SPT Main Event
Day 1cd Completed
2025 SunBet Poker Tour Time Square
SPT Main Event
Day: 1cd
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1cd
2025 SunBet Poker Tour Time Square
Buy-in
15,000 ZAR
Prize Pool
4,000,000 ZAR
Entries
312
Level
27
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
100,000
Entries
165
Players Left
37
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The 2025 SunBet Poker Tour Time Square Main Event has concluded all four starting days and an overall field of 312 entries emerged at the Time Square Casino in Pretoria, South Africa. During the final two flights, 98 entries on Day 1c were joined by another 67 entries in the final turbo heat and all Day 1 survivors will battle for a share of the ZAR 4 Million guarantee ($217,580) in the following two days.
During Day 1c of the Nahum Lum Memorial Main Event, there was a minute of silence to the very popular late South African poker pro and his two sons participated in this flight, but neither of them made it through in this ZAR 15,000 ($820) buy-in.
Instead, it was another SPT regular who stole the show today. With multiple titles and final table appearances under his belt, Nic Ioannoy sits in the top 25 of the country's The Hendon Mob country ranking with more than $550k in live cashes. He experienced a roller coaster ride than none other and even recovered from two very late setbacks to not only gain back the losses but burst the bubble with full house over full house to bag 630,000 in chips.
Jonathan Kalil reigned supreme on the live stream table and maintained the top spot ever since the dinner break to ultimately advance with 567,000, followed by Stephen Courtney (490,000). Courtney won two crucial all-ins on the stream table, both times with pocket jacks to knock out Ahmed Karrim and Edgar Antezana.
End-of-Day 1c Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds Day 1c |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nic Ioannoy | South Africa | 630,000 | 105 |
| 2 | Jonathan Kalil | South Africa | 567,000 | 95 |
| 3 | Stephen Courtney | South Africa | 490,000 | 82 |
| 4 | Ronit Chamani | South Africa | 347,000 | 58 |
| 5 | Giovanni Zanette | South Africa | 279,000 | 47 |
| 6 | Rex Hsu | South Africa | 269,000 | 45 |
| 7 | Max Deveson | United Kingdom | 259,000 | 43 |
| 8 | Hadar Goren | South Africa | 228,000 | 38 |
| 9 | Hennie Appel | South Africa | 169,000 | 28 |
| 10 | Moon Khan | South Africa | 165,000 | 28 |
| 11 | Jarred Solomon | South Africa | 146,000 | 24 |
| 11 | Chris Luyt | South Africa | 146,000 | 24 |
| 13 | Zoran Kljajic | Croatia | 103,000 | 17 |
| 14 | Eben Lottering | South Africa | 86,000 | 14 |
| 15 | Danny Dayani | South Africa | 79,000 | 13 |
Other notables to bag and tag chips on Day 1c include Ronit Chamani (347,000), Giovanni Zanette (279,000), Hennie Appel (169,000), and Jarred Solomon (146,000). Croatia's Zoran Kljajic (103,000), Max Deveson from the UK (259,000) and Taiwan-born Rex Hsu (269,000) were the only foreigners to advance from the penultimate heat. Deveson, Chamani and Hsu already locked horns during the ZAR 50,000 High Roller in which they claimed the top three spots.
Many other notables of the close-knit South African poker community were not as fortunate and came up short of bagging up chips. Several of them jumped into the turbo heat, which closed the registration by the time the bubble of Day 1c burst with the elimination of Gordon Padayachee.
Throughout the first three flights, 38 players advanced and they will be joined by the Day 1d survivors, returning to their seats at noon local time on Saturday, March 8, 2025. Recommencing blinds will then likely either be 2,000-4,000/4,000 or 3,000-5,000/5,000 and the level duration increases to 60 minutes each.
The money bubble will be looming in the opening stages with only the top 12.5% of the overall field set to receive a cash prize. All payout information, the Day 1d chip counts and the Day 2 seat draw will be provided in the morning ahead of the restart.
Stay tuned right here on PokerNews for another two days of exciting live poker action in South Africa.
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
630,000 | |
|
||
|
567,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
490,000
21,000
|
21,000 |
|
347,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
279,000
114,000
|
114,000 |
|
269,000 | |
|
259,000
71,000
|
71,000 |
|
228,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
169,000
46,000
|
46,000 |
|
165,000
89,000
|
89,000 |
|
146,000
19,000
|
19,000 |
|
146,000
89,000
|
89,000 |
|
103,000
87,000
|
87,000 |
|
86,000
14,000
|
14,000 |
|
79,000
53,000
|
53,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Stephen Courtney raised to 12,000 with the K♣J♦ on the button on the live stream table and Jonathan Kalil defended the big blind. On the K♠4♥2♠ flop, Kalil led for 15,l000 and Courtney called. Kalil bet again the 2♣ turn for 20,000 and Courtney called which led them to the 9♦ river.
That's when the confusion started as Kalil, without time bank extensions at his disposal, ran out of time before declaring his betting move. The floor was called and it was ruled to be a forced check. Courtney checked back and won the pot with his superior two pair to nearly close the gap to Kalil.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
542,000
55,000
|
55,000 |
|
|
511,000
127,000
|
127,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Over on the outer table, Rex Hsu raised to 15,000 from an early position and was called by Gordon Padayachee and Nic Ioannoy in the big blind. On the A♣9♦2♣ flop, the action checked to Hsu and he made it 22,000 to go for both of his opponents to come along.
That led to the A♦ turn on which Ioannoy checked again. Hsu now bet 40,000 and Padayachee flat-called. Ioannoy then check-min-raised to 80,000 and that sent Hsu into confusion. He used a time bank and ultimately folded, while Padayachee called with a shorter stack behind.
Ioannoy instantly jammed on the 8♥ river and Padaychee shrugged, then called with around nine levels left in the day. Ioannoy showed his A♠2♦ for aces full of deuces and Padayachee's 9♣9♠ for nines full of aces was no good.
"I folded ace-queen," Hsu said and the action was stopped right after.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
630,000
445,000
|
445,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
269,000
87,000
|
87,000 |
|
Busted | |
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Over on the live stream table, the first of the shorter stacks made a stand and got the chips into the middle. That happened to be Edgar Antezana and he was at risk against Stephen Courtney in a classic flip.
Edgar Antezana: A♠Q♣ 
Stephen Courtney: J♣J♠
Courtney had won his last all-in showdown with pocket jacks on the live stream table and did so again on the 5♦5♠3♦2♣K♠ runout to reduce the field to the last 16 contenders.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
384,000
108,000
|
108,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
On the river of a 9♥5♣5♥5♠9♣ board, Hennie Appel bet 35,000. Nic Ioannoy reluctantly called and mucked when he was shown the K♠K♦ for fives full of kings.
"Just a bad river, I had an ace," Ioannoy said.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
215,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
185,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
||
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The flop showed Q♣8♦8♠ and there were some 120,000 in the middle. Chris Luyt had moved all-in for 63,000 in the cutoff and the action folded back to Nic Ioannoy in the hijack. After using one time bank, Ioannoy sigh-called.
Chris Luyt: A♣Q♠
Nic Ioannoy: 6♣6♠
The 2♦ turn and 9♦ river were blanks and Luyt doubled.
"What did you have, Gio?" Ioannoy asked Giovanni Zanette. "King ten of hearts," Zanette replied.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
235,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
|
225,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
165,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
Level: 15
Blinds: 3,000/6,000
Ante: 6,000
Level 14
: Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Undeterred from losing the previous big pot, Nic Ioannoy went back to work and reclaimed many of the chips.
In the latest hand, Max Deveson checked behind the 10♣10♦2♦A♥ turn and then called a bet of 30,000 on the 4♠ river. Ioannoy tabled the K♦10♠ for trips tens and Deveson mucked the A♦.
"Why did you check?" Ioannoy asked and Deveson replied "because I know you".
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
330,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
|
325,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
|
||
