bagged up their chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
610,000 | |
|
||
|
578,000 | |
|
420,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
365,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
359,000
129,000
|
129,000 |
|
348,000 | |
|
340,000 | |
|
334,000
19,000
|
19,000 |
|
328,000 | |
|
273,000
32,000
|
32,000 |
|
263,000
58,000
|
58,000 |
|
247,000
87,000
|
87,000 |
|
240,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
231,000
21,000
|
21,000 |
|
228,000
92,000
|
92,000 |
|
218,000
32,000
|
32,000 |
|
208,000
78,000
|
78,000 |
|
193,000
48,000
|
48,000 |
|
178,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
|
146,000
22,000
|
22,000 |
|
127,000
68,000
|
68,000 |
|
102,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
|
84,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
|
79,000
131,000
|
131,000 |
|
62,000
118,000
|
118,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Another three all-in showdown in quick succession have brought down the field to the last 25 players and Day 1d concluded with 5:54 minutes left in level 14. All survivors are now bagging up their chips and will return tomorrow for the chase towards the money bubble and beyond.
Full counts and a recap of today's action are to follow.
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Vishal Ghoorbin lost a decent chunk of his middling stack when his K♦J♦ hit the top two pair. Gerrit van der Spoel got paid with A♥Q♣ for broadway to climb the leaderboard.
Ghoorbin was then all-in for 68,000 with the A♣A♠ and up against the K♥Q♥ of Menesh Keshav. There was no upset on the J♦6♣5♦2♦3♦ board and Ghoorbin survived.
There was barely any time to breathe as Elai Mazor ran his K♥K♠ into the A♣A♠ of Giovanni Zanette. Chrissy Luyt complained that he would have won the pot with A♥J♥ if they had just flat-called preflop.
Over on table eight, moments later, Greg Tucker was all-in for fumes. He had lost a big pot to Brett Toker when the latter four-bet jammed pocket tens for 147,000 into his pocket kings. The 9x7x6x10x3x runout left Tucker in dire shape according to Max Deveson.
Tucker's subsequent preflop all-in for 17,000 in the hijack was looked up by Muzamil Gothey in the small blind and SM. The 9♦7♥5♥ flop saw Gothey check-call for 16,000 before they checked down the Q♦ turn and 3♠ river.
Tucker showed his A♠6♦ and was eliminated, as Gothey had him beat with the J♣J♦ to score the final knockout on Day 1d.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
610,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
578,000
38,000
|
38,000 |
|
|
380,000 | |
|
|
348,000
248,000
|
248,000 |
|
|
340,000
115,000
|
115,000 |
|
|
328,000
188,000
|
188,000 |
|
|
320,000
97,000
|
97,000 |
|
|
145,000
35,000
|
35,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
It was a setup hand that unfolded over on table eight with El-Juan Du Plessis from under the gun and Eben Mare in the big blind ending up all-in and at risk. Mare was the second-shortest stack and at risk for 111,000 while Sean Bloom had both covered in an early position.
El-Juan Du Plessis: K♦K♣ 
Eben Mare: A♣J♣
Sean Bloom: A♥A♦
There was no escape for either short stack on the 7♠7♥5♠5♣4♥ runout and that brought the field down to the last 27 players.
"I folded pocket jacks," Yadav Mazor said, after he had apparently tanked for a long time in the small blind.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
540,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted |
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
On the three-way turn of K♥10♥5♠4♣, Kade Ollewagen bet 12,000 out of the small blind and Chris Luyt called in the big blind. Robert Hertzog raised to 25,000 on the button and Ollewagen used one time bank to call, Luyt also called.
They checked the Q♦ river and Ollewagen won the pot with K♠7♥.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
415,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
|
|
315,000
110,000
|
110,000 |
|
|
250,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Sean Bloom raised to 12,000 and SM called on the button. Eben Mare then three-bet from the big blind for Bloom to call, SM folded.
The 10♥7♦6♣ flop saw Mare continue for 25,000 and Bloom flat-called. Both checked the K♠ turn and 5♥ river, as the pot was awarded to Bloom with the Q♦Q♣. Mare briefly flashed his cards to him and Bloom nodded.
One table over, Ahmed Karrim is no longer in contention while Chris Luyt had jumped to a big stack. There are now 29 players remaining and Day 1d is four eliminations away from an early finish.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
480,000
375,000
|
375,000 |
|
|
455,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
|
425,000
95,000
|
95,000 |
|
|
390,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
|
|
210,000
285,000
|
285,000 |
|
|
180,000
180,000
|
180,000 |
|
|
140,000
140,000
|
140,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Over on table eight, a small crowd had gathered on the rail and witnessed a duel between SM and Brett Toker for one of the biggest pots of the day thus far.
The completed board showed 10♠3♥2♠5♠9♦ and Toker faced the shove by SM for 108,000. He eventually paid it off and was shown 3♠3♦ for a set of treys, mucking his Q♥Q♦.
That clash left Toker short with just 45,000 at his disposal. Those went in with the A♥5♠ and Sean Bloom looked him up holding the J♠10♦.
"I folded pocket deuces," Nadav Mazor mentioned in table chat. The 9♥9♦6♣8♠K♦ board missed both players and Toker doubled with his ace.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
450,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
|
300,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
|
180,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
|
100,000
162,000
|
162,000 |
