The end of Level 2 and subsequent break brought about the close of registration. We've been informed that Day 1a officially drew 284 entries. Unfortunately a final number and prize pool won't be determined until tomorrow when players take their seats for Day 1b.
Upon returning from the break, we noticed two players up on the feature table. The first was PokerStars Team Pro (Argentina) Leo Fernandez, and to his immediate left, Julian Menendez. You may recall the latter from the LAPT Colombia event back in October. Menendez won that event, though he was only awarded $64,710 as opposed to the original first-place prize of $151,027 thanks to a six-way chop that had occurred; nonetheless, Menendez went on to capture the trophy and became an LAPT champion.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
15,000 | |
|
||
|
15,000 | |
We thought it'd be fun to tell you a little bit more about our host city courtesy of Lynn Gilmartin's Jet Set, so without further adieu:
Things to Do
Playing poker and chilling out on the beach are the obvious tasks to check off your to-do list when in Viña del Mar, but several attractions worth visiting if you're left with a little extra time.
Casablanca Wineries
Chile's harvest season is in March, which is the best time to visit the Casablanca Valley. If you love a good Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, the 45-minute trip to this world-renowned wine region is well worth the time.
Nightlife
The casino is said to be the center of Viña del Mar’s social life. As you would expect from a resort town, Viña offers plenty of nightlife options, no matter what day of the week it is. If you want to venture outside of the casino, then according to a NY Times article, there’s a rock bar called Bar Spartako on Avenida Valparaíso 90, which is a great place to enjoy a few beers. Just a few blocks away from there is Café Journal on Variante Agua Santa, a quiet café by day, and a ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s disco by night.
Reñaca
This is Chile's most famous beach, thanks to its luxury shopping, dining, entertainment, and nightlife. This is known as the place “to be seen.” Reñaca is located just five kilometers from Viña del Mar, and after doing a quick search on YouTube, to me it almost looks like the Cancun of Chile. The video below may not show off the views of the town, but it certainly shows some other "views of Chile" that you may appreciate.
Level: 3
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 0
Players are now on their first 15-minute break of the day.
After a player limped in early position and a middle-position player raised to 550, Stuart McDonald called from the cutoff. The small blind came along for the ride while the original limped got out of the way, bringing about a flop of 
. Action checked to McDonald, and he casually put out a bet of 550.
The small blind folded, while the middle-position player called. When the dealer burned and turned the 
, MP checked and McDonald, who was bundled up on a hoodie, bet 1,225. It proved enough to take down the pot, and McDonald signaled held up four fingers twice, indicating he held pocket fours.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
16,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
Jonathan Markovits opened to 350 in the cutoff and found calls from the button, small blind, and big blind.
The flop came down 
and it was checked to the player in the big blind. He bet 1,100, only receiving a call from Markovits to see the turn. A check from the big blind led to a Markovits bet of 1,000. The big blind called and checked again when the 
hit the river. Markovits bet 1,500, but was surprised to see his opponent pop in a raise to 4,500. After about 30 seconds Markovits called, but mucked when his opponent tabled 
for a full house.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
4,300
-9,200
|
-9,200 |
We're not quite sure of what happened, but James Honeybone has been eliminated from the tournament. We checked with his friend, Stuart McDonald, who told us that Honeybone had dropped to around 8,000 when he picked up 
and raised. Two players made the call and it was three-way action to the flop, which was all diamonds. The first player to act led out, Honeybone raised, and the other player flatted. The original bettor got out of the way, Honeybone shipped on the turn, and his opponent made the call with a flopped flush.
Like we said, we're sketchy on the details, but we can confirm Honeybone has been eliminated.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Way back in Season II, the LAPT their first stop in Chile right here at the Enjoy Vina del Mar Casino & Resort. The $3,500 buy-in even took place from January 20-22, 2009 and drew 216 entrants, creating a prize pool of $523,800. After three days of play, Argentinean Fabian Ortiz emerged victorious to claim the $141,426 first-place prize. Interestingly, Jyries Aguad, who finished seventh, was the only Chilean to make the final table.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Fabian Ortiz | Argentina | $141,426 |
| 2 | Vincenzo Giannelli | Venezuela | $78,570 |
| 3 | Damian Salas | Argentina | $52,380 |
| 4 | Leandro Balotin | Brazil | $39,285 |
| 5 | Hernan Villa | Colombia | $28,809 |
| 6 | Fabio Escobar | Brazil | $23,571 |
| 7 | Jyries Aguad | Chile | $13,095 |
| 8 | Eduardo Carnia | Argentina | $13,095 |
| 9 | Jamie Atelenoff | Uruguay | $10,476 |
Joining the field late in Level 1 was PokerStars' Team Online's Freddy Torres. He is the first member of Team PokerStars to join the field here in Chile, so here's a quick little introduction of Torres courtesy of the PokerStars Program:
Fredy Torres (Team PokerStars Online) was, in 2010, the first professional Colombian poker player ever sponsored by PokerStars.net. His first poker experiences were with playing free rolls until he was able to build a bankroll and began playing micro limits. It has been four years since then and he is now a Supernova Elite dedicated exclusively to poker and participating in the biggest, most competitive Latin American events both live and online. His strong area: cash games, without a doubt. An admirer of the strategic nature of poker we are sure to see a lot from him.
