Poker in South Africa has grown rapidly in the past year and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I came third in last year’s WSOP main event. Now, I’m not saying this to stroke my ego or cultivate a false sense of importance. The fact is, when people see their countrymen do well, it inspires them to try and emulate this success.

A similar thing happened in Australia when Joe Hachem won the WSOP in 2005 – and let’s not forget the ‘Moneymaker Effect’ on America and the online world. From what I hear the online side is still growing fast; some sites are reportedly acquiring as many as 50 players a day!

POKER NATION

It’s safe to say that the South African people have gone a bit poker mad, embracing everything the game has to offer. Live games are taking off in a big way and all the local casinos have applied for licences in the past year. Stakes vary from R5/R10 (the equivalent of 30p/60p) to R50/R100 (£3/£6) with minimum buy-ins ranging from R200 (£13) to R2,000 (£127). Okay, it’s not quite the Big Game, but considering there was barely a poker scene to speak of until recently, it’s not a bad start.

There are rumours of high-stakes cash games in various clubs that are trying to legalise play, but I don’t know much about these games as I’m predominantly a tournament player.

RICH PICKINGS

Tournament players are really spoilt for choice at the moment, as there are big tourneys happening all over the country. Last February, the All Africa Poker Tournament in Swaziland attracted all the top players in Africa and a strong contingent of overseas pros. Indeed, the winner was one of the UK’s own, John Tabatabai, who pocketed over 0,000.

The event was hosted by the Piggs Peak Casino Swaziland, somewhere that I’m very comfortable playing. I’ve played in five tourneys there and I’ve come 15th, fourth and third as well as winning a second-chance shootout and taking down an MTT. It’s a great venue in a beautiful part of the world.

But the capital Johannesburg is the main focal point for tournament poker, with all four major casinos – Sun City, Monte Casino, Emperor’s Palace and Gold Reef City – boasting several big tournaments a year. The Sun City Million Dollar Poker Tournament is the richest tournament in South Africa, with an expected prizepool of .7m. It kicks off in September and it can’t come fast enough. I got knocked out mid-field last year, but hope to improve this time as this is one of the only majors that I have not won in Africa.

Poker is even reaching out to coastal regions like Tanzania. The Kilimanjaro Casino hosts a major tournament three times a year, totalling .1 million in prize money.

The process of legalising online poker is also under way. Changing legislation is always a drawn out procedure, but good progress is being made and when it goes through, poker in South Africa will really explode.