SunBet’s tour stop in Durban proved to be a fruitful one as the locals came out in numbers and bumped the series to nearly R5 million in prizes.
The SunBet Poker Tour enjoyed a successful visit to KwaZulu-Natal, with five tournaments generating nearly R5 million in prizes during the five-day series at Sibaya Casino from 7–11 October 2026. With it being years since a poker stop in Durban, the local community suprisingly came out in impressive numbers.
While the Main Event attracted plenty of attention, the series produced several notable performances, including two titles for Preshane Tayob, a pair of podium finishes for Cliton Taliwanth and three cashes apiece for Javane Chetty and Leonard Freeman.
The five tournaments generated R4,966,550 in recorded prize pools, with SunBet Poker CEO Ilan Miller confirming that every tournament surpassed its advertised guarantee, exceeding those targets by an average of 70%.
MARC JOSEPH CLAIMS THE MAIN EVENT CROWN
Marc Joseph came out on top in the SunBet Poker Tour Main Event, securing the headline title and a R450000 first-place prize.
Sugendran Singh finished runner-up, collecting R275000, while Hagai Dayani completed the podium with an identical R275000 payout.
Bradley Sinnema continued his strong festival with a fourth-place finish worth R140000, while Tyrone Rajah rounded out the top five for R115000.
The tournament also featured notable finishes from Harold Brooks (6th), Rudolph Fourie (7th), Jedd Kossew (8th), Fazel Dawood (9th) and Javane Chetty (10th).
The Main Event attracted a total of 157 entries and generating R2,001,750 in prizes.
With 20 paid positions, the Main Event provided one of the festival’s biggest opportunities for players to secure a significant result.
It was the largest tournament of the Durban series by total prize money, accounting for approximately 40% of the festival’s combined prize pools.
PRESHANE TAYOB COMPLETES A MEMORABLE DOUBLE
While Joseph captured the Main Event, Preshane Tayob emerged as one of the standout performers of the Durban stop, winning two of the five tournaments.
Tayob opened his campaign by taking the Little Slam title, collecting R85000 after finishing ahead of Neville Govender, who received the same amount.
The Little Slam recorded 157 combined entries, matching the Main Event for the largest field by total entries.
With R667250 in prizes, the event saw Emmanuel Kistan, Kader Goolam and Amaan Mohamed complete the top five, each collecting R75000.
Tayob’s second victory came in the SUPASTACK, where he claimed another title and R204000.
Charles Rieckhoff finished runner-up, also receiving R204000, while Cliton Taliwanth secured third place for R100000.
The SUPASTACK attracted 96 combined entries, generating R816000 in prizes.
Across his two victories, Tayob collected R289000 in recorded payouts, making him the only player to win multiple tournaments during the five-day series.
His double-title performance was one of the clearest individual success stories to emerge from Sibaya.
GIOVANNI ZANETTE TAKES THE MEGA MILLION
Giovanni Zanette claimed the Mega Million title and the series’ largest individual first-place prize of R550000.
The event attracted 63 combined entries, producing a recorded prize pool of R1,338,750.
Max Deveson secured second place for R440000, while Cliton Taliwanth continued his impressive series with a third-place finish worth R155000.
Dror Dayani (4th), Mohamed Yacoob Ebrahim (5th) and Bradley Sinnema (6th) completed the paid positions.
Although the Mega Million attracted the smallest field of the five tournaments, it delivered the second-largest recorded prize pool of the series, behind only the Main Event.
For Zanette, the result was particularly significant, with his R550000 first-place payout exceeding the amount awarded to the Main Event champion.
CLITON TALIWANTH AMONG THE MOST CONSISTENT PERFORMERS
Cliton Taliwanth was another player who made his presence felt across the Durban series.
He secured third place in the Mega Million for R155000 before adding another third-place finish in the SUPASTACK for R100000.
The two podium appearances earned Taliwanth a combined R255000, placing him among the series’ notable repeat performers.
Bradley Sinnema also enjoyed a productive series, finishing sixth in the Mega Million for R53750 before taking fourth in the Main Event for R140000.
Max Deveson added a Main Event cash to his Mega Million runner-up finish, while Dror Dayani and Rodgers Pillay also appeared in the paid positions of multiple tournaments.
These performances highlighted the consistency of several players who navigated different tournament formats and field sizes during the week.
JAVANE CHETTY CLOSES THE SERIES WITH A WIN
Javane Chetty brought his Durban campaign to a successful conclusion by winning The Finisher, the final tournament of the series.
Chetty claimed the title and R25300 after previously recording paid finishes in both the Little Slam and Main Event.
His three results included 16th place in the Little Slam for R10000 and 10th in the Main Event for R55000, taking his combined series payouts to R90300.
The Finisher attracted 112 combined entries, generating R142800 in prizes.
Kumeresen Naidoo finished runner-up, collecting R40000, while Christopher Luyt took third for R18500.
Leonard Freeman also featured among the paid finishers, securing seventh place and completing his own three-cash series.
Freeman had previously finished 11th in the Little Slam and 13th in the Main Event, accumulating R69500 across his three results.
Both Chetty and Freeman demonstrated impressive consistency, cashing in three of the five tournaments on the schedule.
KZN DELIVERS FOR THE SUNBET POKER TOUR
Beyond the individual results, the most significant story from Sibaya was the level of support shown by the KwaZulu-Natal poker community.
According to SunBet Poker CEO Ilan Miller, every tournament exceeded its guarantee, with the guarantees surpassed by an average of 70%.
Miller praised the players, tournament staff, Sibaya Casino and the wider poker community for contributing to the series’ success.
“We arrived in KwaZulu-Natal with high expectations, but the passion, energy and overwhelming support from the local poker community exceeded anything we could have imagined,” Miller said.
He described the performance as a testament to the strength of South African poker and emphasised SunBet’s ambition to build a tour that players across the country can be proud of.
“Our vision goes beyond individual tournaments. We are building something special — growing the game, creating exceptional experiences and developing a tour that South African players can be proud of.”
For SunBet Poker, the Durban results provide encouraging evidence of the appetite for major tournament poker outside the country’s traditional series destinations.
With almost R5 million in recorded prize pools, multiple standout performances and guarantees surpassed across the schedule, the Sibaya stop delivered a strong result for both the organisers and the participating players.
The series also reinforced the importance of regional poker communities in supporting the continued development of South Africa’s live tournament circuit.
SUNBET POKER TOUR SIBAYA — FULL RESULTS
Event 1: Little Slam
- Preshane Tayob — R85000
- Neville Govender — R85000
- Emmanuel Kistan — R75000
- Kader Goolam — R75000
- Amaan Mohamed — R75000
- Ockert Fourie — R32000
- Rudalf Frick — R28000
- Rodgers Pillay — R25000
- Dean De Klerk — R22250
- Kirk Walker — R20000
- Leonard Freeman — R18000
- Abdool Sacoor Essa — R18000
- Sainesh Govender — R15000
- Sherwin Noel — R15000
- Muddassir Ameer — R14000
- Javane Chetty — R10000
- Neville Mutsvangwa — R10000
- Blaine Hamilton — R10000
- Alec Manganas — R10000
- Mehmood Wahab — R10000
- Davy Han — R5000
- Sylvester Peters — R5000
- Wouter Van Der Merwe — R5000
Total Entries: 157
Prize Pool: R667250
Event 2: Mega Million
- Giovanni Zanette — R550000
- Max Deveson — R440000
- Cliton Taliwanth — R155000
- Dror Dayani — R105000
- Mohamed Yacoob Ebrahim — R75000
- Bradley Sinnema — R53750
Total Entries: 63
Recorded Prize Pool: R1,338,750
Event 3: Main Event
- Marc Joseph — R450000
- Sugendran Singh — R275000
- Hagai Dayani — R275000
- Bradley Sinnema — R140000
- Tyrone Rajah — R115000
- Harold Brooks — R97500
- Rudolph Fourie — R85750
- Jedd Kossew — R75000
- Fazel Dawood — R66000
- Javane Chetty — R55000
- Daniel Scott — R45000
- Jonathan Kalil — R45000
- Leonard Freeman — R45000
- Anonymous — R37500
- Djordje Stojic — R37500
- Max Deveson — R37500
- Surendra Naidoo — R30000
- Rudalf Frick — R30000
- Emmanuel Kistan — R30000
- Patmaseelan Naicker — R30000
Total Entries: 157
Prize Pool: R2,001,750
Event 4: SUPASTACK
- Preshane Tayob — R204000
- Charles Rieckhoff — R204000
- Cliton Taliwanth — R100000
- Mahomed Moideen — R75000
- Rodgers Pillay — R55000
- Desmen Dharmalingam — R45000
- Abdool Sacoor Essa — R37000
- Emile Adams — R31000
- Devadasan Govender — R25000
- Dror Dayani — R20000
- Devesh Debipersadh — R20000
Total Entries: 96
Prize Pool: R816000
Event 5: The Finisher
- Javane Chetty — R25300
- Kumeresen Naidoo — R40000
- Christopher Luyt — R18500
- Jonah Govender — R14000
- Ashley James — R10000
- Wouter Van Der Merwe — R8000
- Leonard Freeman — R6500
- Kurt Kuppers — R5500
- Hennie Viljoen — R4500
- Matthew Adams — R4000
- Jared Chinsamy — R3500
- Oluwadamilola Akinnusi — R3000
Total Entries: 112
Prize Pool: R142800