2012 PokerStars.net LAPT Punta del Este Day 1: Juan Garcia Leads the Way
After six levels of play, Day 1 of the PokerStars.net LAPT Punta del Este Main Event has come to a close. Juan Garcia has managed to rise above the rest, building his starting stack of 20,000 up to 134,650.
Garcia will be joined on Day 2 by several notables who survived the first six levels of play, including Claudio Garrone (84,200), Julian Menendez (72,000),Fabrizio Gonzalez (62,875), Santiago Nadal (58,000), Bolivar Palacios (44,650), andAri Engel (6,125). Also returning on Friday is the 2011 LAPT Punta del Este Main Event champion Alex Komaromi. Komaromi will be sitting on a stack of 37,075.
While many thrived during play, others were not so fortunate. Oded Minod, Daniela Zapielo, Juan Jose Perez, Pablo Gonzalez, and Leonardo Olivares were among those who hit the rail.
Team PokerStars had their fair share of notable names to survive on to Day 2 play. Among those returning are Angel Guillen (24,000) and Nacho Barbero (22,650). That being said, Team PokerStars pros Andre Akkari, Leo Fernandez and Christian de Leon were not fortunate enough to survive the day.
Humberto Brenes will also be returning for Day 2 play after a day filled with many ups and downs. Brenes' lowest point occurred early on when he flopped what should have been a jackpot. Brenes' K?K? found top set on a 8?J?K? flop. His opponent, on the other hand, held J?8? for bottom two pair. Unfortunately for Brenes, the turn and river brought the 3? and the 4? giving his opponent a heart flush. All of the money went in on the river and Brenes' chip stack was virtually crippled after doubling his opponent up. However, as the day progressed, Brenes was able to overcome the odds and end the day's play with 16,825 in chips.
The event managed to attract 375 entrants, which was down from the attendance of 422 in 2011. The top 56 players in the tournament will get paid and first place will take home a whopping prize of $186,820.
Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $186,820 | 14 | $8,310 | |
| 2 | $118,800 | 15 | $7,630 | |
| 3 | $81,100 | 16 | $7,020 | |
| 4 | $60,240 | 17-18 | $6,470 | |
| 5 | $46,000 | 19-20 | $5,970 | |
| 6 | $35,970 | 21-22 | $5,540 | |
| 7 | $26,770 | 23-24 | $5,710 | |
| 8 | $20,080 | 25-28 | $4,830 | |
| 9 | $15,390 | 29-32 | $4,510 | |
| 10 | $13,180 | 33-40 | $4,220 | |
| 11 | $11,440 | 41-48 | $3,950 | |
| 12 | $10,150 | 49-56 | $3,700 | |
| 13 | $9,100 |
Originally, Day 1 of this event was supposed to play a full 10 levels, but the tournament staff decided to amend the structure, making both Day 1 and 2 of the event only six levels. This will provide a refreshing evening for the remaining players, as they will be able to relax and enjoy a long dinner and night off before play resumes on Friday for levels 7 through 12.
The remaining 270 players will return to the felt tomorrow at 1200 UYT (0800 PDT) for Day 2 and PokerNews will be here to provide updates on all of the action.
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