The venue for today's event is a little different than we're used to. Located inside the Centro Comercial Premium Plaza, which is the equivalent to a mall, the Allegre Casino is tucked away up on the third floor. It may be on the smaller side, but it is no less impressive. According to the PokerStarsLAPT Porgram:
Allegre is home to 350 slot and video poker machines to complement its 25 blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and poker tables. When you're not gambling, Allegre has a bar so you can have a drink at anytime and live music with dancing to pass the time.
Designed by the famed casino architect Willy Gomez-Moron, Allegre is a mix of classic casino decor with elegant Latin American flavor. With high-class marble floors to reflect the casino lights, Allegre is like a Las Vegas casino transported to South America.
A player in middle position kicked off the action by limping in. Christian de Leon did the same from the small blind, Alex Manzano checked his option, and the flop came down .
Three checks later the hit the turn. Action was checked to Manzano who bet 300, receiving calls from both opponents. When the fell on the river, de Leon checked it to Manzano again. This time, the LAPT Sao Paolo champion fired 3,100. Two immediate folds gave him the pot.
When it comes to the LAPT, there are a number of coveted races underway. Aside from the Player of the Year Leaderboard, there are other competitions taking place including the LAPT Shorthand Player of the Year, which can be seen below:
LAPT Shorthand Player of the Year Leaderboard
Position
Player
Points
Country
1
Sanyo Capobiango De Moura
525
Brazil
2
Ibon Rodrigues Munoz
525
Spain
3
Alberto Ribeiro Maia
525
Brazil
4
Daniel Ospina
490
Colombia
5
Shin Mitsumasu
490
Peru
6
Wilmer Diaz
490
Venezuela
7
Ben Haim
490
Chile
8
Hugo Labarthe
490
Peru
9
Grigory Liveshits
455
Canada
10
Albertino Viela
455
Brazil
At the end of the season, players will also have the opportunity to vote for the LAPT Achievement of the Year and LAPT Venue of the Year Awards. We imagine the Casino Allegre will be in contention for the latter.
Humberto Brenes chipped back up to more than the starting stack, but has slipped back down. After the under-the-gun player limped in, Brenes raised to 750 in middle position. Action folded around to the limper who three-bet to 2,950.
Brenes called, landing a flop to the board. The under-the-gun player kept up the heat with a bet of 4,100. A quick fold from Brenes led to his opponent showing while collecting the chips.
If you want a quick glimpse of what it's like here at Casino Allegre, be sure to check out Lynn Gilmartin's PokerStars video with Team PokerStars Pro (Mexico) Christian de Leon prior to the start of today's action.
Daniel Ospina, who currently sits in second place on the LAPT Player of the Year Leaderboard, opened for 350 from middle position and received calls from the cutoff and button. The flop saw Ospina fire out 625, which was called by just the player on the button.
Ospina kept the pressure on with a 1,300 bet on the turn, and again the button called. The river saw Ospina toss out two yellow chips, worth T1,000 each, and the button snap-called. Ospina rolled over for tens and fours, and it was good as his opponent simply mucked. Ospina is off to a good start, currently sitting on 27,000.
Two levels are in the books, which means it is time for the first break of the day. There seems to be a problem with the AC here at the Allegre Casino, which has made the tournament floor uncomfortably hot, so we're sure many of the players will seeks relief out in the plaza.
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hit the turn. Action was checked to Manzano who bet 300, receiving calls from both opponents. When the 
fell on the river, de Leon checked it to Manzano again. This time, the LAPT Sao Paolo champion fired 3,100. Two immediate folds gave him the pot.
flop to the board. The under-the-gun player kept up the heat with a bet of 4,100. A quick fold from Brenes led to his opponent showing 
flop saw Ospina fire out 625, which was called by just the player on the button.
river saw Ospina toss out two yellow chips, worth T1,000 each, and the button snap-called. Ospina rolled over 
for tens and fours, and it was good as his opponent simply mucked. Ospina is off to a good start, currently sitting on 27,000.
