$200,000 Guaranteed Main Event
Day 3 Completed
2014 PPC Aruba World Championship
$200,000 Guaranteed Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 PPC Aruba World Championship
Buy-in
$2,000
Prize Pool
$267,720
Entries
138
Level
25
Blinds
15,000 / 30,000
Ante
4,000
![[user272102]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 25
: 15,000/30,000, 4,000 ante
It was a record turnout for the 2014 PPC Aruba World Championship $2,200 Main Event with a total of 138 entrants taking part in the poker action in beautiful Aruba. Ten of those players returned Monday, already in the money, with their eye on the $62,764 that would be handed out for first place.
Aristoteles Neto came into the final table with the chip lead and he would assume command from the very get go. It was a lead he would not relinquish until play was heads up. He battled his way back against eventual runner-up Steve Karp to claim the title and the first place prize money as well as a guaranteed return trip to the 2015 PPC Aruba Main Event.
Neto became a poor man's Chris Moneymaker story, turning a $65 satellite entry into this impressive score. "I played a $65 satellite at Foxwoods into their $450 PPC Aruba qualifer and was able to win a package to come down here," Neto explained. The commercial truck driver from Boston said he plays poker, mainly cash games, four nights a week.
"We had a blast down here," said Neto as his girlfriend nodded in agreement. "We'll definitely be back next year. Everyone was great."
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aristoteles Neto | $62,764 |
| 2 | Steve Karp | $50,000 |
| 3 | Ryan Franklin | $31,194 |
| 4 | Josh Kay | $23,656 |
| 5 | Joe Ebanks | $17,685 |
| 6 | Aftab Shakoor | $13,445 |
| 7 | Jimmy Pashaj | $10,394 |
| 8 | John Ott | $8,165 |
| 9 | Richard Bowers | $6,518 |
| 10 | Ted Ely | $5,283 |
Things started off with a bang with double ups by Aftab Shakoor and Steve Karp on the very first two hands of play. Ted Ely would not be as fortunate as he would be the first one eliminated when his 
could not best the 
held by Ryan Franklin.
Neto would win the first of many big pots at the final table when he sent Richard Bowers out in ninth place with 
against 
when a king arrived on the turn. John Ott would be the next player eliminated in eight place when he shoved with 
only to run into the 
of Joe Ebanks. Not all was lost for Ott though as his finish moved him into first place on the PPC Player of the Year leaderboard ahead of Parry Shaw.
Neto continued his surge when he knocked out Jimmy Pashaj when a frustrated Pashaj four-bet shoved with 
only to find out that Neto had a hand with his 
. Pashaj would not improve and was eliminated in seventh place. Aftab Shakoor would follow Pashaj to the rail when he was eliminated at the hands of Steve Karp when his 
could not outdraw Karp's 
.
World Series of Poker bracelet winner and the runner up in the 2013 version of this event, Joe Ebanks, was eliminated in fifth place by none other than Neto in a crazy hand. It started with Ebanks four-bet shoving pre-flop with 
and Neto snap-calling with . Ebanks flopped huge when it came 
to give him trip tens, but running jacks on the turn and river gave Neto the pot and sent Ebanks to the rail.
Josh Kay was the next one out, finishing in fourth place, when he moved all in withbottom pair against Ryan Franklin's top pair and was unable to improve. Franklin, who was zipped up tight in a Spiderman hoodie throughout the final table, was next out in third place. He lost a big chunk of his stack when Steve Karp hit a river miracle and then fell at the hands of Neto with 
to Neto's . Franklin did walk away with a $5,000 2015 PPC Aruba package, however, as the final three negotiated money out of the prize pool to make that happen.
The final two players agreed to a save that would see $50,000 go to second place and the remainder to the winner. Heads-up play was a see-saw affair with Karp bouncing back from a big chip deficit to take a big chip lead of his own after flopping a full house to best Neto's two pair. Neto bounced back with a double up and then slowly chipped away at Karp until he took the chip lead back.
That led to the final hand when the two exchanged quick raises until all the chips were in the middle. Neto held and Karp and Neto would win the hand when a king came on the flop. "Yes!" the excited Bostonian yelled, giving his girlfriend of eight years a huge embrace. He'd turned $65 into $62,764. That's a pretty good return on investment.
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the 2014 PPC Aruba World Championship $2,200 Main Event. From everyone at the PPC and PokerNews we thank you for following along. Stay tuned for more exciting tournament coverage through the rest of the year.
Bon Bini!
Level 25
: 15,000/30,000, 4,000 ante
Aristoteles Neto opened to 75,000 and Steve Karp grabbed two of the dark blue T100,000 chips and tossed them into the middle making it a raise to 230,000.
Neto wasted no time in announcing that he was all in and Karp beat him into the pot while turning over his hand . Neto had and the two were racing with the Main Event title on the line.
The flop came 
and Neto let out a loud "Yes!"
"No queen! No queen!" he added as the dealer put out the 
turn.
Neto looked as if he wanted to turn away and not see what the river brought. He looked down though as the river put out the river. It was the 
. Neto turned and gave his girlfriend a huge embrace, the biggest smile on his face.
"Good game," said Karp, as he came over to congratulate Neto. Karp was eliminated in second place for $50,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,450,000
900,000
|
900,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 25
: 15,000/30,000, 4,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,550,000
250,000
|
250,000 |
|
|
900,000
-250,000
|
-250,000 |
Level 25
: 15,000/30,000, 4,000 ante
After checking the 
flop, Aristoteles Neto led out for 80,000 on the 
turn and Steve Karp made it 200,000 to go. Neto moved all in and Karp folded with a slight look of disgust on his face.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,300,000
365,000
|
365,000 |
|
|
1,150,000
-365,000
|
-365,000 |
Level 25
: 15,000/30,000, 4,000 ante
The players are taking a quick break and Aristoteles Neto has moved into the lead with a couple more small pots.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,935,000
335,000
|
335,000 |
|
|
1,515,000
-335,000
|
-335,000 |
Level 25
: 15,000/30,000, 4,000 ante
Aristoteles Neto has picked up a series of small pots and has nearly evened up chip counts.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,850,000
-660,000
|
-660,000 |
|
|
1,600,000
660,000
|
660,000 |
Level 25
: 15,000/30,000, 4,000 ante
Steve Karp moved all in from the small blind and down to his last 470,000 Aristoteles Neto made the call with . He was in great position to double up as Karp had 
and after the flop of 
only a miracle would knock him out.
The turn was the 
and the river was the and Neto doubled up to 940,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,510,000
-190,000
|
-190,000 |
|
|
940,000
190,000
|
190,000 |
Level: 25
Blinds: 15,000/30,000
Ante: 4,000
Level 24
: 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
We didn't catch the action but all the chips were in the middle on a board of 
with Aristoteles Neto holding for aces and eights with a ten kicker. Karp, however, had flopped a full house with 
and Neto was drawing to an eight or ace on the river. The dealer slowly turned the river card over and it was the and Karp has now seized control of the heads up battle with 2,700,00 in chips to Neto's 750,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,700,000
1,350,000
|
1,350,000 |
|
|
750,000
-1,350,000
|
-1,350,000 |