SPT Main Event
Day 1cd Completed
2024 SunBet GrandWest
SPT Main Event
Day: 1cd
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1cd
2024 SunBet GrandWest
Buy-in
15,000 ZAR
Prize Pool
6,350,400 ZAR
Entries
504
Level
32
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Entries
246
Players Left
22
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Throughout the entire SunBet Poker Tour stop at GrandWest Casino in Cape Town, all attendance figures of key tournaments had increase by more than 30% and the marquee ZAR 15,000 Main Event was no different. After two already busy flights prior, the penultimate Day 1c recorded a strong turnout to sail past the ZAR 4 Million guarantee before the turbo heat 1d then eclipsed ZAR 6 Million at the Sun International property near the international airport.
When the dust had settled after midnight, the prize pool had soared to ZAR 6,350,400 ($351,395) and eclipsed the guarantee by more than 50 percent. The cherry on top was a new record attendance of 504 entries, which has become the largest Main Event field since the inception of the SunBet Poker Tour to bring a fitting end to the fifth and final stop of the year for Africa's richest Poker Tour on the southern tip of the country.
It was once again an early finish mid-way through level 14 that concluded the action for Day 1c as 149 entries were whittled down to 22 survivors, all of which retained their chances of claiming a piece of the record-breaking prize pool. Matthew Mulhall topped the leaderboard for the third flight with 501,000 followed by the SPT regulars Huawei Sun (480,000) and Nic Ioannoy (436,000).
Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 1c
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | BB Day 1c |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Mulhall | South Africa | 501,000 | 100 |
| 2 | Huawei Sun | Botswana | 480,000 | 96 |
| 3 | Nic Ioannoy | South Africa | 436,000 | 87 |
| 4 | Muzamil Gothey | Tanzania | 390,000 | 78 |
| 5 | Adam Gamsy | South Africa | 386,000 | 77 |
| 6 | Reza de Bruyns | South Africa | 384,000 | 77 |
| 7 | Edgar Antezana | South Africa | 362,000 | 72 |
| 8 | Ronit Chamani | South Africa | 350,000 | 70 |
| 9 | Howard Lipman | Israel | 313,000 | 63 |
| 10 | Rudalf Frick | South Africa | 298,000 | 60 |
Among the notables to finish with large stacks were Adam Gamsy (386,000), Edgar Antezana (362,000), Ronit Chamani (350,000) and Howard Lipman (313,000). Gamsy was on the cusp of becoming the new overall chip leader after winning a big pot against SM, but suffered a few late setbacks to finish inside of the top ten.
The two big stacks Mulhall and Ioannoy were responsible for the final two eliminations of the night, sending Gavin Sardini and Craig Samuel to the rail on the outer tables. Imran Bhojani, one of this year's SPT Main Event winners, crashed out from the live stream table with a bad beat story to tell when his pocket aces were cracked by the pocket jacks of Time Square February runner-up SM.
Another champion of the current year to advance to Day 2 was Harold Brooks, who won the second edition at Time Square in Pretoria and will aim to add another title to his resume. After a topsy-turvy day, he made it through with a stack of 229,000. The ZAR 50,000 third-place finisher Mario Fata also bagged up chips tonight (146,000), while fellow finalists Troy McTeer, Ciro Koncke, and Cliton Taliwanth were among the many notable casualties.
Across the first three flights, a total of 61 players bagged up chips after reaching the top 15% of each respective field. They will be joined by the survivors of the turbo heat that is currently ongoing and return at noon local time when the race towards the money bubble headlines the opening stages.
Only the top 63 finishers will get paid and the level duration as of Day 2 increases to 60 minutes each to retain the deep structure of the marquee tournament. Recommencing blinds will be based on the average finish time of each starting day.
Day 2 will likely play a total of ten full levels and bring the field one step closer to the grand finale on Sunday, December 1, 2024. The remainder of the tournament will also be live-streamed on the Monster Jam Poker YouTube channel with cards-up coverage and commentary available on a 30-minute delay.
Stay tuned and check back regularly right here on PokerNews to find out who will be crowned the champion in the largest SunBet Poker Tour Main Event in history.
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
501,000
-14,000
|
-14,000 |
|
||
|
480,000
23,000
|
23,000 |
|
436,000 | |
|
390,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
386,000
36,000
|
36,000 |
|
384,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
362,000
-3,000
|
-3,000 |
|
350,000
-100,000
|
-100,000 |
|
313,000
-18,000
|
-18,000 |
|
298,000
-2,000
|
-2,000 |
|
288,000
-42,000
|
-42,000 |
|
276,000
-7,000
|
-7,000 |
|
249,000
-1,000
|
-1,000 |
|
229,000
-1,000
|
-1,000 |
|
220,000
-15,000
|
-15,000 |
|
190,000
13,000
|
13,000 |
|
162,000
22,000
|
22,000 |
|
155,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
|
150,000
-5,000
|
-5,000 |
|
146,000
-14,000
|
-14,000 |
|
124,000
-11,000
|
-11,000 |
|
75,000
-5,000
|
-5,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
After an elimination on the outer tables, the final 22 players are currently bagging up their chips. The chip counts will be provided once the live stream action has caught up on the 30-minute delay, a recap of today's action is to follow.
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
The cards of Craig Samuel were actually never shown as he tossed them into the muck, and he became the last player to depart from Day 1c without anything to show for.
On a board of 10♦9♠4♦K♣7♠, Nic Ioannoy had the best possible hand with QxJ♠ for the king-high straight and just like that, the penultimate flight has come to an end without any visible drama or outburst of emotions. Ioannoy jumped to a very healthy stack well above the average.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
436,000
246,000
|
246,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Mario Fata raised to 10,000 with the 9♣8♣ from under the gun and Huawei Sun called in the hijack with 9♠9♥. The 6♦4♠2♠ flop was checked and Fata bet the 7♥ turn for 30,000. Sun raised to 70,000 and Fata used his final time bank before calling.
Both checked the 2♥ on the river and Sun added a nice boost to his stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
457,000
98,000
|
98,000 |
|
|
160,000
-80,000
|
-80,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Jehan Richards defended the big blind against Adam Gamsy and they got it in after the Q♥7♥6♦3♦ turn with Richards at risk for 85,000.
Jehan Richards: Q♣6♣ 
Adam Gamsy: K♥Q♠
Richards' flopped two pair were ahead and he needed to dodge a seven or king. The river was the J♣ and Richards doubled, denting the stack of Gamsy.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
350,000
-145,000
|
-145,000 |
|
|
250,000
120,000
|
120,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Mario Fata opened to 10,000 with the J♠J♣ from an early position. Keegan Naidoo three-bet to 35,000 with the 10♠10♥ and then faced the shove by Fata. Without much hesitation, Naidoo said "I fold" and sent the cards to the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
365,000
155,000
|
155,000 |
|
|
359,000
34,000
|
34,000 |
|
|
331,000
71,000
|
71,000 |
|
|
283,000
-3,000
|
-3,000 |
|
|
240,000
-143,000
|
-143,000 |
|
|
177,000
-67,000
|
-67,000 |
|
|
155,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
|
154,000
-13,000
|
-13,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Gavin Sardini had patiently waited for a spot to get his shorter stack in and then took a flip against big stack Matthew Mulhall.
Gavin Sardini: 10♥10♣
Matthew Mulhall: K♦J♣
The 8♥6♠4♣6♥10♦ board gave Mulhall tens full of sixes and the field was reduced to the last 23 contenders, one elimination away from wrapping up Day 1c.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
515,000
120,000
|
120,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
In a three-bet pot to the Q♣8♦3♥10♣ turn, Craig Samuel bet 50,000. Reza de Bruyns then jammed for 201,000 total and Samuel asked for a count before reluctantly folding.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
380,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
|
|
130,000
-200,000
|
-200,000 |