Of the 32 players who came back for Day 3 of the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour in Auckland, only 9 were destined to make it to the final table.
The Elimination Round
32 Pros and amateurs alike convened on the felt for a chance to play at the final table for Day 3. In the lead was Jason Brown, who kicked off with 632,000. He had a substantial lead over the player in second place, Simon Watt, who had 430,500 and Jens Walther in third place with 349,500. Also in the field were the defending champion, Daniel Cracker, and PokerStars Pro, Eric Assadourian and his father, Assadour Assadourian. They all had decent chip counts, large enough to get them through to the final table.
But you know how it is with poker, chip count can swing worse than an upturned banana, and it’s near-impossible to predict what’s going to happen in the end. And in fact, Daniel Cracker, despite his heroic attempts to defend his title, had to fold and was kicked from the game early on. Eric Assadourian, who was a favorite due to the possibility of a father and son face off later on in the final table, was also eliminated in the course of the game. His father fared better, though, and was able to make it to the final table, along with eight others.
The 9 Finalists
After the grueling elimination round, nine players were left. Jason Brown, despite his early chip lead, was overtaken by Gerome Guitteau who managed to earn an impressive 1,204,000 in chips, giving him a very substantial lead. Jason Brown followed with his 709,000 worth of chips. Michael Shinzaki came next with 620,000. Next up in the chip lead is Simon Watt with 581,000, followed closely by Richard Lancaster with 568,000. Then, Lance Climo ended up with 350,000, but he was followed closely by Jens Walther with 335,000. Ke Sijia ended up with 294,000 and Assadour Assadourian, from the father-and-son Assadourian team, hung on with 231,000. Already people are speculating as to what will happen in the final table.
The money’s on Gerome Guitteau, of course, because of his behemoth of a chip lead. It will take a lot to knock him down; especially if he keeps on playing the same way he did on the third day. Many people are also rooting for Jason Brown, who is quite obviously the local favorite. His consistency in making decent decisions might win him the title this time around. But then again, who knows, the outcome is impossible to predict – and this is exactly what makes poker such a great game.
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