The money stages were reached just after midnight local time in the 2025 SunBet Poker Tour Joe-Boy Rahme MonsterStaK Main Event which has been renamed in memory of the South African live poker pioneer who passed away three weeeks ago. All 43 finalists out of 344 entry strong field have secured themselves a portion of the ZAR 4,334,400 prize pool ($251,395) and the winner of the flagship ZAR 15,000 ($850) buy-in at the GrandWest Casino by Sun International in Cape Town will take home ZAR 908,900 ($52,716) for the efforts.
One of the up-and-coming young poker pros of the close-knit poker community in South Africa is leading the way much to the surprise of nobody here in Cape Town as Marko Nortje stormed to a stack of 2,450,000 with his usual aggressive playing style. He is followed by Michael Cupido (2,145,000) and Rayhaan Adam (1,935,000) on the overnight podium.
Several international players are still trying to claim the trophy and two of them return in the top ten on the leaderboard including Sascha Manns (1,930,000) and Jon Persent (1,625,000) with the latter residing in the country for several years already. Also returning on big stacks are notables such as Edgar Antezana (1,490,000), Jaco Mouton (1,425,000) and Jedd Kossew (1,100,000).
Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 2
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|
| 1 | Marko Nortje | South Africa | 2,450,000 | 163 |
| 2 | Michael Cupido | South Africa | 2,145,000 | 143 |
| 3 | Rayhaan Adam | South Africa | 1,935,000 | 129 |
| 4 | Franco Da Matta | South Africa | 1,930,000 | 129 |
| 5 | Sascha Manns | Germany | 1,930,000 | 129 |
| 6 | Jon Persent | Norway | 1,625,000 | 108 |
| 7 | Edgar Antezana | South Africa | 1,490,000 | 99 |
| 8 | Jaco Mouton | South Africa | 1,425,000 | 95 |
| 9 | Muaaz Gani | South Africa | 1,160,000 | 77 |
| 10 | Jedd Kossew | South Africa | 1,100,000 | 73 |
The three Brits Alexander Rizvi (910,000), Dean Hutchison (715,000) and James Rann (370,000) remain in the mix, as are several French players. They are joined by local fan favourites in Nico Wiechers (755,000), Gavin Sardini (695,000), Caleb October (615,000), Imran Bhojani (580,000), Ariel Mazabow (440,000), Jehan Richards (385,000) and Sugen Singh (340,000).
When the action resumes at 11 a.m. local time, there are 46:35 minutes left in level 20 at blinds of 10,000-15,000 with a big blind ante of 15,000 and the average is a staggering 51 big blinds. Add to that the 60-minute clock and a potential very frantic opening stage with several short stacks in the mix, it may get even deeper after the initial hurry to the payout desk.
It may very well be a long night at the tables here in South Africa as the more deep-stacked structure with a far higher starting stack of 100,000 was only introduced earlier this year and previous stops finished near midnight. Below are all of the payouts for the final 43 players.
Payouts for the Final Day
| Place | Winner | Prize (in ZAR) | Prize (in USD) |
|---|
| 1 | | 908,900 | $52,716 |
| 2 | | 600,000 | $34,800 |
| 3 | | 400,000 | $23,200 |
| 4 | | 260,000 | $15,080 |
| 5 | | 208,000 | $12,064 |
| 6 | | 170,000 | $9,860 |
| 7 | | 135,000 | $7,830 |
| 8 | | 110,000 | $6,380 |
| 9 | | 92,000 | $5,336 |
| 10-12 | | 78,000 | $4,524 |
| 13-15 | | 64,000 | $3,712 |
| 16-18 | | 53,000 | $3,074 |
| 19-21 | | 45,000 | $2,610 |
| 22-24 | | 40,000 | $2,320 |
| 25-27 | | 36,000 | $2,088 |
| 28-36 | | 32,500 | $1,885 |
| 37-43 | | 30,000 | $1,740 |
The cards-up coverage and commentary via live stream will be available once more on the SunBet Poker Tour YouTube channel and the PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to try and catch as many of the key hands as possible. All updates at the start will take place in real time with the stream action back-filled before switching to stream time once the final table has been reached.
Tags:
Alexander RizviAriel MazabowCaleb OctoberDean HutchisonEdgar AntezanaFranco Da MattaGavin SardiniImran BhojaniJaco MoutonJames RannJedd KossewJehan RichardsJon PersentMarko NortjeMichael CupidoMuaaz GaniNico WiechersRayhaan AdamSascha MannsSugen Singh
