First South African poker championship won by US online player

The inaugural South African Poker Open, held at the luxurious Montecasino complex in Johannesburg, came to a successful end this week after an impressive display of skill by All Africa poker champs, veteran players and international online qualifiers.

With 105 players taking part in the televised tournament, the prize pool came to Rands 2 million ($280 607.47) and the first 10 players were in the money bubble.

The event culminated in a tough 8 hour heads up battle between chip leader Danny K and previous All African runner-up Jaime Vilela which only ended when Vilela's four of a kind crowned him the 2007 SA Poker Open Champion.

The competition was a landmark event for one US player who travelled to South Africa all expenses paid after winning an online qualifier at the Poker Time.com site. Despite being eliminated from the final table before the heads up, RyanS enjoyed the adventure of a trip to Africa and was shown the sights by his Poker Time hosts after the tournament.