“When I made the [2011 WSOP Main Event final table] I promised ESPN that I would bring more players from Belize,” Bounahra said.
The 2011 November Niner made good on his promise and brought 11 players from Central America’s least populous country.
Bounahra, who owns one of Belize’s two card rooms, ran promotions throughout the year to select players.
The ones lucky enough got an entry into the 2015 Monster Stack.
“It was a new experience for them,” Bounahra said.
“Most of them have never been in a large tournament and I thought, because of the amount of chips they gave them, the Monster Stack would be the best tournament for them.”
While none of the players made it to the money, Bounahra says that four of them made it to day 2 and had the experience of their lives.
While the scene in Belize seems small, Bounahra says it’s grown considerably since he made the Main Event final table.
Belizean Poker
“It was very small before 2011,” Bounahra said. “But now everyone plays poker.
“Even on this trip here we got some coverage in Belize and now everybody wants to know how to join team Belize and how to be poker players.”
Bounahra predicts that this growth will continue for the foreseeable future.
“I think we're going to double or triple [in the next few years]," Bounahra said.
"There are a lot of tourists that've already heard about it and they come spend the weekend in Belize playing poker.”
Aside from the standard No-Limit Texas Hold’em, Bounahra says Belizeans like to play another no-limit variant.
“We have a lot of NLO,” Bounahra said. “We don't play Pot-Limit Omaha, we play No-Limit Omaha.”
Bounahra says the stakes can be as high as $10/25. As for the players, Bounahra says they’re a passionate mix of nits and loonies.
“Belize players are very passionate about their poker,” Bounahra said. “They take the game very seriously and they got their moves.
“They’re a bit different from players [from other countries] though. Half of the field is tight but most of them are loonies.”
The Big Slick Princess Poker Room
Bounahra says he encourages his fellow Belizeans to join his poker room, The Big Slick Princess Poker Room, and build up their bankroll to try and make it to next year’s WSOP.
It’s not an option Bounahra had when he learned how to play the game.
“Casinos came like 12 years ago to Belize,” Bounahra said. “But there were always home games.
“I've been playing poker since I was a kid actually.
“My grandfather used to play poker and I used to just love to sit down and watch them play.
“That was maybe 32 years ago. I told them one day, ‘I can beat those guys’.
"So he said, ‘Ok, next time I’ll stake you.’
“Actually they beat me in 5 minutes but I just kept playing.”
Bounahra has been playing ever since and now he’s not just playing for himself. He’s playing for his country.
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