We’ve come to the end of the first ever Day 1 of LAPT Lima and it’s been a day of punishing limpers and running caliente. We started with an impressive 374 runners for the $2,500 main event and have ended the day with - according to the big monitor but ten metres in front of my face - 197 players. That’s close to half the field gone and within that number we have lost several of Latin America’s growing stars; Leo Fernandez, Alex Gomez, Fabian Ortiz, Andre Akkari, Christian De Leon and Angel Guillen are but a few that could be named. We’ve also waved goodbye to players whose faces (as well as beards and caps) would be recognised in any cardroom around the world, i.e. Dennis Phillips.
That said, this tournament isn’t about who has been knocked out it’s about who is still in and, most importantly, who has a filthy great stack of chips. That honour is held by Jacob Baumgartner (122,900), Luis Hernandez (113,000) and David ‘locoo’ Figueroa (107,350) who have all broken into six figures. Hernandez had taken a chip lead earlier in the day playing big pot poker winning a 67,000 pot with kings against a flush draw. Jacob Baumgartner, however, had inexorably grown his stack by ‘running like God.’ His words, not ours. Baumgartner had flopped a couple of important sets and one well-timed quads before winning a three-way pot late on against a couple of short stacks. The American had also been following a friend, Dash Dudley, who finished 8th in the WSOP $1,000 for $67,221. Baumgartner held 5% so it’s been a pretty +EV day all round for him.
We’ll be starting at 12pm tomorrow and playing eight-handed through to the final 24. Join us from the beginning where we can expect to lose a large chunk of the field in the first couple of levels before things inevitably slow up towards the bubble (49th). Official chip counts will appear overnight.
Team PokerStars Pro Veronica Dabul thought she'd found a good spot when she shoved with from the button over a limp from the cut-off. It turns out it wasn't. Andreas Castellanos called the additional 5,300 with his putting himself a long way ahead of Dabul. Despite a promising turn Dabul failed to catch up on the board.
David Figuaroa did have over 100,000 but just lost a pot to put him down to around 95,000. He raised from under-the-gun to 2,000 and then called a three-bet to 7,000 from a player on the button. Both players checked it all the way down after this. The final board read and the button took the pot after revealing .
Angelo Mancini must have thought that there was a good chance that he was behind when he put his last few thousand into the pot with on a board after Roberto Bianchi put him all-in. Bianchi had three-bet squeezed from the big blind preflop and led the betting on the flop and turn. Mancini made the call with top pair and a flush draw. Bianchi turned over for second pair and a gutshot.
River:
Bianchi's gutshot celebrations were short-lived once it was pointed out to him that the third club gave Mancini the flush.
Jacob Baumgartner's stack just took a temporary break from its seemingly unstoppable rise. The American tossed in 6,000 from the small blind with to put the big blind all-in who duly called with putting himself in a horrible spot until he rivered a straight dropping Baumgartner down to 96,000. It's still a terrifying amount of chips at this early stage and he doesn't look likely to slow down in this last 35 minutes.
Michael Piper is back up to 40,000 after eliminating Leandro Balotin. He raised from mid-position and was only called by the Brazilian in the big blind. The flop came and Balotin insta-checked. Piper went to bet but opted to check and see the turn. Balotin insta-checked again to face a 1,725 bet from the Brit. Balaotin went all-in for around 6,500. This time it was Piper's turn to make a quick decision and it was to call as he held for trips. Balotin opened and was eliminated after the river came .
Roberto Bianchi just hit a nice flop for with and wasted no time trying to his chips in by first check-raising the flop and then jamming all-in over his opponent's three-bet. Could he have got all his opponent's chips another way? Maybe but the Argentinian seemed happy enough taking close to 10,000 as it was.
from the button over a limp from the cut-off. It turns out it wasn't. Andreas Castellanos called the additional 5,300 with his 
putting himself a long way ahead of Dabul. Despite a promising turn Dabul failed to catch up on the 
board.
.
board after Roberto Bianchi put him all-in. Bianchi had three-bet squeezed from the big blind preflop and led the betting on the flop and turn. Mancini made the call with top pair and a flush draw. Bianchi turned over 
for second pair and a gutshot.
to put the big blind all-in who duly called with 
putting himself in a horrible spot until he rivered a straight dropping Baumgartner down to 96,000. It's still a terrifying amount of chips at this early stage and he doesn't look likely to slow down in this last 35 minutes.
turn. Balotin insta-checked again to face a 1,725 bet from the Brit. Balaotin went all-in for around 6,500. This time it was Piper's turn to make a quick decision and it was to call as he held 
for trips. Balotin opened 
.
with 