WPT Emperors Palace Poker Classic reaches record .

WPT Emperors Palace Poker Classic reaches record prize pool of almost R18m

Poker crowds flocked to The Palace of Dreams between 13 and 22 October, ready to take their seats at the most prestigious and talked-about poker event in Africa, the World Poker Tour® Emperors Palace Poker Classic 2017. “I am thrilled to announce that the event smashed all previous poker tournament records in South Africa with 1 600 entries across 10 unique events, boasting a prize pool just shy of R18 million. The closest we have come in the past is November 2013 and October 2015 when the total buy-in was R14.9 million and the prize pool was R13.4 million”, comments an elated Bob Yearham, Peermont COO for Gaming.

Amongst the 10 WPT title winners, Daniel Habib came out tops to claim the WPTDeepStacks Johannesburg Main Event title in the early hours of the morning on 23 October. In a competitive field of 456 entries, Habib’s perseverance paid off with a massive taking of R1 million. Other notable events include the High Roller, which surpassed all past event pay-outs, with Vijay Nalajala taking home R1 million from a field of 92 entries.

“I am very proud of the efforts put into the event by team Gary Lentin and the rest of the ShuffleUp Poker team. Thanks to our partners from the WPT® based in California and the strength of their brand internationally. And to everyone behind the scenes at Emperors Palace, who worked long hours, who did the preparation & setup for the event - a huge thank you to all of you for going the extra mile and for making the event the success that it has turned out to be”, commented Yearham.

“The success of this series shows that poker players across South Africa and the continent are still excited to play in poker events in great venues, where a genuine international poker experience is guaranteed. I’d like to thank Bob, Emperors Palace General Manager, Clive Tavener and the resort’s team for their tremendous effort”, says Gary Lentin, Queen-Ten CEO. “I would also like to thank our behind-the-scenes heroes, Tournament Directors Salvatore Elio Capuccio and his assistant, Matt Fish. Last but not least, a huge thank you to our Sponsors World Sports Betting, and congratulations to all the players who cashed in, particularly all the winners”, Lentin concludes.

As is customary with all WPT events, numerous celebrities joined in on the poker action to give back to organisations in need. In the first of two celebrity challenges, two heavy weights in the business world, Kaya FM 95.9’s Managing Director, Greg Maloka and Peermont’s Bob Yearham went head-to-head in an epic poker clash, all in aid of charity. Up for grabs was R20 000 to the charity of the winners' choice. While Maloka won the event the two decided to split the winnings, which resulted in Maloka's charity, Zandspruit Primary School and Yearham's The John Wesley Chidlren's Home each taking home R10 000.

The second celebrity challenge saw the likes award-winning sports presenter, Carol Tshabalala, soccer legend, Mark Fish, SuperSport United's Dean Furman, Bidvest Wits' Darren Keet and 947’s Alex Caige go all in for charity. At the end of the evening, and through a series of re-buys, more than R19 000 was donated to two worthy charities, The Orlando Children's Home and We Care.

“Having concluded its 11th annual official series, the WPT Emperors Palace Poker Classic’s record turnout not only proved that Emperors Palace is the home of South African poker, but that the WPT® is an ultimate poker event for both international professionals and local enthusiasts. We intend to make the success of this tour our new benchmark and will strive to reach even loftier heights in the future”, Yearham concludes.

Emperors Palace proudly supports the National Responsible Gambling Programme. Problem Gambling Counselling Toll-Free Helpline 0800 006 008. Players must be 18 years or older. Winners know when to stop.
Follow Emperors Palace on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest events and entertainment taking place at the Palace of Dreams.
ENDS

About Emperors Palace

Conveniently located alongside O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, with regular complimentary shuttles and on an expedient Gautrain bus route directly to and from Rhodesfield Station, the Emperors Palace Hotel Casino Convention and Entertainment Resort is the Palace of Dreams.
This mega resort combines the timeless classical elegance of a bygone era with the sheer excitement of a modern casino resort to offer luxurious accommodation in four unique hotels, a glorious health and beauty spa, a magnificent casino with unparalleled gaming enjoyment, the finest in dining options, spectacular entertainment choices and a state-of-the-art cinema complex, world-class conference facilities, and impeccable service.

You just cant win at Casino's.

Poker player Phil Ivey loses £7.7m casino case

One of the world's top poker players, Phil Ivey, has lost a Supreme Court bid to reclaim £7.7m of winnings withheld by a London casino for five years.
The American was challenging a Court of Appeal judgement that Crockfords Club could refuse to pay up when Ivey won the cash playing card game punto banco.
The club said Mr Ivey had broken its rules by using an "edge-sorting" technique to spot advantageous cards.
Mr Ivey had consistently argued that he had merely used a legitimate advantage.
The 40-year-old, a former winner of the World Series of Poker, had arranged to play a private game of punto banco - a form of baccarat - at the casino in Mayfair, along with a fellow gambler, Cheung Yin Sun, during a visit to London in 2012.
Crockford's owner, Genting Casinos UK, said the two players jointly used the technique of "edge-sorting", which involves identifying minute differences in the patterns on the back of playing cards and exploiting that information to increase the chances of winning. Genting said this was not a legitimate strategy.
Phil Ivey playing pokerImage copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Phil Ivey is one of the world's most successful poker players but was playing punto banco on his London trip
However, Mr Ivey contended that the technique was not a form of cheating because it did not involve dishonesty.
He said that he had merely exploited Crockfords' failure to take proper steps to protect itself against a gambler of his ability - and he was therefore entitled to his full winnings, rather than just having his initial £1m stake returned to him.


Media captionPaul Willcock, for the club, gives his reaction to the Phil Ivey verdict
The five Supreme Court justices unanimously upheld the Court of Appeal's decision on the case, with Lord Hughes saying it was essential that punto banco remained a game of pure chance with neither the casino nor the player being able to beat the randomness of the cards that were dealt.
He said: "What Mr Ivey did was to stage a carefully planned and executed sting."
Speaking outside court, president and chief operating officer of Genting UK Paul Willcock said: "This has been a landmark case in how the courts approach cheating in the modern day.
"This entirely vindicates Genting's decision not to pay Mr Ivey, a decision that was not taken lightly."
Who is Phil Ivey?
Mr Ivey is a 40-year-old world champion poker player who was born in Riverside, California, but now lives in Las Vegas.
According to the Hendon Mob poker ranking website, he is the sixth biggest earner of all time from tournament play - but he is known to have earned many more millions from private cash games.
He once played heads-up poker (a one-on-one version of the game) against Texan billionaire Andy Beal for three straight days and walked away $16m richer as a result.
During his divorce hearing in 2011 it was revealed in news reports that he received almost £700,000 a month from his stake in a poker company.
What is punto banco?
Punto banco is a form of the card game baccarat.
It is not unlike blackjack but the aim is to have cards that add up to nine, or as close as you can get.
It has a complex set of rules: when the total value of the cards goes into double figures, the first digit of the total does not count - so two sixes add up to two rather than 12. And there are further set instructions on what further cards must be drawn, unlike in blackjack where the player has the option.
Compared to other card games, it is not that widely played in casinos but is a popular choice with some high-stake gamblers.
A form of baccarat called "chemin de fer" was played by James Bond in the casino scene of the 1962 film Dr No.
What does this mean for Phil Ivey?
Analysis by John Hand, BBC News
For those who don't know their cards, it is hard to overstate how big a superstar Phil Ivey is in the poker world.
Dubbed the "Tiger Woods of poker", he has raked in tens of millions of pounds from a game that he mastered as a teenager - and coined in many more millions from sponsorship and by exploiting his carefully-built personal image. His mass appeal is such that he became the face of a Chrysler cars ad campaign.
For nearly two decades, Ivey has perfectly played the part of a cool, calm, calculating card-player with steely nerves and ice in his blood. Casinos fly him around the world as his presence can attract thousands of other punters.
But will Ivey be as big a draw after going "all-in" against the British legal system and losing? It is helpful for him that the case was not about poker - and that some of the gamblers he competes with will empathise with his explanation that he was merely being the best punter he could be, in using his savvy to try to beat a casino.
It was noticeable that this year Ivey skipped the main event in the World Series of Poker - the equivalent of Roger Federer taking a fortnight off during Wimbledon - and also mothballed his slick Ivey League poker school website.
Whether that marks the start of a general wind-down with more days to spend his millions and fewer days spent "grinding" for 12 hours at a poker table remains to be seen.

Big numbers very exciting, are some of the games on tv?

Confirmed nothing on the box pity

you guys should play some Sats for the new comps