Main Event
Day 1 Started
2012 PokerStars.net LAPT Grand Final
Main Event
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2012 PokerStars.net LAPT Grand Final
Buy-in
$3,700
Prize Pool
$1,343,100
Entries
367
Level
26
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
5,000
Welcome to the LAPT Grand Final Carnival Poker Festival
Welcome to the 2012 PokerStars.net Latin American Poker Tour Grand Final Carnival Poker Festival here in São Paulo. Today is the first day of the R$4,000 Main Event and it's set to be a great one. The atmosphere is electric, but that may not totally have everything to do with the tournament itself. You see, outside in the city, the biggest and most exciting party in the world is taking place — Carnival.
Plenty of players have flocked to this LAPT event simply because they know that if they bust out, there's going to be plenty of fun to be had outside of the venues walls. That should make the numbers a bit bigger this time around and some extra liveliness in the air.
Last year, the LAPT São Paulo Main Event was conquered by Alex Manzano. He walked away with the R$615,840 first-place prize after defeating a field of 536 runners. This year, the event is capped at 600 players, but that number could easily be reached given how much poker has grown in Brazil.
Two very, very big names have made the trip down to the lower hemisphere in Daniel Negreanu and Eugene Katchalov. Both are some of the biggest names in the game, sporting the Team PokerStars Pro logo and having won WSOP gold bracelets along with numerous other elite titles around the world. Joining them will be fellow Team Pros Angel Guillen, Humberto Brenes and Andre Akkari.
Play is scheduled to kick off 12:00 PM local time here at the Sheraton WTC São Paulo. Be sure to follow along as PokerNews provides all the updates all day long.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Let's Get it On!
![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The announcements have been made, the coffees have been ordered, and we're ready for some poker. With the dealers commanded into action, the cards have gone flying here on Day 1 of the LAPT Grand Final.
The button begins in Seat 5, if you're scoring at home.
Scheduling Notes
We're going to play six levels here this afternoon, then take a one-hour dinner break. Following supper, we'll play on for another four levels, ending the day around midnight local time with ten levels in the books.
On Day 2, the field will be reduced to 24, then we'll play it down to the final table on Day 3.
More Notables Filing In
Here's a few more notables from our second lap around the room. You'll note the Latin American wing of Team PokerStars Pro is well represented here in São Paulo, but there are a smattering of other familiar faces from abroad.
Perhaps most notable among them is John Hewitt, the 2011 WSOP Main Event final table bubble boy.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 |
The Tough Table
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Over on the far side of the room is a table that caught our eye as particularly tough in this relatively sparse field. There we find two members of Team PokerStars Pro, Costa Rica's Humberto Brenes and Mexico's Angel Guillen. More noteworthy, though, is the fact that Roberto Brenes, son of Humberto, is sitting in the one seat, setting up a father-son dynamic that we'll be keeping a good eye on today.
Dad has position on the boy to start play at the toughest table in the room.
Fotos de Jogadores
Our pal Carlos Monti has provided us with an early round of shots from this LAPT Grand Final. Have a look-see:
Barbero Snaps Opponent On River
We picked up the action in a four-way pot involving Team PokerStars Pro Nacho Barbero on the 
flop. There was approximately 3,300 chips in the middle and the first player fired 1,450. After the second player threw his hand into the muck, Barbero tossed in the call after some thought. The fourth player folded.
The turn brought the 
and Barbero's opponent didn't slow down, betting 3,400. After another minute in the tank, the two-time Latin American Poker Tour champion made the call to see a river card.
The 
was dealt on fifth street and the first player bet 5,100. Instantly, Barbero announced a call. "You're good," said the player, showing the 
. Barbero rolled over the 
for two pair and won the hand.
"Aye, I should have gotten it in on the flop!" said Barbero thinking he might have stacked his opponent had he done so.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
32,500 | 12,500 |
No Negreanu Yet
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Team PokerStars Pro's biggest face Daniel Negreanu has yet to show up to the 2012 PokerStars.net LAPT Grand Final Main Event. He was present at the press conference this morning, but maybe decided to take a nap after having some drinks with fellow Team Pro Eugene Katchalov last night.
Last night, Negreanu tweeted, "Having the local drink Caipirinha dang this is strong and nasty yikes."
Outside of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Negreanu has never cashed in an LAPT event. With this being the Grand Final of Season 4, we'll be sure to keep our eyes on him to see if he can put himself in position to score big.