Quartet Ready For Aruba Action

Quartet Ready For Aruba Action

Tuesday, 18 October 2016

The PPC Aruba World Championship 2016 tournament series is due to kick off next month and four competitors will be joining the $2,400 buy-in main event fray after winning three-tier online poker satellite tournaments at Juicy Stakes and Intertops Poker.

Scheduled to take place from November 2 to 7, the PPC Aruba World Championship 2016 will feature a three-day main event from November 4 with a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool while winners of the travel packages from Juicy Stakes and Intertops Poker are additionally receiving five nights accommodation at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort And Casino or the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa And Casino as well as buy-ins to two smaller tournaments and dinner and a night out with the team from one of the online poker domains.

One of the latest satellite competition winners, Joan Sandoval, placed sixth in last year’s main event of the PPC Aruba World Championship and explained that she is now looking forward to taking part again.

“I know a lot of my competition in Aruba, actually,” said Wisconsin-resident Sandoval.

“I know it is going to be a tough crowd with a lot of good professional players. My strategy in any bigger tournament is to play one hand at a time and concentrate on just my table and not so much everyone around me. I like to just study the people and limit big pots in the beginning and try to play premium hands; try to get a solid image on the table so I can make my occasional bluff.”

Sandoval is to be joined on the main event tables as a PPC Aruba World Championship 2016 prize winner by professional poker players Tim O’Keefe and John Curcuru. O’Keefe competes mostly at casinos in his home state of Texas along with at some of those in neighbouring Oklahoma while additionally travelling to the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut a few times a year. This will mark the third time that O’Keefe, who only recently quit his day job in order to play poker professionally, has won his way into a major live tournament.

For his part, Las Vegas resident Curcuru is an avid chess player and previously won a main event seat at this spring’s St Maarten stop of the TK Poker Tour courtesy of Intertops Poker and Juicy Stakes.

“It’s great travelling with a group like this,” said Curcuru.

“The camaraderie really helps you cope with the pressure of the tournament. Intertops Poker took very good care of us last time so I’m really looking forward to joining it again.”

Texas poker mom Ashley Hines is the fourth player that won a PPC Aruba World Championship 2016 main event seat courtesy of Juicy Stakes and Intertops Poker and the Caribbean adventure will represent only her fourth live tournament.

“I expect the players to be a smart and tight group with everyone hoping to make money and make a name for themselves,” said Hines.

“I think it’ll take massive determination and discipline. I always say it’s not the hands you, play but the folds you make that can make you a great player.”

Video: PPC Aruba World Championship 2016 main event fun for Intertops Poker and Juicy Stakes quartet

Winners of three-tier online poker satellite tournament series will be competing at next month's main event in Aruba.



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