Emerald Resort and Casino will host the WSOP tournament when it returns to South Africa in 2012
After the success of the inaugural World Series of Poker Africa tournament in 2010, officials have now confirmed that the world’s biggest poker festival will return for a second time in 2012
The Emerald Resort and Casino will host the event, which will commence on 21st February and last until the 26th and it has been confirmed that it will consist of a main event and five others. A separate one-day ladies tournament, which carries a prize of a WSOP Circuit ladies pendant as a prize will also be held.
Four Mega Satellite tournaments will be held to give players the chance to win seats at the main event. With tournament rings up for grabs, competition is likely to be fierce from the offset.
Martin Rice, CEO of the Emerald Resort and Casino said, “There will be six WSOP tournament rings up for grabs over six days – making this the biggest and most prestigious poker tournament ever to be staged in South Africa.”
The first WSOP Africa event was staged in October 2010 and was won by Johannesburg’s Warren Zackey. The plumbing supplies salesman beat 187 other contestants to clinch victory, seeing off fierce competition in the process, including Gus Hansen, Vanessa Rousso, Maria Ho and Beth Shak. Also to place lower than Zackey was reigning WSOP Europe Main Event Champion James Bord.
“Warren Zackey’s final victory in the first WSOP Africa proved that South African poker players can compete with the best in the world and win. We’re expecting some of the world’s finest players to make their way here in February – and all of us at the Emerald can hardly wait to see how well they fare against our local talent,” says Rice.
