Hello everyone, and welcome back to Day 3 of the 2013 PPC Aruba World Championship $2,500 Main Event. Just nine competitors remain in the battle for the title, and they are all in the money and guaranteed at least $5,000. With $68,000 up top and a PPC Aruba champion to be crowned, today plans to be an exciting day of poker.
[Removed:65] leads the way by a big margin, with over 200,000 chips more than RJ Sullivan has in second place. Rounding out the top three is World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Joe Ebanks.
While [Removed:72], Sullivan, and Ebanks boast the largest stacks returning to play, all eyes are on one man — Joe Serock.
For all of the results and accolades that Serock has, it was here in Aruba just one year ago that he earned his first live tournament victory. Last year, Serock bested a field of 31 entries to win $40,594. While Serock has fired four bullets into the event this year, he's made it to the money and has a chance to grab back-to-back wins. Only eight players stand in the way of Serock and that accomplishment, and the former World Poker Tour Player of the Year seems poised and ready for the challenge.
Other notables at the final table include former WSOP Circuit Main Event champion David Tuthill, Ryan Franklin, and Andy Seth. Seth will be bringing up the rear with the short stack of 70,000 in chips, but the 2009 World Poker Challenge champion is just one double up away from being right in the mix.
Final Table Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Chips
1
[Removed:65]
559,000
2
RJ Sullivan
351,000
3
Joe Ebanks
281,000
4
Sterling Savill
276,000
5
Ryan Franklin
261,000
6
Joe Serock
222,500
7
David Tuthill
137,500
8
Stephen Sindler
72,000
9
Andy Seth
70,000
Last night, it was Sullivan that sent Arun C. home in 10th place as the tournament bubble boy. Sullivan got there with the against Arun's by rivering trip fives, but many saw this as Sullivan simply returning the favor because right before that, Arun cracked Sullivan's kings with the .
Play is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time at the beautiful Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa and won't end until a winner is crowned. Stay tuned right here to PokerNews for live coverage in just a bit.
On the very first hand of the final table, Ryan Franklin opened with a raise from under the gun, and Andy Seth reraised all in for 69,500 from the next seat. Action folded back to Franklin, and he made the call to put Seth at risk.
Franklin tabled the for a classic race situation against the at-risk Seth's . The flop, turn, and river ran out , and Seth's queens held up to give him the double.
Action folded to David Tuthill in the cutoff seat, and he opened the action with a raise to 13,000. After RJ Sullivan called from the button and Joe Ebanks called from the big blind, the dealer spread out the flop. Ebanks checked, Tuthill continued with a bet of 18,000, and Sullivan called. Ebanks folded.
The turn was the , and Tuthill stayed on the gas by betting 31,000. Sullivan called again, and this time the river paired the board with the . Both players checked.
"You got it," was the announcement from Tuthill to Sullivan. In response, Sullivan rolled over the for two pair, aces and kings, and Tuthill mucked his hand.
Ryan Franklin raised all in from middle position for 83,000. Action folded over to David Tuthill in the small blind, and he requested a count from the dealer. Once received, Tuthill made the call. RJ Sullivan folded from the big blind, and the hands were tabled.
Franklin showed the for an under pair to Tuthill's . "Good luck," said Franklin, to which Tuthill nodded.
The board ran out , and that was officially the end of the road for Franklin. Tuthill earned his second elimination of the final table, and Franklin was off to the payout desk to collect $7,000 in eighth-place prize money.
Action folded to Sterling Savill in the small blind, and he raised all in to put defending champion Joe Serock to the test. Serock thought for a minute, then called off for 133,000 with the . Savill tabled a dominated .
The board was clean as far as Serock was concerned. It ran out , and Serock doubled up.
From the hijack seat, a recently-crippled Sterling Savill raised all in for exactly 50,000. Action folded to [Removed:65] in the big blind, and he made the call with a shake of his head.
Savill:
[Removed:72]:
The flop gave [Removed:72] the lead when the fell. Savill still had a decent shot to win with two over cards, but following the on the turn and the on the river, his hopes were dashed. Savill finished in seventh place and earned $9,000.
With that, there are six players remaining. Defending champion Joe Serock still remains, but he is in this event for four bullets, meaning he spent $10,000 in buy-ins. Andy Seth is also in for $10,000. By making it to at least sixth place, Serock and Seth are now turning a small profit, but more importantly, Serock's back-to-back title accomplishment is still alive.
After Joe Ebanks opened with a raise to 18,000 from the cutoff seat, Andy Seth reraised all in from the button for 132,000. Action folded back to Ebanks, and he made the call to put Seth at risk.
Seth tabled the and was flipping for his tournament life against Ebanks' .
The flop was clean for Seth when the fell, but the on the turn would be the dagger to end his tournament. The river completed the board with the , and that was it for Seth. He finished in sixth place for $11,000, but was able to turn a small profit on this event after firing off four bullets.
David Tuthill just went from second place in chips to out in the matter of one hand, and now [Removed:65] — the start-of-the-day chip leader — now has nearly 1 million in chips.
From the cutoff seat, Tuthill opened to 17,000. RJ Sullivan three-bet to 47,000 from the next seat on the button, and then [Removed:72] cold four-bet to 115,000 out of the small blind. Action got back to Tuthill, and he five-bet shoved for around 475,000. Sullivan folded, but [Removed:72] quickly made the call and a massive pot was created.
Tuthill showed the , but he was behind the for [Removed:72].
The board provided very little sweat at all as it ran out , and just like that Tuthill was gone in fifth place. He earned $14,000 for his finish.
From the button, Joe Ebanks raised to 18,000 before defending champion Joe Serock reraised to 47,000 out of the small blind. RJ Sullivan cold four-bet to 103,000 from the big blind, and Ebanks folded. Serock moved all in for 271,000, and Sullivan quickly called.
Sullivan showed the , but it was Serock's that was in the lead.
The flop, turn, and river ran out to give Serock the double and move him to 564,000 in chips. Sullivan was left with 155,000.
On the flop, [Removed:65] led into Joe Ebanks with a bet of 45,000. Ebanks put in a raise to 100,000, and [Removed:72] made the call. Then, the paired the board on the turn. [Removed:72] checked, and Ebanks double-fisted 250,000 into the middle with 191,000 behind. [Removed:72] announced that he was all in, an Ebanks snap-called.
[Removed:72] tabled the for jacks and fives, but he was behind Ebanks' for kings and fives. The river completed the board with the , and Ebanks successfully doubled up to 1.15 million. [Removed:72] was knocked back to 610,000.
against Arun's 
by rivering trip fives, but many saw this as Sullivan simply returning the favor because right before that, Arun cracked Sullivan's kings with the 
.
for a classic race situation against the at-risk Seth's 
. The flop, turn, and river ran out 
, and Seth's queens held up to give him the double.
flop. Ebanks checked, Tuthill continued with a bet of 18,000, and Sullivan called. Ebanks folded.
, and Tuthill stayed on the gas by betting 31,000. Sullivan called again, and this time the river paired the board with the 
for two pair, aces and kings, and Tuthill mucked his hand.
for an under pair to Tuthill's 
, and that was officially the end of the road for Franklin. Tuthill earned his second elimination of the final table, and Franklin was off to the payout desk to collect $7,000 in eighth-place prize money.
. Savill tabled a dominated 
on the turn and the 
on the river, his hopes were dashed. Savill finished in seventh place and earned $9,000.![[Removed:65]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
.
, and that was it for Seth. He finished in sixth place for $11,000, but was able to turn a small profit on this event after firing off four bullets.
, and just like that Tuthill was gone in fifth place. He earned $14,000 for his finish.
, but it was Serock's 
that was in the lead.