2012 WSOP Africa Kicks Off at Emerald Casino

The first tournament in the 2012 World Series of Poker Africa was a tremendous success, attracting the largest field in the history of African poker.

This is the second year for the WSOP Africa, which is being held in the Emerald Casino and Resort, just outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2011, the series was more of an experiment than a fully-fledged tournament series, as there were only two events that awarded WSOP Circuit rings. This year’s series will see a total of six Ring Events, allowing more players to take part in the WSOP experience.

The first tournament this year was a $350 buy-in event that attracted a total of 324 players, generating a prize pool of $92,200. A total of 33 players would ultimately cash, with 28-year-old South African poker pro Gregory Ronaldson ultimately taking the first place prize of $22,842.

Ronaldson has had success at the WSOP before – both in African and in the main series in Las Vegas. In the first Emerald Casino WSOP Circuit event back in 2010, Ronaldson cashed in 20^th place. He has also cashed five times in the main WSOP, including cashes in the last two Main Events. His career earnings now total nearly $500,000, making Ronaldson one of the ten winningest players in African poker history (a list dominated by Raymond Rahme, the third-place finisher in the 2007 WSOP Main Event).

Five events remain, with the series coming to a close with the $3,000 Main Event. The Main Event began with two separate flights on Friday, and will conclude on Sunday, February 26.