I don't fancy myself as much of a gambler but when I do find myself at a Casino, it's generally the roulette table that lures me in to take a chance. More often than not I leave smiling with the little that I have made, I'm not hardcore and I hardly know everything there is to the game so I normally just play it safe on the "outside" of the table as they say.
Last week I attended the official media launch of Roulette Masters at the Suncoast Casino. It's the second year running after last years tournament was a resounding success. After a brief meet and greet it was onto the tables as that's where the action took place. We were given the low down on the rules and even some tips from the dealer on how to play. Surprisingly I managed to get into the finals but sadly I came just short in second place.... okay, more than shot, R2000 short!
More about Roulette Masters
It kicked off on the 19th of January at all 14 of the group's casinos countrywide, with big cash wings for players and a guaranteed first prize of R1 million! The competition runs from the 19th of January and ends on the 28th of March at the grand finals in Monte Casino. Qualifying rounds in the Roulette Masters will be played at each of Tsogo Sun’s 14 casino -Montecasino, Suncoast, Gold Reef City, Silverstar, Golden Horse Casino, The Ridge Casino, Hemingway’s Casino, Emnotweni Casino, Garden Route Casino, Goldfields Casino, Mykonos Casino, Blackrock Casino, Caledon Casino and Queens Casino – with between one to five players constituting a heat
Last years tournament saw 29 222 players take part, exceeding expectations and bumped up the eventual pool to R2,922 million. “We believe this year’s Roulette Masters will be even bigger and better as it’s now a known entity that delivers on its promise of thrills and great rewards,” says Steve Hight, Director of Gaming for Tsogo Sun.
How does it work?
To buy in, it will just cost you R100, which makes Roulette Masters affordable and fun for everyone. Each player receives chips, which they must play in every spin for three spins. At the end of the three spins, the value of the chips are totalled up and entered onto the scoreboard. People can enter as many times as they like during the qualifying period. At the end of it, the player with the highest value in chip winnings from a single buy in automatically qualifies for a seat in the group semi finals and the next 20 players will play off for the remaining six seats in the casino finals.
From there, winners from all 14 of the groups casinos will be flown up to Monte Casino where the grand finals will take place, in total, 40 players will be competing to make the finals. The semi final round will reduce the number of players down to seven, and see them compete for the grand cash prize. The grand final will be slightly different as there will be seven spins and not three like the qualifying rounds, after the seven spins are complete, once again the chips will be totalled and the person with the highest value in chips will be the winner. All seven finalists will take home cash prizes varying in values.
“As with all Tsogo Sun’s group-wide tournaments, every cent of the buy-ins is allocated towards the
eventual prize money, so the eventual prize money may increase, depending on the number of buy-ins over the nine weeks of the tournament,” comments Hight. “As the premier gaming destinations around the country, Tsogo Sun constantly strives to take the lead in hosting tournaments that promise gamers the chance of a really big win, adding significantly to the excitement of the event,” he adds. “This Roulette Masters competition will be a highlight on the entertainment calendar as the fun and thrills go on for many weeks and the prize money at the end of the tournament is well worth the wait. Our casinos are all ready and waiting to welcome Roulette lovers to the tournament and ensure that they have a great experience on the gaming floor.”
