The R600 Turbo #10 finished in a juicy five-way even split, which was a friendly finish to the new poker venue soft launch on Thursday night.
Due to demand, we decided on an early preview of the new poker club premises, which received a great response from the Cape Town fraternity. 70 players descended on Northgate Estate Business Park to check out the new home of Concept Poker, creating a memorable opening game.
While a lot still needs to fall in place, the organising team worked tirelessly to create a positive platform. And this received a great response from all in attendance.
Seven brand new tables kitted out the space, accompanied by aircons, new bar and kitchen. A newly-installed inverter also kept the lights on during load shedding.
While we are yet to fully establish our in-house menu, braai chef Nathan Kolbe and his team for providing quality food at great prices.
In terms of the poker, we enjoyed the biggest R600 Turbo prize pool of the year as R44000 was up for grabs on the night. R12000 was originally bracketed for first place.
With blinds peaking, the Top 5 decided share the spoils as Strini Govender, Evann Wessels, Francis Chetty, Mark Jatha and Wayne Bekker all agreed to R7000 each.
Concept newcomer Ryan Buffet (K9) and Cameron Ohlson (Q10) finished in 6th and 7th respectively as they were victims in a double-knockout by Strini. The latter tabled AK to hit top two pair in the 3-way all-in pot.
Francis did the earlier damage on final table by executing the first two eliminations. He flopped the Jack with KJ in a three-way race against Ethan Naidu (KQ) and Herman Nelissen (K10).
With all the players in the money on final table, there was great camaraderie and banter among the final 9. And the friendly split summed up the spirit of the local poker community very well.
All in all, it was a great start to a new chapter.
The new venue comes with a lot of excitement. But also increased responsibility, pressure and challenges.
The organisers will continue to do our best to set the top-quality stage for Cape Town poker. Special shout-out to the team for their special efforts on the night.
It will probably take a few weeks for us to find our feet. While we will get some things right, we will get some things wrong and learn from the new experiences. All we need is your patience and understanding while we go through this journey.
Always feel free to provide your feedback (positive or negative) as we continue to build towards an exciting future for Cape Town poker.
Thank you all for a memorably opening night. _Here’s to many more!_
*R600 Turbo #10 results:*
1) Strini Govender
R7000 (split)
2) Evann Wessels
R7000 (split)
3) Francis Chetty
R7000 (split)
4) Mark Jaftha
R7000 (split)
5) Wayne Bekker
R7000 (split)
6) Ryan Buffet
R3000
7) Cameron Ohlson
R2000
8) Ethan Naidu
R1600
9) Herman Nelissen
R1200
_Prize pool: R44000 (including R200 for the 2023 Player of the Year campaign)_