Poker in Africa - Your Guide to African Poker
While Africans will admit that they are still a bit behind poker superpowers like Europe and the US, African poker is gaining momentum all the time.
Poker in Africa: A General Overview
While many African countries do not really play a major role in the development of Poker, the card game is spreading in the more affluent parts of this continent.
Poker in Africa: The All Africa Poker Tournament
The All Africa Poker Tournament is a great event where all Africans can test their poker playing abilities. The event offers R3 500 000 in prizes, and the main winner will receive one million Rands. This year’s event will be held in August at Swaziland’s Piggs Peak Hotel & Casino, and they have 120 available seats.
Poker in Africa: Poker in South Africa
At the moment, South Africa is seen as Africa’s poker hot seat, no matter if you are looking at conventional or online poker. Many companies that have pulled out of the US (after the UIGEA) is now turning their attention to South African and other poker players. South African online casino revenue is also on the up and up.
The South African Poker Association was established five years ago in 2004. The Association has been working towards spreading the popularity of poker in the country while ensuring that they stick closely to the internationally accepted poker variants and rules. The South African Poker Tour is a chance for local poker players to try and expand their bankrolls and test their skills against other pros.
The South African National Poker Championship is another annual event that takes place in Johannesburg. This Championship holds satellites contests, in which R500 gets you a buy in, but the championship also permits unlimited re-buys. If a poker player gets 7 500 chips he or she will guarantee themselves a seat at the final championship. Once players are knocked out, they can re-buy as many times as they wish.
There are rumors going around that online gambling might soon become legal in South Africa, and this will mean a very bright future for poker in this African country. The South African government managed to watch and learn from the US mistakes, and saw what effect illegal online gambling can have on the industry (and tax revenue). They have decided to try and regulate it instead of simply forbidding it, which is good news for all online gamblers and poker players.
Poker in Africa: The Ante Up For Africa Poker Event
There are also several international poker events that raise money for Africa. Ante Up For Africa Poker is such a celebrity charity event, which will be hosted in the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, on July 2 of this year. Don Cheadle and Annie Duke created the event two years ago.
This year’s event will be the third annual Ante Up for Africa event. This year’s event gives athletes and celebrities the chance to join poker's best players in an effort to raise funds and public awareness to support the victims of Sudan’s current humanitarian crisis.