Seven Deuce Big Blind Special Vaults Michele Lodi-Fe to the Top of Day 1b
The second of three starting days for the Joe-Boy Rahme MonsterStaK Main Event has concluded at the GrandWest Casino by Sun International on the outskirts of Cape Town and the crown jewel of the SunBet Poker Tour stop is one step closer to surpassing the ZAR 4 million guarantee. An additional 93 entries on Day 1b vaulted the overall field size to 218 for the ZAR 15,000 (USD 850) buy-in with 44 players bagging up chips for the night.
They will join the 58 survivors of the opening flights and await all those who make it through the turbo heat 1c, which was up to at least 32 entries at the time of writing. Day 1b also crowned a new overall chip leader as Michele Lodi-Fe soared to the top of the leaderboard after a seven-deuce big blind special in the final level of the night to bag up 629,000 chips.
Franco Da Matta also enjoyed a very successful day at the tables to advance with 560,000, which puts him into second place across the two opening flights. Jeebaun Singh from Mauritius was the early chip leader on Day 1b and ultimately bagged up the third-largest tally of 478,500 while ZAR 50,000 High Roller champion Bradley Moore immediately continued his run-goood and advanced with a very healthy stack of 454,000.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michele Lodi-Fe | South Africa | 629,000 | 252 |
| 2 | Franco Da Matta | South Africa | 560,000 | 224 |
| 3 | Jeebaun Singh | Mauritius | 478,500 | 191 |
| 4 | Bradley Moore | South Africa | 454,000 | 182 |
| 5 | Stephen Courtney | South Africa | 399,500 | 160 |
| 5 | Jehan Richards | South Africa | 399,500 | 160 |
| 7 | Dean Hutchison | United Kingdom | 309,000 | 124 |
| 8 | Tanith Rothman | South Africa | 291,000 | 116 |
| 9 | Beat Schlegel | Switzerland | 281,000 | 112 |
| 10 | Warren Abrahams | South Africa | 267,000 | 107 |
Further notables in the top ten include the South African poker couple Stephen Courtney (399,500) and Tanith Rothman (291,000), Jehan Richards (399,500), High Roller finalist Dean Hutchison (309,000) and Beat Schlegel (281,000). Warren Abrahams (267,000) made the headlines early on when he tripled up for more than 100 big blinds in the second level of the day before turning a full house against Reza De Bruyns in level three.
Outside of the top ten, Marko Nortje advanced with 234,500 but needed two bullets to do so. He was caught bluffing by Rothman in the penultimate level of the night and bought back in for the final hour. On the live stream table, he then quadrupled up in a memorable hand in which Lissa Szymonowicz was eliminated.
Some other notables to bag up chips were Wesley Blom (205,000), Tim Akinnusi (191,500), Jonathan Hoal (177,500), Richard Barnard (164,000), Clive Kikia (136,500), Djordje Stojic (120,500), Rajeev Poonhath (83,000), Cliton Taliwanth (71,500), and James Rann (45,500). Some of the shorter stacks already through to Day 2 were spotted in the turbo heat 1c to try and build up more momentum, as the larger stack will be carried forward.
Well-known local players from the South African poker scene to bust on Day 1b were Harold Brooks, Sugen Singh, Alvin Pillay, Gavin Sardini, Chris Luyt, and Okkie Fourie. In case they are not bagging up chips in the turbo heat, they have another four levels on Day 2 to enter the field as the late registration remains open until the start of level 14.
The tournament structure remains deep with several duplicate levels for the early stages of Day 2, which is set to recommence at noon local time. Returning blinds will be 1,500-2,500 with a big blind ante of 2,500, which gives all players jumping in from the start fourty big blinds to navigate.
Stay tuned for more of the thrilling live poker action from South Africa as the PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor for the final two days of the Joe-Boy Rahme MonsterStaK Main Event until a winner is crowned on Sunday, November 30, 2025.