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.
