2013 PPC Aruba World Championship Day 2: Serock Eyes Back-to-Back Titles
The final table for the 2013 PPC Aruba World Championship $2,500 Main Event was set on Monday, and it didn't come without a bang. On the final hand of the night, RJ Sullivan cracked Arun C.'s pocket kings with the 9?5? by rivering trips. Not only did Sullivan bust Arun, but he burst the bubble and officially set the final table.
Leading the way after Day 2 was [Removed:65]. He bagged up 559,000 in chips. Sullivan finished in second place with 351,000, and then World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Joe Ebanks bagged the third most chips with 281,000.
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 |
While there are a handful of notables at this final table, all eyes will be on reigning champion and former World Poker Tour Player of the Year, Joe Serock. Serock went deep into his pockets for this event, firing away four bullets. He'll now need to place sixth or higher to turn a profit, but with a healthy stack of 222,500 in chips, Serock looks to be in good shape to defend his title. Last year, Serock bested a field of 31 entries to claim the win.
At the start of play on Day 2, 31 players remained. Included in those returning were Ronnie Bardah, Hayden Fortini, Steve Karp, Jesse Chinni, and Stephen Bokor.
Bardah was eliminated early in the day when his A?Q? fell to Andy Seth's K?Q?. Chinni was part of a double elimination by Ryan Franklin that also included Damien Simon busting out. On that hand, it was Franklin's 9?9? that prevailed against Chinni's A?K? and Simon's 8?8?.
Day 1b chip leader Igor Merda also fell shy of the final table. He ran AxQx into Ebanks' AxKx to bust.
The remaining nine players have locked up at least $5,000 in prize money, but it's the $68,000 up top that they'll all be fighting hard for on Tuesday. Play is scheduled to resume at 3 p.m. local time in Aruba, so be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all the live coverage starting then.
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