Team PokerStars Pro Leo Fernandez Wins PokerStars Latin American Poker Tour Panama
Leo Fernandez, the Team PokerStars Pro from Argentina, said it was like ��touching heaven with your hand�� when he took hold of his first Latin American Poker Tour trophy.
Fernandez, 39, beat American Patrick Mahoney in a two-hour heads-up battle Sunday in Panama City, Panama, to become the first and only Team Pro since Jose Barbero to win an LAPT title. Fernandez banked $171,930 for his victory.
This was the first time in the LAPT��s five-season run that it touched down in Panama. Three hundred 38 players showed up for the main event to compete for a prize pool worth more than $700,000. The side events proved to be exceptionally popular. In total, the LAPT Panama stop awarded more than $1 million in prize money. Tournament organizers weren��t surprised by the players�� excitement.
"This is like the hub of Latin America," said the LAPT��s Thomas Koo. "You can get a direct flight here from almost any city."
The main event tournament field was similar to the size of other LAPT events, but the Panama stop offered players a big opportunity they normally don��t get on the LAPT.
��There's something that happens here that doesn't happen anywhere else,�� said LAPT president David Carrion. ��The cash games here are big, and that, of course, is big for the players.��
During an interview in Panama, Carrion said the LAPT has signed a five-year deal with Panama��s Veneto Wyndham casino, and players can expect a return to the venue for Season 6.
Carrion also revealed a shift in strategy for the 2013 season of the LAPT. Carrion said the buy-ins for most events will be smaller than this year.
��We're going to try to get bigger fields. Repeat venues. Repeat dates. Make it easy and simple for people, but qualify a lot more people for more accessible packages,�� he said. ��We're qualifying more people this year than ever before. We've been spending a lot of time on that. If we lower the buy-ins, we'll qualify a lot more people.��
The LAPT will cap its fifth season in Lima, Peru November 14-18. Satellites for the $2,500 Grand Final main event are running now on PokerStars.
You can read a full wrap-up of the LAPT Panama final table on the PokerStars Blog.
LAPT Panama final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leo Fernandez | $171,930 |
| 2 | Patrick Mahoney | $108,700 |
| 3 | Marco Antonio Pedroso Cheida | $73,900 |
| 4 | Walid Raysuli Mubarak | $55,050 |
| 5 | Johnny Sandoval Chacon | $42,230 |
| 6 | Issac Malca | $33,180 |
| 7 | Samad Razavi | $24,880 |
| 8 | Diego Sanchez | $18,850 |
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*Lead photo courtesy of the PokerStars Blog
