$2,500 Main Event
Day 1a Started
PPC Aruba World Championship
$2,500 Main Event
Day: 1a
Welcome to the 2013 PPC Aruba World Championship
Bon bini!
Welcome to PokerNews' live reporting coverage of the 2013 PPC Aruba World Championship Main Event. The second installment of this event has returned once again to the beautiful island of Aruba off the north coast of Venezuela.
Last year, Joe Serock earned the title in this event after defeating Jesse Chinni heads up to walk away with $40,574 in first-place prize money. Dave Poces finished third, and Steve Karp took fourth.
Although the event only attracted 31 entries last year, it is important to note that this was the first time a true poker event returned to Aruba since 2009. The PPC deserves much credit for their quest to put poker in Aruba back on the map, as it is one of the best destinations for a stop on the circuit.
This year, things are already planned to be much bigger and better. The buy-in has been dropped from $3,300 to a more affordable $2,500. The Main Event has a juicy $200,000 guarantee slapped on its head, with reentries allowed over the course of the two starting days. Beyond the Main Event, the series has eight other tournaments ranging in buy-ins of $220-$550. The first event of the series, a $550 buy-in no-limit hold'em event with a $40,000 guarantee, attracted 94 entries, breaking the guarantee and generating a prize pool of $45,590. Fort Lauderdale, FL's Amir Baron won the event for $15,500.00.
Rumors swirling around the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa are that approximately 60 players have already been satellited into the $200,000 guarantee Main Event through PPC's various other events held leading up to Aruba. Others confirmed to be playing are defending champion Serock, World Series of Poker gold bracelet winners Ronnie Bardah and Joe Ebanks, 2013 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open third-place finisher Mukul Pahuja, and 2013 Isle Poker Classic champion Chris Bolek.
The structure is player-friendly, with 25,000-chip starting stacks and levels beginning at 45 minutes for Day 1 before increasing to 60 minutes from Day 2 forward. The blinds begin at 50/100 with a break every three levels. Following the completion of the sixth level, there will be a 60-minute dinner break.
Action in the Main Event is scheduled to begin later this afternoon at 3 p.m. local time, which gives everyone (PokerNews included!) plenty of time to hit the beach and explore Aruba. We'll see you back here in a bit for the kickoff of the event. Hopefully by then everyone isn't too many Aruba Aribas deep!
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Shuffle Up and Deal!
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Following a brief introduction to the event, the cards are in the air for the 2013 PPC Aruba World Championship.
As mentioned in the intro post, players will begin with 25,000-chip starting stacks and levels will be 45 minutes for Day 1. The structure sheet lists that Day 1 will be 12 levels long, but if 20% of the starting field is reached, play will stop then. The blinds begin at 50/100 with a break every three levels. Following the completion of the sixth level, there will be a 60-minute dinner break.
Bardah Chops with Big Slick
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Picking up the action on the 
flop, World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Ronnie Bardah was first to act against two other players. He checked, the second player checked, and the third player bet 600. Only Bardah called.
The turn card was the 
, and both players checked to see the 
land on the river. Bardah led for 1,750, almost betting a lot larger because he has yet to get used to the chips and which domination a color stands for. His opponent called.
Bardah tabled the 
for top pair, top kicker. His opponent showed the 
for the same hand, and the two players chopped up the pot.
Defending Champ Arrives
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The defending champion of the PPC Aruba World Championship, Joe Serock, is in the field today. As usual, Serock has his large, over-ear headphones on, with one ear slightly exposed so he can hear the action. Last year, Serock won $40,574 for defeating the field of 31 players.
Bardah Can't Call the River
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
With an absent big blind, the player under the gun opened with a raise to 250. Ronnie Bardah called on the button, and the small blind also called. On the flop, the dealer rolled out the 
, and the small blind checked. The preflop raiser fired 500, Bardah called, and the small blind folded.
The turn was the 
, and the first player check-called a bet of 825 from Bardah. The river was the 
, and the first player fired 2,000. Bardah took about 20 seconds, then folded his hand, giving his opponent the pot.
First Elimination; Sindler Grabs Early Lead
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Stephen Sindler was just the beneficiary to a very kind river card. Not only did he boost his stack to approximately 50,000 to take the early chip lead, but Sindler also eliminated the first player of the tournament. Tablemate Sterling Savill was kind enough to fill us in on the hand information.
In a five-way limped pot, the flop was 
rainbow and action was checked by the first three players before the fourth player fired a bet of 800. The fifth player called, Savill folded, then the next player check-raised to 2,100. Sindler called, the original bettor called, and the other player folded.
The turn was a 
, but it did add a second diamond to the board to put a flush draw out there. The first player that check-raised the flop fired 3,800, Sindler raised to 10,000, the player behind folded, then the first player moved all in. Sindler called with for top two pair, but he was behind his opponent's for a flopped set of fives.
The dealer burned a final time and slapped out another on the river, vaulting Sindler to the winning hand and eliminating his opponent from the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
50,000 |
Bolek Doubles
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
"All in and call!" was the call from over at Chris Bolek's table. When we arrived, Bolek was all in on the 
board holding the 
. His opponent that made the call was drawing dead with the 
. The river completed the board with the , and Bolek doubled his stack.
Bolek has already had some success here in Aruba this week. In Event #2: $230 Pot-Limit Omaha Megastack, Bolek came out on top of the field of 57 entries to earn the $4,313 top prize.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
37,000
12,000
|
12,000 |
Hull Doubles Through Tuthill
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Kenton Hull was all in preflop in a dominating spot. He held the against 2012-13 World Series of Poker Circuit Caesars Palace Las Vegas champion David Tuthill and his 
.
Hull was all in for 11,125, and the board ran out 
to give him the double. Tuthill dropped back to 12,000 in chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
22,500
22,500
|
22,500 |
|
12,000
-13,000
|
-13,000 |