* DAY 2 IS OVER
* CLICK FOR START OF DAY 3 CHIP COUNTS
* CLICK HERE FOR THE PRIZE POOL AND PAYOUTS
* 32 of 565 remain (79 got paid)
12:45am: The wrap
Check out all of today's action in the full Day 2 report. --JS
12:27am: We're done for Day 2
Level 20 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)
We didn't quite get down to the desired 32, but it's pretty close. 33 players will be coming back tomorrow for Day 3 and out of nowhere Ricardo Matamala has emerged as our chip leader with 811,000. He won a huge pot in the very last hand of the night - we'll have a full report of the day where you can find out all about it. --JS
12:07am: There goes one
Level 20 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)
We've just lost Ivan Raich in 35th place. He got it in behind with K-9 against an opponent's A-J, and although he flopped best he was drawing dead on the turn when the other player made a straight.
Two more eliminations needed. --JS
12:02am: Still at 35
Level 20 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)
It's gone midnight here in Chile and we have 15 minutes left on the level with 35 players remaining. --JS
11:55pm: Politano flushes the chipleader
Level 20 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)
Alex Vega had shot up to 830,000 and the chip lead, and while he's still in pole position he just lost a nasty one to Bruno Politano.
Vega opened to 22,000 - as he has been every hand since getting the big stack. Politano was his only caller out of the big blind and the two saw an all-club [7c][8c][2c] flop hit the felt.
It went check check and the [ad] landed on the turn - a splash of red to an otherwise all-black affair. Poltiano checked, Vega bet 27,000, and Politano made a quick call.
The river was a fourth club - the [qc]. Politano now took the betting lead and slid in 56,000, and Vega looked a little sick. It was clear he didn't like that fourth club - he even took his fancy sunglasses off. He tried to get something from Bruno by talking to him, but talking to Politano is like talking to a brick wall wearing equally cool sunglasses. He got nothing but made the call anyway, and Politano flipped over the nut flush with the [ac][jc]. Vega looked frustrated with himself, but he still has over 700,000. Politano is around the 600,000 mark now. --JS
11:45pm: Just three more
Level 20 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)
We need three more eliminations in the next half hour if we're going to finish early. Saying that, there's only 34 minutes left on the level and then we're calling it a night regardless. Which will come first? Place your bets now. --JS
11:37pm: No luck for Raffo
Level 20 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)
Chile's Tomas Duran Raffo got it in good, but now finds himself gone.
The hand that crippled him was against Julien Pineda. They'd got it all-in pre-flop in a 320,000-ish pot and it was Raffo's [qd][qc] against Pineda's [ah][tc]. However, an ace on the flop gave Pineda the win and left Raffo with just six big blinds.
He'd put them in the middle on the very next hand, and the man that called was none other than Pineda. He'd woken up in the big blind with [ah][jc] and that was ahead of Raffo's [qs][td]. Raffo couldn't get lucky like his opponent had done before as the board ran out [ks][as][8c][6c][4c].
Raffo hits the cage, while Pineda climbs to 390,000. --JS
11:29pm: Roberly continues to torture Cordaro
Level 20 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)
Earlier today, Daniel Cordaro was cut down by Roberly Fericio and in one of the first hands of Level 20, the Brazilian returned to more or less cripple Cordaro. Action was picked up with Cordaro moving all-in from the hijack and it was an interesting play, as Marcelo Pohnajevic, who was on the button, was dealt into the hand but left the table before the action got to him.
That meant that Cordaro had to get through one less player to pick up the blinds and antes but we don't think he thought he'd find a contender in the short stack to his immediate left. After Cordaro moved all-in for just under 140,000, Fericio shoved for less, 105,000 to be exact, and the rest of the table folded to see that the Brazilian again had Cordaro in a bad spot.
After a clean runout, Fericio's [As][Kh] held against Cordaro's [Ac][4s], scoring him the double and crippling the Argentine. He was eliminated a few hands later, meaning that we are now just a handful of eliminations away from the end of Day 2. --WOC
11:22pm: Blinds up for the final time
Level 20 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)
It's the last level of the day, and so either we play for another hour or we lose six more players to end the night. 38 remain as it stands. --JS
11:16pm: Rios says vamos, but Benitez ain't buying
Level 19 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)
Brazil's Eduardo Rios just made a statement to Francisco 'Tomate' Benitez: don't three-bet my under-the-gun opens.
He said it through his actions of course; just as he didn't really say vamos - he instead moved all-in. He'd opened to 17,000 and Benitez raised to 37,000. When it folded back around to Rios he made the jam, and Benitez got out of the way. Rios now sits with 270,000. --JS
11:07pm: Rodrigo Strong restores order
Level 19 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)
Through the first half of Level 19, Rodrigo Strong likely wished he'd have stayed on break, as the Brazilian big stack was swiftly cut back to the pack. Fortunately for him, he had a sizable-enough lead that the cut back left him with a very workable 440,000 and after a few small pots (along with a knockout) Strong has restored order with just under 38 players remaining.
That knockout was picked up with Strong opening to 16,000 from late position and after some thought, a player on the button moved all-in for 92,000. The blinds folded and Strong thought for a few moments before he called, only to see that he was dominated.
He held [As][4s] and his opponent turned over [Ac][th] but after the [Ks][Qh][5s] flop, that domination disappeared. The short stack's chances of survival then disappeared after [ts] spiked on the turn, hitting Strong's flush and confirming the elimination. He's back over the 600,000 chip mark and with over a dozen eliminations through the first 50 minutes of Level 19, it looks like we could be ending the night a little early... --WOC
10:59pm: It's good to be Dubini
Level 19 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)
Having just eliminated Frank Naranjo, Richard Dubini has played executioner one more time. Knocking people out of poker tournaments is a job that pays well, as Dubini is now right up there with the chip leaders.
The player we lost this time was Rodrigo Chavez. It started innocently enough - an under-the-gun open from Dubini followed by a call from Chavez from the big blind. The flop then came the [8d][th][kh] and instead of doing the standard 'check to the raiser', Chavez led out for 23,000. Dubini made a speedy call.
The dealer burned and turned the [8h] turn and now the bet from Chavez was 32,000. Again, Dubini wasted no time in calling. So, to the river we went and it was the [8s], pairing the board. After some consideration, Chavez moved all-in for a decent chunk of chips and Dubini snap-called. Chavez sheepishly turned over the [9h][ts] which he knew was beat, and Dubini raked in the chips with K-J off.
Dubini now sits with a stack of 640,000. --JS
10:53pm: Cream rising to the top of Table 12
Level 19 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)
Throughout this Day 2 session, a handful of players have held the Table 12 chip lead. It started with Andruis Bielskis, who peaked through the first two levels and since then, it's more or less been passed back and forth. Through the first half hour of Level 19 though, Richard Dubini and Bruno Politano look like they're doing their best to keep the chip lead amongst each other until the end of the night.
Dubini just sent former chip leader Frank Naranjo to the rail, Dubini's [As][9s] holding against the short stack's [Ac][7h]. That was a relatively small pot but it was one that shot Dubini up and over the 450,000 chip mark. In the very next hand, not to be outdone, Politano got involved, taking a small pot off Rodrigo Chavez to move himself over 400,000.
These are two of the more experienced players in this field so while they trend up, the rest of this LAPT9 Chile Main Event should be on high alert. --WOC
10:46pm: Rodriguez not bluffing for once
Level 19 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)
We've seen Alejandro Rodriguez pull off some stunning bluffs today (see our 6:45pm post) but he just won a nice pot in a more-honest way.
With the flop showing the [5h][qC][5S], Diego Vizcay checked and Rodriguez put out a bet of 30,000. They were the only two in the pot so action was back on Vizcay, and he made the call. The [6s] landed on the turn and both players opted to check it, taking us to the [6c] river. Vizcay checked once more and we could just tell Rodriguez was going to bet - whether he had anything or not.
He did bet - 62,000 in fact. Vizcay made a quick call but got the bad news as his [ks][qs] was outkicked by Rodguez' [ac][qh]. When the dust settled, Rodriguez had moved up to 425,000. --JS
10:42pm: One step back, two steps forward for Ortiz
Level 19 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)
After his massive win with pocket aces, a hand that shot Fabian Ortiz to the top of the Day 2 leaderboard, he spent the next hour or so losing a handful of smaller pots to leave himself under 400,000 coming into Level 19. Well, while he might have taken one step back during the last level, he's now taking two very big steps forward over the last few hands.
He's now playing close to 570,000 after winning a sizable pot off Daniel Denghal. Action was picked up with the two-time LAPT champion raising to 50,000 on a board of [6c][4s][3h] flop, after Denghal led from the small blind for 20,000. The PokerStars online qualifier called and after the [9d] fell on the turn, both players quickly checked to see the board pair on the river.
The [4d] fell and Denghal quickly check-called a 45,000 chip bet from Ortiz, who tabled [Qh][Qc]. Two pair was good to win the pot and Denghal was left shaking his head and although we don't think the river changed too much, he looked like he thought his hand was good, especially with the paired board.
Nevertheless, it wasn't and he's now down under 100,000 while Fabian Ortiz looks like he's regained his footing and then some, currently working a top-three stack. --WOC
10:30pm: More payouts for you to peruse
Level 19 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)
We've now updated the payouts and prizepool page up to the 50 that returned after dinner. --JS
10:20pm: Back from break, two levels or 18 players
Level 19 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)
This Day 2 field has returned from break with exactly 50 players still alive for the LAPT9 Chile Main Event title. We're now about to enter Level 19 and it's going to be up to this field to decide how much longer they want to play.
The structure says we are going to play through Level 20 or until 32 players remain, whichever happens first. There are close to a dozen players near the 15 big blind mark, so if they're unable to win their flips on the other side of break, we could see this field get down to the final four tables sooner rather than later.
Regardless, the PokerStars blog will be here until the chips find the bags, keeping you up to date on all the action no matter how many end Day 2 or when it concludes. --WOC
10:10pm Break time chip counts
The perfectly-named Rodrigo Strong is our chipleader coming into Level 19. He's been on a surge in the past hour and leads the pack with 635,000. Here's the rest of the bigs and notables. --JS
| Name | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| Rodrigo Strong | Brazil | 635000 |
| Alfredo Torres | Chile | 450000 |
| Marcelo Pohnajevic | Argentina | 445000 |
| Alex Vega | Chile | 440000 |
| Fabian Ortiz | Argentina | 370000 |
| Bruno Politano | Brazil | 360000 |
| Manuel Urrejola | Chile | 355000 |
| Richard Dubini | Argentina | 335000 |
| Alejandro Rodriguez | Argentina | 283000 |
| Lucas Tabarin | Brazil | 250000 |
| Fabian Chauriye | Chile | 250000 |
| Andres Finkelberg | Argentina | 245000 |
| Jorge Ellena | Chile | 237000 |
| Daniel Denghel | Canada | 230000 |
| Francisco Benitez | Uruguay | 210000 |
| Frank Naranjo | Colombia | 160000 |
| Sergio Palma | Chile | 160000 |
10pm: final break of the day
Players are taking a quick 15, we'll have the notable chip counts shortly. --JS
9:47pm: Scratch that whole 'Torres trending down thing'...
Level 18 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)
We just said that Alfredo Torres was trending down through the last hour and a half of this Day 2 session but after scoring a massive knockout, he's now righted the ship and back near the top of the leaderboard. Action was picked up with Torres and Eder Murata battling again, this time getting into a pre-flop raising war that saw Murata open to 13,000 from the hijack.
The cutoff folded and Torres clicked it to 32,000 from the button. The blinds quickly got out of the way and then the tank began. Close to three minutes clicked off the clock before a player at the other end of the table tapped his watch, signaling to the dealer that the Brazilian should get to his decision sooner, rather than later.
A few seconds later, Murata decided to announce himself "all-in" and we imagine he immediately regretted that action, as Torres snap called and tabled [Kh][Kd]. The shorter stack's 110,000 chip stack was treading water with [Qd][Jd] and after the [Kc][8h][5c] flop, he'd need a miracle to keep himself from drowning.
The [4d] left him drawing dead on the turn and after a quick handshake with a few countrymen still alive in this LAPT9 Chile Main Event, Murata headed to the cage to collect his 54th place payout. Torres is now playing just shy of 400,000, likely good for a top stack just 15 minutes from the final break of the night. --WOC
9:42pm: Chavez busts Bielskis
Level 18 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)
A man we've been following the whole way through this tournament is Lithuania's Andrius Bielskis. Well, we won't be able to follow him any more as he's just fallen at the hands of Rodrigo Chavez.
The 90,000 or so got in pre-flop and it was [kc][qc] for Bielskies (the player at risk) and [jc][jd] for Chavez. A classic race, then.
The flop provided a sweat as the [9s][ts][6c] gave Bielskies a gutshot - so Chavez really didn't want to make a set. It ran out with the [3h] on the turn and the [9d] on the river, and Bielskis was broke. He calmly got up and made his way to the cage, while Chavez celebrated loudly with his four-strong rail. He's up to aruond 250,000 now. --JS
9:32pm: Vargas hits a near perfect flop, Murata gets a shove through
Level 18 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)
Back to back hands on an outer table have seen one player double to get to a very workable 30 big blinds and another get himself near the 100,000 chip mark. The first hand was picked up pre flop, with Eder Murata opening to 1,000. Adrian Vargas then moved all-in as the next player to act, for just over 75,000.
The table folded around to Eduardo Rios, who went into the tank in the small blind. He asked for a count and after doing a quick inventory of his 200,000 chip stack, he re-shoved to isolate the short stack. That isolation worked, as the big blind and Murata got out of the way but he was more or less drawing dead after the flop.
He held [Ac][Qh] and Vargas held [Ks][Jh], with his hand smashing the [Kh][Jc][Js] flop. Rios needed running cards to score the knockout and after the [8c] fell on the turn, he was shipping the double that moved Vargas up and over the 170,000 chip mark. Rios dropped down to 130,000 after the hand and Alfredo Torres also saw his stock drop slightly in the very next hand.
Torres opened to 14,000 from early position and Eder Murata defended his big blind to see a [Ah][9d][2h] flop. The Brazilian checked, allowing Torres to continue for 25,000 but Murata seemed to have a plan all along, quickly putting in a check-raise shove for just shy of 65,000 total. Torres went into the tank and he eventually folded, conceding the pot to Murata.
When the action finally subsided, the Brazilian was playing just shy of six-figures and Torres, who's been a staple near the top of the leaderboard for the last few levels, dropped down to just over 200,000. --WOC
9:22pm: Payouts
Level 18 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)
You can keep up with all the payouts and check the prizepool structure - check it out here. --JS
9:15pm: Benitez gets back near the top
Level 18 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)
The chip leader coming back for this Day 2 session was Francisco Benitez and while he may have stumbled coming out of the gates, he's now finding his stride as play heads into Level 18. Benitez just sent a short stacked Fernando Reines to the rail by winning a flip that also moved the Uruguayan over the 300,000 chip mark.
Action was picked up with player opening to 12,500 from early position and after Benitez called, the table folded to Reines, who was on the button. He then three-bet shoved for just over 65,000 and after the initial opener folded, Benitez did some quick math and called.
He held [Ks][Qs] and it was a race, as Reines held [Jh][Jd]. The pocket pair held through the [8h][8d][5h] flop but he couldn't get past the turn, as the [Qh] paired Benitez. Reines still had outs to a flush though but the Chilean couldn't connect on the river, as the [6c] completed the board and confirmed his elimination.
Benitez is now back working what should be a top ten stack, playing 320,000, and his current seat could bring with it some action. He's two to the left of chip leader and two-time LAPT champion Fabian Ortiz, meaning that two of the bigger stacks in the room are in close quarters with just over 56 players remaining. --WOC
9:03pm: Level 18 starts
Level 18 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (1,000 ante)
Blinds have gone up to 3,000/6,000 and there's now a 1,000 running ante. 58 players remain here in Viña del Mar, and Fabian Ortiz remains chip leader. --JS
9pm: Strong continues his surge
Level 17 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)
Rodrigo Strong, the man who had some very kind words about the PokerStars Blog earlier (see our 3:35pm post), is shooting up the chip counts, having just busted Russian player Sengeno Valstybes.
We picked up the action after Manuel Urrejola had three-bet to 30,000, and that's when Valstybes shoved for 75,000 total. Strong then shoved over the top and forced Urrejola to fold. Strong was strong - very strong in fact. He had [ac][as], while Valstybes needed with [8h][8c]. None came as the board ran out [jc][9c][9s][6c][9d] - that last nine sure looked like an eight for a second though.
Strong now has roughly 220,000. --JS
8:50pm: Aces give Fabian Ortiz chip lead
Level 17 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)
While coverage of our 'two-time LAPT champions' club was almost on the hour every hour during yesterday's Day 1B flight, we've been lacking slightly over the course of this Day 2 session. That's because Mario Lopez bowed out before the money and we likely had a premonition that we would be talking at length about Fabian Ortiz post-dinner.
That vision, this blogger might call it a dream, has played out midway through Level 17, as Ortiz just won a massive pot with pocket aces to take control of the LAPT9 Chile Main Event chip lead. Action was picked up pre flop, with Federico Quevedo opening the hijack to 10,600. Ortiz, who was on the button, clicked it back to 27,500 and after the blinds passed, Quevedo put in a four-bet to 66,500.
With nearly 250,000 in front of both players, a rail started to develop outside the tournament ropes and while there was a buzz about that rail, the area immediately stopped their chatter after Ortiz verbalized "all-in". Quevedo did a quick inventory of his stack and then seemed to begrudgingly call, cringing when Ortiz turned over [As][Ac].
Quevedo held [Ad][Kc] and no matter how experienced of a player you are, a nearly 100 big blind pot will certainly get you excited. Ortiz has likely played in a countless number of big hands but after standing before the flop, he had to step away and sweat, after the [Qs][th][8d] flop gave his opponent outs to a straight. The Costa Rican needed a jack, or as they say, a "jota". He called for it on the turn and got paint but it was the [Qd] pairing the board.
"Jota! Jota!" Quevedo shouted, while Ortiz stood quietly in the background before slapping himself a well deserved high-five after the [4h] completed the board. His aces had survived and Quevedo, who was slightly covered in the hand, was officially eliminated. When the dust settled, perhaps the most experienced player remaining in this field controlled the chip lead, as Fabian Ortiz is now playing just over 490,000. --WOC
8:40pm: Strong gets stronger by felting Kawauti
Level 17 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)
We've just lost good friend of the PokerStars Blog Brazil Bruno Kawauti.
He got it in good against Rodrigo Strong's [ad][9c] with the [6s][6h], but the board ran out [5c][ac][5s][3c][8c] and Strong won it two ways - with a bigger pair and an eventual flush. Good game Bruno.
Meanwhile, Strong is up to around 90,000 now. --JS
8:27pm: Recently departed
Level 17 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)
Play has been thick and fast since we've been back from dinner break, and we've had six bust-outs already.
The players who have left us are Bruno Di Carlo (79th - $2,500), Felipe Andres Morales Sequin (78th - $2,500), Manoel Filho (77th - $2,500), Mauricio Zeman (76th - $2,500), Pablo Martin Pavon (75th - $2,500), and Javier Hormazabal (74th - $2,500). --JS
8:17pm: A run through those counts
Level 17 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)
The players are now back from dinner and while it looked like Alejandro Rodriguez was the only player over the 400,000 mark coming back from Level 17, he's actually the second biggest stack in the room. That chip lead honor is with Frank Naranjo, who is playing 455,000. The Columbian peaked early in this Day 2 session and he's yet to take his foot off the gas.
There is only one other player near 400,000, as Manuel Urrejola is right below that number, working 385,000. The rest of the leaderboard looks like it's stuck in a bit of a log jam around the quarter-million mark, as a handful of players are stuck near 250,000. Andy Finkleberg is the biggest of those players, working 290,000 and Alfredo Torres is playing a sizable 270,000. Richard Dubini is peaking with 265,000 and Javier Venegas isn't far behind. He's working 260,000 with Fransisco Rocha and Lucas Tabarin each working near 240,000.
Those players will be headlining this field into the final four levels, as we're set to play through Level 20 or until 32 players remain, whichever happens first. Based on the pace of eliminations and a relatively deep average stack, we imagine that the former will take place, likely putting the end of this Day 2 session around 12:45am. --WOC
8:07pm: Chip counts after dinner
Level 17 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)
| Name | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Naranjo | Colombia | 455000 |
| Alejandro Rodriguez | Argentina | 420000 |
| Manuel Urrejola | Chile | 400000 |
| Andres Finkelberg | Argentina | 290000 |
| Alfredo Torres | Chile | 270000 |
| Javier Venegas | Argentina | 260000 |
| Lucas Tabarin | Brazil | 250000 |
| Bruno Politano | Brazil | 235000 |
| Fernando Martinez | Argentina | 235000 |
| Francisco Rocha | Chile | 235000 |
| Francisco Benitez | Uruguay | 200000 |
| Richard Dubini | Argentina | 190000 |
| Fabian Ortiz | Argentina | 190000 |
| Sebastian Ruiz | Chile | 175000 |
| Sergio Palma | Chile | 132000 |
| Fabian Chauriye | Chile | 97000 |
| Bruno De Oliveira Severino | Brazil | 84000 |
| Fernando Reines | Chile | 80000 |
| Mauricio Zeman | Chile | 60000 |
| Bruno Kawauti | Brazil | 58000 |
| Andrius Bielskis | Lithuania | 50000 |
8pm: We're back in play
Level 17 - Blinds 2,500/5,000 (500 ante)
Everyone's back from dinner, so we're going to go grab their chip counts. Be back in two. --JS
7pm: Dinner break
Players are on a dinner break until just before 8pm. We'll be back then with all the big stacks and notable names. See you shortly. --JS
Want to qualify for the LAPT? Click here to get a PokerStars account and start today
6:55pm: Toro runs into tens to bubble; field enters dinner in the money
Level 16 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)
While the massive hand played out between Alejandro Rodriguez and Felipe Baraky, Sebastian Toro was all-in and at risk, waiting for his tournament life to be decided at a central table. Toro moved all-in for 28,900 from under the gun and after some folds, Jorge Ellena called in the hijack to put him at risk.
The rest of the table folded and while the two didn't show their hands, as the tournament staff pauses the all-in action until every table has completed the hand, they talked about their holdings. Ellena delivered the bad news, saying in Spanish, "Big pair." and the look on Toro's face said it all.
After close to three minutes of waiting, the staff finally gave the dealer the okay to run the action and Toro was drawing to just two immediate outs. His [9h][9c] couldn't find any help against Ellena's [td][ts] on the [Jc][5s][3c][Qh][5c] runout, meaning he was the official LAPT9 Chile Main Event 'bubble boy'.
The two players shook hands and Toro, a native Chilean, received some guys and hand shakes from players from around the tournament area. The rest of this field will now go on their dinner break, with a $2,500 minimum cash locked up, as the money bubble played through the end of Level 16.
Play and the PokerStars blog will be back just before 8pm. --WOC
6:45pm: Rodriguez runs huge bluff to grab chip lead on bubble
Level 16 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)
We're on the bubble and we've just witnessed an enormous hand that we just had to tell you about involving an almighty bluff.
Alejandro Rodriguez - a man who we caught bluffing earlier (see the 6pm post) - opened to 9,000 and faced a three-bet from Felipe Baraky to 26,000. Sound the four-bet alarm as Rodriguez then reached for more chips and bumped it up 59,000 just to see a flop. Baraky made the call.
The flop came [9c][js][3d] and Baraky checked, allowing Rodriguez to c-bet for 48,000. At this point a big crowd was gathering between this table and another (my colleague Will can tell you all about that in a sec). Baraky made the call once more.
The turn was the [tc] and Baraky checked once more, and now the best from Rodriguez was 65,000. Baraky gave up his hand meaning Rodriguez had won - and then he flipped over the [5s][2c] for complete air.
Wow, what a huge hand. Rodriguez is our new chip leader with 480,000. --JS
6:35pm: We're on the bubble!
Level 16 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)
80 players remain and that means we're one away from the money. It's going to slow down, but don't go anywhere as we'll have the bubble bust story any moment now. --JS
6:25pm: Lepicheo's double double bookends Vali's exit
Level 16 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)
Play has slowed as we're approaching the money bubble but two doubles for the same player have book-ended Joao Vali's 84th place elimination, meaning he'll miss out on on the money by just a few spots.
The first hand picked up saw Luis Araya Lepicheo doubled his short stack when his [As][Qs] held against another player's [Ad][8d]. That got Lepicheo up near 40,000 and on an adjacent table, Brazilian Joao Vali was at risk but with a chance to triple up. A player opened the button to 12,000 and Vali, who was in the small blind, moved all-in for 13,600. Daniel Denghel called in the big blind and the button called as well, before those two players checked down the [Qh][9h][2h][6s][Ac] runout. Denghel announced "jacks" and then showed [Jh][Jc], which was good enough to take own the pot.
Vali threw over [Kh][3s] and despite flopping a flush draw, he was heading to the rail. Denghel chipped up to 110,000 and Luis Araya Lepicheo joined him over six-figures, after he spiked a river to save his tournament life.
Action was picked up on a board of [Kd][Js][9c][Kc], with Sergio Palma betting 30,000 and then calling Lepicheo's shove that couldn't satisfy a min-raise. Palma put out the 13,400 more to call and turned over [Qh][th], good for a flopped straight. He'd need to hold to score the knockout, as Lepicheo held [Kh][8h].
He didn't, as the [9s] spiked on the river, keeping Lepicheo alive and moving him near the 100,000 chip mark. We are now just a few spots away from the money bubble and hand for hand play. --WOC
6:10pm: Zeman doubles through Politano
Level 16 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)
We've just had a double-up and the player still with us is Mauritio Zeman. He got it all in against Bruno Politano holding [qs][tc] against [ac][6h], but the run-out was kind to Zeman. It went [2d][qh][4c][4d][3s] and he's up to 78,000 now. --JS
6pm: Rodriguez bluffs Baraky to move over 200,000
Level 16 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)
Alejandro Rodriguez started this Day 2 session with a short stack and now, after a well-timed bluff, he's trending over 200,000. Action was picked up with the Argentine opening in middle position and after a fold, Felipe Baraky three-bet to 25,000. The button and blinds folded and Rodriguez, not to be outdone, clicked it back with a more or less min-four-bet.
It was 50,900 to call and after a few moments of contemplation, Baraky did to see the [9h][7d][2c] flop. Those were the last cards he'd see, as Rodriguez cut down his stack and then pushed just over half of it across the line for a bet, weighing in at 47,600.
Baraky quickly folded and Rodriguez then showed the Brazilian and the table what he'd gotten away with, flashing [Qc][Js] before flinging his cards towards the dealer. Baraky didn't really think much of it though, leading us to believe that maybe he was holding some light cards as well. We'll never know for sure but what we do know is that Alejandro Rodriguez is now trending up the leaderboard just a handful of spots from the money. --WOC
5:40pm: Blinds up
Level 16 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (500 ante)
We're now in Level 16 - the last before the dinner break and the one in which we expect the bubble to burst. 89 players remain, 79 get paid. --JS
5:39pm: Manuel Urrejola battles Bruno Politano
Level 15 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)
As this Day 2 field continues to thin itself, we're bound to see some big stacks get into some sizable confrontations. Right now, it looks like the possibilities for those such encounters are limited but Bruno Positano and Manual Urrejola could provide some action before the money bubble bursts.
They're two of the biggest stacks in the room and are seated next to each other on an outer table, with Urrejola recently winning Round 1. Action was picked up with a player opening to 6,500 and Politano, in the cutoff, calling only to see Urrerjola three-bet to 17,500. The opener folded and Politano called to see the [Qc][tc][3c] flop.
He check called a 25,000 chip bet from Urrejola and after the [td] paired the board on the turn, Politano had enough and check-folded to a 35,000 chip bet. When the dust settled, Urrejola was playing just over 380,000, making him the far and away Day 2 chip leader and Politano was cut down slightly to 215,000. --WOC
5:37pm: Ten away from the money
Level 15 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)
The bubble is fast approaching - we need just 10 more players to bust before we're in the min-cashes. Don't go anywhere. --JS
5:30pm: Dubini put to the test by Morbiducci
Level 15 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)
Richard Dubini is a cool customer, what with his full-sleeve tattoo and stylish demeanor. However, he didn't look so cool just now when he was facing a decision for his whole tournament.
Felippe Morbiducci had opened and Dubini three-bet to 17,000. Then Morbiducci wanted to play for it all, shoving for 97,000 total (which covered Dubini). The tatted-Argentinian was in the tank for quite a while but eventually gave it up.
When he did, the player next to Morbiducci - who wasn't in the hand - asked him to show one, and he obliged. That player then flipped over the [ad] and Dubini seemed happy with his fold. --JS
5:20pm: Plenty of action on Table 3...
Level 15 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)
We're heading towards the bubble and while we've seen some tables seem to tighten up over the last half hour, Table 3 has been playing some sizable pots. Rodrigo Strong opened that action with a knockout, as the hand was picked up with Hugo Nazar opening to 8,000 from early position.
The table folded to Strong, who then three-bet shoved for just over 80,000. A short stack, who was next to act on the button, then called all-in for less, as he had just over 43,000 in front of him. Action then got to Amos Ben, who was in the big blind, and the former LAPT Player of the Year looked like he had a decision to make. He got counts of both all-ins and thought for close to two minutes, eventually electing to fold.
Nazar did the same, saying that Strong's shove was "too much". When he saw Strong's [Kh][Qd] though, it looked like he wanted his mucked cards back. The short stack turned over [Jc][Jh] and it was a flip for his tournament life, one that Strong won, despite stepping away from the table during the runout. He wasn't at risk but he was playing for a sizable portion of his stack, so we understand why he didn't want to watch.
He turned around just in time to see the river bring him a pair though, as the [As][6c][4d][2h][Kc] runout pushed Strong's stack up near the 135,000 chip mark. The action didn't stop, as Hugo Nazar was involved in another decent pot with Andy Finkelberg. The Argentinian opened to 6,000 from the button and Amos Ben called in the small before Nazar defended his big.
The blinds checked the [Ks][Qc][8h] flop and Finkelberg continued for 9,300. Ben folded and Nazar called to see the [Ac] fall on the turn. Both players quickly checked and Nazar checked for a third time after the [th] put four to a straight on board. Finkelberg, who was one of the bigger stacks coming back from break, put that stack to use, betting 23,000 on the river.
Nazar, who was left shaking his head after the Rodrigo Strong double up, did the same for another minute as he checked and re-checked his cards. They weren't changing and either was the board, meaning he had to fold and concede the pot for a second hand in a row. He's likely wondering what he's done wrong over the last few minutes but even though he's taken a few hits, he's still well stacked with 150,000.
Andy Finkelberg is doing slightly better, as he's one of a half dozen players over the 200,000 chip mark with just over 90 remaining in this LAPT9 Chile Main Event. --WOC
5:10pm: Reines busts Delgado
Level 15 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)
We've lost Rodrigo Delgado from the Main Event. After Jorge Ellena opened to 7,000, Fernando Reines made the call, before Delgado shoved for 33,900. It folded back around to Reines who snap-called, and the cards were on their backs.
Fernando Reines [9c][9d]
Rodrigo Delgado [8s][8h]
There was a nine in the window on the flop as it fell [9s][2d][5d]. Delgado started to get up as the [7c] fell, but he'd actually picked up a straight draw. The river was the [kc] though and he was outta here. Reines now sits with 110,000. --JS
5pm: Technical issues
Level 15 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)
Sorry about that. In case you didn't know, Sundays are a pretty big day in the poker world for online players, and as such sometimes our system slows down significantly. We're now back up and running. --JS
4:50pm: Hector Valenzuela sends two to the rail
Level 15 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)
It's not how you start Day 2, it's how you, for those select few that do, finish and Hector Valenzuela is starting to get some traction in Level 15. The Chilean started today's session with just over a starting stack and after scoring a double knockout, he's playing over the chip average with 96 players remaining.
The early action on the hand was missed but it looked like the chips got in the middle pre flop, with Valenzuela having two short stacks covered. He also held a slight advantage, with [9c][9h] to the shorties [As][Ks] and [Kd][Jh].
After the [Ad][9d][3c] flop, Valenzuela looked like he was in a great spot to pick up a very meaningful pot but then the [td] gave him a sweat on the turn. Both players picked up straight draws and one had a flush draw but thankfully for Valenzuela, who cheered after the final card fell, the [Jc] confirmed his victory on the river.
While the two short stacks exited the tournament area, with the player who turned the flush draw oddly surprised he couldn't connect on the river, Valenzuela had to take a quick break. He was clearly excited about his double knockout and over the next few minutes, explained the hand to a few players that came up to him after hearing him celebrate the win.
He's still got a ways to go before he can actually celebrate, as just under 20 more players need to hit the rail before this LAPT9 Chile Main Event field is officially in the money. --WOC
4:35pm: chips ahoy
Level 15 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (400 ante)
We're back and ready to begin Level 15. Here the biggest stacks and notable names in the room. --JS
| Name | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| Manuel Urrejola | Chile | 315000 |
| Francisco Rocha | Chile | 280000 |
| Frank Naranjo | Colombia | 275000 |
| Alfredo Torres | Chile | 255000 |
| Bruno Vendramini Politano | Brazil | 240000 |
| Fernando Martinez | Argentina | 235000 |
| Andres Finkelberg | Argentina | 230000 |
| Sebastian Ruiz | Chile | 175000 |
| Francisco Benitez | Uruguay | 135000 |
| Sergio Antonio Palma Herrera | Chile | 132000 |
| Lucas Fernandes Tabarin | Brazil | 124000 |
| Richard Dubini | Argentina | 96000 |
| Andrius Bielskis | Lithuania | 92000 |
| Bruno De Oliveira Severino | Brazil | 84000 |
| Mauricio Zeman | Chile | 60000 |
| Fabian Chauriye | Chile | 57000 |
| Fernando Reines Cornejo | Chile | 51000 |
| Bruno Pereira Lima Kawauti | Brazil | 45000 |
| Fabian Daniel Ortiz | Argentina | 22500 |
4:23pm: Take a break
Level 14 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)
Our players have gone on a 15-minute break. There are 104 players remaining, and 79 will get paid. Notable chip counts are coming shortly. --JS
4:12pm: Ruiz four-bets, then flops better
Level 14 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)
A trend through the first few levels of this Day 2 session has been tactical pre flop play, plenty of small clicks and raises building sizable pots. Those pots have usually seen those encounters end with the chips getting in the middle at some point or another and Sebastian Ruiz just four-bet and called off with ace-queen to score a massive knockout.
Action was picked up with Alejandro Rodriguez opening the action to 5,200 from middle position, a player then three-bet the hijack to 13,200. Ruiz was waiting in the cutoff and after some thought, he four-bet to 23,000. The button and blinds folded back to Rodriguez, who looked like he wanted to do something with his 50,000 chip stack.
He couldn't pull the trigger, eventually folding, but the three-bettor could. He immediately moved all-in for 63,000 total and Ruiz snap called, only to see that he was dominated. His opponent held [Ad][Kh] to Ruiz's [Ah][Qh] and the Chilean would need to hit to score the knockout.
He did just that, spiking his pair on the flop and holding through the [Qs][4d][3c][9c][4c] runout, a board that left his opponent in near disbelief. That player hovered around the tournament area for a few minutes and then eventually headed out, while Ruiz stacked up just shy of 175,000. --WOC
3:52pm: Table movements
Level 14 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)
We've just had a table break and it featured a couple of big names.
One was our sole remaining two-time LAPT champ Fabian Ortiz, who now is sitting alongside start-of-day chip leader Francisco Benitez, as well as Bruno Severino and Lewis Osvaldo.
Meanwhile, former November Niner Bruno Politano from Brazil, who shared that original table with Ortiz, is now sat in tough spot - to the direct right of new chip leader Manuel Urrejola. Mauricio Zeman joins them on that table. --JS
3:45pm: Our new chip leader
Level 14 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)
The man with the most chips right now is Chile's Manuel Urrejola, who has a massive 300,000 stack right now. We'll have all the big stacks on the second break of the day, but I don't think anyone comes close right now. --JS
3:35pm: Adding some color and emotion
Level 14 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)
Poker tournament reporting is an interesting task. In a few small paragraphs you not only have to explain what happens in a given hand but you also have to make it entertaining and engaging to the reader. You have to put them right into the action, giving them a sense of what exactly is happening at the table.
We've been trying to do just that over the last two days and Rodrigo Strong, who we featured during Friday's Day 1A session, let us know that our work was well received by family and friends who were following the PokerStars blog. He caught up with us before play began at 12pm and commented how "we have so much emotion" in our updates.
Quite frankly, poker hands are a somewhat boring exercise. 'Player A does this, Player B does that. Player C wins." We'd lose our minds if we didn't add some color, and we'd also be missing the most important part of our job: the players, the atmosphere, and the emotion around a given hand, table or event.
We're going to report on the rest of this event as we normally would but we'll also be keeping a little extra eye on Rodrigo over the next few levels, to see if we can catch another update, as he's still alive with just over 120 players remaining in this LAPT9 Chile Main Event. --WOC
3:25pm: Level up
Level 14 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (300 ante)
We've moved into Level 14 - 1,200/2,400 (300 ante). --JS
3:24pm: Gone but not forgotten
Level 13 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)
I mentioned in our Day 1B coverage that the PokerStars Blog team here in Chile have said 'two-time LAPT champ' so much over the past few days that it's now become an in-joke. Even when I was typing it earlier I had a little chuckle to myself.
Well, it's with much regret that I have to inform you that Mario Lopez - as in two-time LAPT champ Mario Lopez - has been eliminated from this event. He opened to 5,100 and found a caller in Rodrigo Chavez from the small blind. But then Jorge Ellena announced "all-in", having both players covered. Lopez snap called and Chavez folded, and the cards were on their backs.
Two-time LAPT champ Mario Lopez [ac][qs]
Jorge Ellena [ah][ks]
Our man was behind and in need of help, but he couldn't find any on the [4c][2s][td][7c][2h] board. And like that, he was gone.
But you know what? The two-time LAPT champ will always be in our hearts and in our minds. (Jorge Ellena now has 160,000 by the way). --JS
3:24pm: Dubini passes Palma's test, moves over 100,000
Level 13 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)
We've done a few posts of Richard Dubini through the early portions of this Day 2 session and with just a few minutes remaining in the level, he's now peaking with close to 120,000. The Argentine came into this restart relatively short but he's been involved in a lot of pots, with his more recent victory coming against Day 1A chip leader Sergio Palma.
On a board of [Qs][8h][3s][6h], Dubini check-called a bet of 12,000, leaving himself close to 45,000 behind. The [3h] paired the board and brought some backdoor draws in and Dubini checked for a second time, leading Palma to bet 24,000. It was a sizable bet and one that put Dubini to the test for a decent portion of his remaining stack.
After a minute of thought, he eventually called, giving himself a little fist pump after he saw Palma turn over [th][9s] for ten-high. Dubini turned over [ts][8s] and everyone at the table seemed to shoot the Argentinian a look, as they all realized just how good of a call that was for more or less your tournament life.
Had Dubini been wrong, he'd likely have been left with just over 10 big blinds. He wasn't though and he's now playing over 50 bigs heading towards Level 14. Sergio Palma is playing 135,000 and we could continue to see these two, along with big stack Andrius Bielskis, battle over the next few hours. --WOC
3:14pm: Lopez wins one but stays in danger zone
Level 13 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)
Two-time LAPT champ Mario Lopez is stuck in the danger zone, despite just picking up a small pot when his 4,600 bet on a [3h][6d][8c] flop got through. He only has 24,000 - good for 12 big blinds right now. --JS
3:08pm: The biggest stack in the room, but not the largest
Level 13 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)
Cristian Monterrosa arguably has the biggest stack in the room right now. That doesn't mean he has the chip lead though; rather just that his chips seem to be taking up the most space of any player.
He's built something of a chip castle with his 178,000, and it's quite impressive. So much so that it's currently being filmed for TV. --JS
2:58pm: Chenaud turns Hua dead
Level 13 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)
Even though we're still a ways from the money bubble, we're at the stage of the tournament where short stacked players are going to be under some intense pressure. Across the tournament area, there are nearly two dozen players working close to ten big blind stacks and He Hua was one of them until he ran into Brazil's Guilherme Chenaud.
Action was picked up with Hua open shoving from late position for just over 22,000 and after some folds, Chenaud had a decision to make in the big blind. He asked for a count and even though it was just an eleven big blind shove, it was a decent portion of his own stack.
He was playing close to 60,000 and eventually, he elected to call. He held [Kh][Qs] and was surprised to see that he was up against [8d][7d]. He still needed to hit or fade and he did the former as the board ran out [As][4c][3s][Kd][ts]. Hua hit the rail and after making the correct call, Chenaud, who won last night's $600 NLH Turbo side event, is playing nearly 85,000. --WOC
2:48pm: Roberly Fericio rivers Daniel Cordaro
Level 13 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)
Roberly Fericio entered this Day 2 session with a top ten stack and after a swingy first two levels, the Brazilian is now back near the top of the leaderboard after catching the perfect river. The hand was picked up at Table 16 with the board showing [Kc][7c][5c][td]. Daniel Cordaro checked from the big blind and Fericio, in middle position, bet 9,400 only to see Cordaro click it back with a check-raise.
That raise weighed in at 23,300 and quickly, Fericio called to see the [Js] complete the board. After check-raising the turn, Cordaro slowed down and checked the river, putting Fericio in a slightly awkward position. We weren't inside his head but after curiously inspecting the board, his stack and his opponent's, Fericio elected to push out a 35,000 chip bet.
Cordaro clearly didn't like the bet, as he began to cut down his stack and try to make sense of it all. He had just over 85,000 in front of him and eventually, after close to a minute, he put out the necessary chips to call only to see the bad news.
He'd been rivered, as Fericio tabled [Kh][Jc] and after an almost painful exhale, Cordaro threw over [Kd][Qs]. His pair, and kicker, were good until the end and as the dealer push Fericio a nearly 185,000 chip pot, Cordaro sat in dead silence, head in his hands left bemoaning his luck, or lack thereof. Eventually, he snapped up and tapped the table, with Fericio sportingly sending a knock of his own across the felt, realizing how fortunate that river was. --WOC
2:38pm: Crowd gathers to watch big bluff
Level 13 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)
I was the first one to arrive at this hand, but by the end the table was surrounded by fellow players, TV cameras, and spectators. Here's what happened.
Jorge Ellena had kicked off proceedings with an open to 4,200, only for Ivan Raich to three-bet from his immediate left up to 10,100. That wasn't the end of the pre-flop action though; Ellena then four-bet to 25,000 and Raich made the call.
[3s][6d][8h] came the flop, and neither wanted to fire again as both checked. The turn came the [ks], and the action picked up again with a 15,000 bet from Ellena. Raich called.
The river landed and it was the [3h], pairing the board. Now Ellena shoved and Raich immediately asked for a count. It was 43,600 total and he went into the tank as it was for around all his chips too. The crowd had gathered by this point as Raich was staring Ellena down sternly, but he eventually gave his hand up.
Ellena flipped over [as][6h] for just a pair of sixes to go with the threes, and Raich nodded, suggesting he'd thrown away the winner. Raich has 50,000, while Ellena is up to 115,000 now. --JS
2:28pm: More or less 50/50 coming back from break
Level 13 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)
After a quick break, this Day 2 field is back and heading into Level 13, more or less 50% of this remaining LAPT9 Chile Main Event field will record a cash today. As it stands, 144 players remain and with 79 officially making the money, that leaves us with a pretty even split of the future haves and have nots.
The PokerStars blog will bring you all the action as this field moves towards that money bubble and if the pace at the start of Day 2 continues, as over 50 players hit the rail through the first two levels, we'll likely get into the money before dinner. --WOC
2:24pm: AND we're back
Level 13 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (300 ante)
Players have returned from their break, and we're straight into Level 13 - 1,000/2,000 with a running 300 ante. --JS
2:15pm: Notable chip counts
Here's the big stacks and notable names on the first break of Day 2. --JS
| Name | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Naranjo | Colombia | 204000 |
| Lucas Fernandes Tabarin | Brazil | 184000 |
| Sergio Antonio Palma Herrera | Chile | 171000 |
| Andrius Bielskis | Lithuania | 133000 |
| Francisco Benitez | Uruguay | 128000 |
| Bruno Vendramini Politano | Brazil | 120000 |
| Fernando Reines Cornejo | Chile | 94000 |
| Mauricio Zeman | Chile | 94000 |
| Amos Ben Haim | Chile | 83000 |
| Bruno Pereira Lima Kawauti | Brazil | 77000 |
| Fabian Chauriye | Chile | 66000 |
| Mario Lopez Rita | Argentina | 58000 |
| Bruno De Oliveira Severino | Brazil | 57000 |
| Richard Dubini | Argentina | 49000 |
| Fabian Daniel Ortiz | Argentina | 38200 |
| Osvaldo Rene Lewis | Argentina | 26500 |
| Irina Petrova | Russia | 17400 |
| Daniela Horno | Chile | 0 |
| Juan Duran Ceron | Chile | 0 |
| Damián Andrés Salas | Argentina | 0 |
2:08pm: First break of the day
Level 12 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)
Players have gone on a 15 minute break. We'll have updated notable chip counts momentarily. --JS
2pm: Martin moves up the leaderboard
Level 12 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)
Wagner Martin has played some sizable pots over the last orbit. The first seeing a portion of his stack head to Rodrigo "Zidane" Caprioli after a pre flop leveling war forced the Argentinian to fold but the second shot him up the leaderboard, as he took a sizable portion of Mac Hilaire's chips after flopping a straight.
The first hand was picked up with a player opening in early position and after some folds, Martin three-bet to 8,400 from the cutoff. Caprioli, who was on the button, then pumped it up to 19,100. The blinds and original opener folded and after a quick trip to the tank, Martin elected to wait for a better spot.
That spot came a few hands later, as he and Hilaire saw a flop of [8c][7h][6s]. Hilaire led for 4,600 and Martin raised to 12,300. The Chilean called to see the [th] fall on the turn, putting four to a straight on board. That scary called slowed both players, as Hilaire both quickly tapped the table to see the [Kc] fall on the river.
Hilaire repeated his turn action and after some thought, Martin went for value, betting 18,000. It was a decent portion of Hilaire's stack, as he had just over 50,000 behind, and after seeing Martin splash around in a few previous pots, he elected to make a bit of a "hero call". Unfortunately, he picked the wrong time to take a stand, as Martin tabled [5d][4d], good for a flopped straight.
Hilaire flashes [As][6d] and bottom pair was sent to the muck, while a majority of his chips were headed to Martin. When the dust settled, the Argentinean was playing just under 140,000, putting himself in a good spot as this field is just a few minutes from the first break of Day 2. --WOC
1:46pm: Dubini gets a big boost
Level 12 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)
Richard Dubini has a great opening two levels to this Day 2. In one hand we just saw against Chile's Andrés Achelat, the Argentinian called a big 5,400 open on the button from the big blind, and the two went to a flop. It came [6c][5h][AS] and Dubini checked, allowing Achelat to c-bet for 8,100. Now Dubini made it 17,000 to go, and after a little bit of thought Achelat decided it was worth a call.
The turn landed and it was another ace - the [ac]. It put the breaks on proceedings as both players checked, resulting in the [th] on the turn. Now Dubini decided to move all-in, and Achelat asked for a count. Achelat had around 50,000 in front of him, and after the dealer counted it was saw that Dubini had him covered with 58,100. Achelat went into the tank but eventually decided to fight another day. Dubini is up to around 95,000 now. --JS
1:36pm: Petrova's shove gets through
Level 12 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)
Russia's Irina Petrova started Day 2 short with 22,100 and seemed to have slipped even further. After a player opened to 3,200, Petrova insta-jammed for her last 14,700 and it folded all the way around. That meant she picked up the blinds and antes, plus the 3,200 - bringing her stack to 21,500 now. --JS
1:32pm: "Limpio, limpo" until the river
Level 12 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)
One of the bigger pots we've seen throughout this LAPT9 Chile Main Event just played out on Table 11, with Fernando Santin and Tomas Molina getting nearly 190,000 in pre-flop with massive holdings. That hand was picked up with Santin opening the button and after the small blind folded, Molina, in the big blind, three-bet to 10,000.
Santin clicked it back again, four-betting to 25,000 but he was then faced with a five-bet shove, as Molina verbalized himself "all-in" for just under 84,000. We haven't prided ourselves on being able to 100% translate what's being said at the tables over the last few days but it doesn't matter what your native tongue is to understand when someone doesn't like the position they're in.
"Aye yai yai," Santin said as he went to count out his own stack, one that barely had Molina covered. He put his head in his hands and eventually called, only to see that he was in a great spot, as his [Kc][Ks] had Molina's [Qh][Qd] drawing to just two immediate outs. The five-bettor rolled his eyes and slouched in his chair as the [tc][3s][3d] flop did nothing to help his current situation.
The [3h] didn't do much either and Santin, turning to his friend at a table across the room, said, "Limpio, limpo." That means "clean" in Spanish and while the runout was clean for the Argentinian through the flop and turn, the river was all kinds of dirty. The [Qs] spiked to complete the board and in a flash, Santin went from likely holding the chip lead to being left with just a handful of big blinds.
Molina apologized before getting pushed the pot, looking like he was asking Santin for forgiveness after the brutal beat. Nothing to be sorry for though and now, Tomas Molina is playing one of the bigger stacks in the room midway through Level 12. --WOC
1:22pm: Different directions for Day 1 leaders
Level 12 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)
Francisco Benitez and Sergio Palma ended their respective Day 1 starting flights with the chip lead and then, obviously, entered today's restart one-two on the LAPT9 Chile leaderboard. While they each peaked during those Day 1 sessions, they're trending in opposite directions heading into Level 12.
Benitez, who came back with just over 180,000 has seen close to half that stack disappear over the first hour of play. He's now working just shy of 95,000 and while he's fallen, he's still working a very comfortable over 50 big blind stack. Palma hasn't fallen though, as he's increased his stack slightly to 185,000.
The Chilean has done so despite having to deal with one of the tougher table draws in the room. He doesn't seem phased by the big names at Table 12 though, as he's still near the top of the leaderboard as we continue to play through the early levels of Day 2. --WOC
1:15pm: A closer look at the field
Level 12 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)
Thanks to my colleague Reinaldo Venegas, we can now see how the field breaks down by nationalities. As you'd expect, Chileans make up most of the players, but take a look at the stats. --JS
1:10pm: Blinds are up
Level 12 - Blinds 800/1,600 (200 ante)
We're now playing 800/1,600 with a 200 ante. --JS
1pm: Chop it up
Level 11 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)
Fernando Reines opened to 2,500 and Rodrigo Chavez made the call on the button. The blinds got out of the way and two players saw a flop of [3s][jd][5h]. Reines put out a c-bet of 2,600 and Chavez called, taking us to the the [7s] on the turn. Both checked, and the [8d] hit the river. It started to feel like neither player had much, but Reines now bet 5,200 - perhaps trying to steal the pot.
It turned out he was bluffing - but he was bluffing with the joint-best hand. Chavez called after thinking for a while (he had just 24,000 behind) and turned over [ac][2d] for ace high, and that's exactly what Reines had too with the [ah][2h]. Nice call, sir. --JS
12:55pm: Cornelio Lopera leaves Daniela Horno short, then leaves the table
Level 11 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)
When a player jokes that he has 'walking chips', that usually means he's playing one of the bigger stacks in the room. All Cornelio Lopera needed to earn a trip around the room, and to the bathroom, was a double up to 25,000 though, which he got courtesy of Daniela Horno.
Action was picked up with Lopera all-in for 13,400 from the small blind and Horno, looking like she limp-reshoved from middle position, also all-in for just over 20,000. Another limper, in the cutoff, had both short stack shoves covered and he went into the tank. While the third player thought, Lopera, who might be the most energetic player in the room, jumped from his seat and did a half lap around the table to stand behind Horno.
While he was the one at risk, as she had him covered, he began massaging her shoulders, drawing a round of laughter from Horno and the rest of the table. When the thinking player eventually folded, he quickly ran back to his cards and said, "Uno?" saying that each should only show one of their hold cards.
Lopera turned over the [Kc] and Horno showed [7h]. The dealer rightfully wasn't going to let them play their own little game though, forcing Lopera and Horno to show their other card as well. They each had a matching ace, meaning Horno would have to hit to score the knockout with [Ah][7h] to the shorter stack's [Ac][Kc].
The board ran out [Qd][th][ts][2d][Kd] and Lopera high-five himself after the river paired him up and confirmed his double. When the dust settled, Horno, still in good spirits herself, was a left with just a few big blinds while Cornelio Lopera stacked up just over 25,000 and then, in the middle of an almost oration that bordered on rambling, he said "bano".
We know that one! The Chilean then exited the tournament area, heading to the bathroom with a little pep in his step but he should try to hurry back, as he's still only working close to ten big blinds. --WOC
12:45pm: Great call by Tabarin
Level 11 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)
Dan Denghal opened to 3,200 from the hijack and it folded to Lucas Tabarin in the small blind. "How much do you play?" he asked (or something along those lines), and Denghal didn't say but showed instead. He moved his stack into middle as if he was moving all-in, but only to Tabarin could get a better look. He made the call and the two went to a flop.
It came the [tc][th][8d] and Tabarin checked only for Denghal to continue for 6,500. Tabarin made a quick call and we saw the [6c] hit the turn, which both checked. Then came the [8c] on the river, bringing two pair to the board. Tabarin checked once more and Denghal threw out three blue chips for 15,000 total. Now Tabarin, who had been leaning forward the whole hand, leant back in the day for a more comfortable thinking position. It worked - he made a great call with [ad][qh] for just an ace and the board, while Denghal announed "good call" and turned over a counterfeited [2h][2s]. Denghal now has 27,000, while Tabarin is up to roughly 170,000. --JS
12:37pm: Andruis Bielskis involved early
Level 11 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)
There are a few ways players can attack a Day 2 restart. Some bide their time and wait for their spots as they figure out the lineup they've been thrown into and others go in trying to assert themselves as table captain. So far, Lithuania's Andruis Bielskis has done the latter, as he's been involved in a few hands early in Level 11.
The first saw Bielskis and Richard Dubini see a flop of [Ah][Qs][ts] in a blind versus blind encounter. Bielskis bet 1,500 from the small blind and the Argentinian called to see the [5c] fall on the turn. Bielskis bet for a second time, firing out 2,600. Again, Dubini called and while the [Js] hit the felt to complete the board, Dubini shot his opponent a quick glare.
Bielskis could likely feel that stare coming from his immediate left and after he tapped the table, Dubini did the same to get to showdown after seemingly every potential draw got there by the river. Bielskis tabled [As][3d] but top pair was no good, as Dubini turned over [Qd][5h] for turned two pair. That was enough to take the pot and get him up near 40,000 after coming into Day 2 relatively short.
In the next hand, Bielskis took a small pot off Day 1A chip leader Sergio Palma and then after he folded his button, he was back in the action from the cutoff. Rodrigo Quezada opened from middle position to 2,600 and after a player called, Bielskis did the same to see the [Kh][7s][4s] flop in position.
Quezada continued for 3,900 and Bielskis quickly called to see the [8s] fall on the turn. That forced the Chilean to slow down, as he checked and Bielskis then took the betting lead with a wager of 6,300. Quezada called and the [3s] put four to a flush on board.
The out of position Quezada checked for a second time and Bielskis decided to put him a test to close to a third of his remaining stack, sliding out 16,700. The Chilean shook his head, visibly frustrated with potentially the turn card and the river. In the end, he folded and Bielskis took in the pot, one that moved him up near the 125,000 chip mark. --WOC
12:26pm: Two knock-outs; Salas and 'the departed' fall to Naranjo
Level 11 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)
A few minutes ago I brought you word of arguably the toughest table in the room. Now here's a bit about the table with the most action!
It was the table that Damian Salas was sitting at - but we'll get to him. First came the felting of an unknown player (I tried asking for his name, but he was in no mood to talk - as you're about to find out).
It started with an open to 2,700 from Colombia's Frank Naranjo, which Damian Salas called from the small blind. The player we're going to name 'the departed' then bumped it up to 7,200 and both Naranjo and Salas made the call.
The flop came the [ad][jh][3h] and Salas checked to the departed, who continued for 7,200 again. Now Naranjo raised to 14,400, doubling the bet. Salas got out of the way but the departed went nowhere. The turn was then the [3c] and the departed went into the tank. The cameras were rolling on the table as he thought for a while, constantly peeking back at his cards. He then decided to move all-in, but Naranjo couldn't have called faster.
The departed let out a sigh and sheepishly turned over [ah][9s] - he knew he was beat and he was, as Naranjo had [ac][qd]. The [7c] hit the river, the departed left without a word, and Naranjo stacked 103,000.
Then - the very next hand...
Naranjo was back in the action, opening to 2,700 and facing a three-bet to 6,700 from Salas. A four-bet then arrived from Naranjo up to 21,000 and Salas went into the tank. He eventually made the call.
The dealer fanned a flop of [2d][ts][8h] and with the action on Naranjo, he slid out a bet of 20,000 in 1K chips. Salas thought for a long time once more, counting his chips (he had about 60,000 behind), and eventually made the call.
The turn was the [qd] and it was to be a very quick street. Naranjo announced "all-in", and Salas snap-called. His confidence turned to regret, though, as he saw his [ks][kh] was crushed by Naranjo's [as][ah]. The [2c] river changed nothing and now it was Salas hitting the rail. Naranjo might have the biggest stack in the room now with more than 190,000. --JS
12:13pm: The toughest table
Level 11 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)
While we don't have an official seat draw to bring you, I've just had a walk around the room and our notable names seem to be spread quite well across the floor. However, there is one particular table featuring two-time LAPT champ Mario Lopez (here we go again), Bruno Severino, and Fernando Reines. There's sure to be a lot of action over there. --JS
12:08pm: We're off!
Level 11 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)
Well, it didn't quite get started at 12pm as expected, but we're now off and running in Level 11. Stay tuned. --JS
11:40am: Day 2 about to start
Level 11 - Blinds 600/1,200 (200 ante)
Welcome back to Viña del Mar, where the last bits of prep are underway before we kick off Day 2 at 12pm. There will be 192 players in total taking their seats today, as we combine both the Day 1A and Day 1B survivors into one field.
We'll need to lose 113 players before we make the money, as only 79 will be able to lock up a guaranteed min-cash of $2,500. However, they'll all have their eyes set on making it through to Day 3 and eventually claiming the $141,785 first place prize.
Uruguay's Francisco 'Tomate' Benitez is out chip leader coming in with 181,800, followed by Sergio Palma who has 167,500. If you want to find out more about each of the Day 1 flights, click here for Day 1A or click here for Day 1B.
The plan is to play down to 32 players today, so the bubble is guaranteed to burst here on Day 2. Make sure you stick around all day to see how it goes down - there's a link at the top for you to refresh the updates. --JS
PokerStars Blog Reporting Team at LAPT9 Chile: Will O'Connor and Jack Stanton. Photos by Carlos Monti. Follow the PokerStars Blog on Twitter: @PokerStarsBlog
Want to qualify for the LAPT? Click here to get a PokerStars account and start today
Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: Latin American Poker Tour]
No comments:
Post a Comment