SA Poker Open crowns inaugural winner

The inaugural South African Poker Open took place this with players from all over the world battling it out at the MonteCasino Resort in Johannesburg, South Africa. Walking away with the win was Jaime Vilela.

More than 100 players made the trip to the casino for the event, creating a prize pool of R2 million.

Vilela, who also cashed in 56th place at the All-African Poker Tournament in February, came up against Danny K. for heads-up play.

Danny K. had the chip lead, but Vilela wore it away until his four of a kind solidified his win.

A film crew was also on hand to catch all the action of the final table, which took eight hours to play out.

The tournament was hosted by Kenna James and Robert Williamson III, and saw pros, locals and Internet qualifiers from around the world come out to play.

One such player was Ryan S. from the United States who won his spot online. Though he didn't last long in the tournament, he still had a great time playing tourist in South Africa.

"I'd definitely come back to South Africa for the next poker tournament and bring my family with," Ryan S. said.

courtesy of Sarah Polson

News Added: 27 May, 2007

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