A very successful World Series of Poker International Circuit will be drawing to a close later today at the Casino Royale in Sint Maarten. All fields in the 12 gold ring events so far exceeded the expectations and the conclusion of the crown jewel on the schedule awaits as of 4pm local time.
Out of a field of 256 entries, only 27 players remain in the WSOPC $1,700 Main Event and they have all locked up a portion of the $387,840 prize pool. The money bubble burst late last night in a three-way all-in, which saw Carl Emigholz escape with ace-jack versus pocket kings and pocket tens. Karthik Ramakrishnan won the side pot while Angelo Kociper became the last player to leave empty-handed. That locked up a payday of at least $3,400 for the remaining contenders and they will return with the hopes of claiming the top prize of $95,000.
-> Seat Draw for the Final Day
-> Payout Structure
A duo sits atop the leaderboard separated by only a single chip. Belkacem Habassi is the chip leader with 704,000 followed by Pawan Braich with 703,000. Benjamin Thomas completes the overnight podium with a stack of 562,000 and he is followed by La Sengphet with 515,000. During the $400 Black Chip Bounty Ring Event, Sengphet earned her sixth title on the tour when she defeated Thomas in heads.up.
Other notables still in contention include the two former WSOP Main Event finalists Aram Zobian and Zhen Cai, ring event winner Gaetan Balleur, local residents Desmond Culbert and Steve Vila, as well as Shawn Rice.
The action recommences with most of level 20 still to be played at blinds of 5,000-10,000 and a big blind ante of 10,000. All levels will last 60 minutes each until a winner has been crowned.
Another two tournaments are scheduled for the final day and they are directly connected with each other. The $50 satellite at 4pm local time feeds entries into the final ring event of the series, a $250 Turbo Event with 10,000 in chips and levels of 20 minutes each. All updates today will focus on the conclusion of the Main Event and potentially pick up the action of the final table in the Turbo Event later on as well.
