$2,500 Main Event
Day 3 Started
PPC Aruba World Championship
$2,500 Main Event
Day: 3
Nine Remain in Aruba and All Eyes Are On Joe Serock
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.
Level: 18
Blinds: 2,500/5,000
Ante: 500
Shuffle Up and Deal!
With the button in Seat 6 with the chip leader Robin K., the cards are in the air for the final table.
Seth Doubles On First Hand
Level 18
: 2,500/5,000, 500 ante
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.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
191,000 | -70,000 |
|
151,000 | 81,000 |
Stephen Sindler Eliminated in 9th Place ($5,000)
On the second hand of the final table, the field lost its first player — Day 1a chip leader Stephen Sindler.
After David Tuthill opened from middle position with a raise to 10,500, Sindler moved all in from the button for 68,500. Action folded back to Tuthill, and he got a count on Sindler's shove before making the call. Sindler showed the 
, but he was dominated by Tuthill's 
.
The flop kept Tuthill in good form when the 
fell, but the 
on the turn added a nice little sweat in the form of a flush draw for Sindler. The river completed the board with the , and Sindler was eliminated.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
217,500 | 80,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 19
Blinds: 3,000/6,000
Ante: 1,000
Can't Steal Ebanks' Big Blind
Level 19
: 3,000/6,000, 1,000 ante
Action folded to chip leader [Removed:65] in the small blind, and he raised to 18,000 to attack Joe Ebanks' big blind. Ebanks reraised to 48,000, and [Removed:72] folded.
One for Seth
Level 19
: 3,000/6,000, 1,000 ante
From under the gun, Andy Seth raised to 13,500. Ryan Franklin called out of the big blind after action folded all the way around to him, and the action went to the flop. The dealer spread the flop, and Franklin checked. Seth bet 11,000, and that was all he needed to win the pot as Franklin quickly folded.
Seth Gets More Love from the Ladies
Level 19
: 3,000/6,000, 1,000 ante
Andy Seth just found another double, and it once again came with him holding pocket queens. What can you say? The ladies just flock to the man.
Seth was all in preflop for 153,500 with the against RJ Sullivan and the . The flop hit Seth hard to give him a firm hold on the hand as the board ran out 
. Seth finished with a full house and doubled to over 300,000 in chips. Sullivan was left with just about 200,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
318,000 | 167,000 |
|
201,000 | -150,000 |