This year's Americas Cup winners' photo won't feature Team Peru. A Mexican clean sweep within the semi-finals, followed by a loss to Colombia in a subsequent play-off, quickly put paid to such ideas. Instead, the Peruvian quintet will take 'just' $2,500 each back to their home country. Do we see them when the following Americas Cup-style tournament rolls into paradise? It's impossible to mention. That is, unless after all we're talking about Luis Felipe Villaran Bedoya.

Or as I REALLY LIKE to name him, "Mr Peru".

Mr Peru and Mr Costa Rica at this year's Americas Cup of Poker

This weekend Mr Peru represented his country on the poker tables for a 3rd straight year. In 2012 he was a part of an international Cup of Poker winning side and personally collected greater than $22,500. A year later he added $2,500 after his team finished fourth in a preceding Americas Cup of Poker in Panama.

Yet now, stood within the brightly lit, marble-floored hallway that leads from the Imperial Ballroom back to the Atlantis Resort's thousands of hotel rooms, Mr Peru looks just a little deflated about today's $2,500 prize.

"It's a disappointment, but it's poker," he says of Team Peru's fourth place finish. "WE SUPPLY the hopes of the poker community and it feels very, superb (to symbolize Peru). I THINK numerous proud."

Dressed in his team's red and white colours, Mr Peru's "proud" is obviously on display here in Atlantis. When he is not living his other life as stock broker in Lima, he plays tournaments on PokerStars on a semi-professional basis, and during the last few years his presence at events like these have turned him right into a poker somebody in Peru. It is a fame that may be thoroughly deserved.

Thousands of individuals tried to qualify for this year's Americas Cup. But Mr Peru beat them. Thousands likely tried to qualify for the arena Cup of Poker. But, again, Mr Peru beat them. Such consistency in poker isn't common place. In order the Mexican and Chilean teams butt-heads round the corner within the Americas Cup final, what does he believe the important thing to consistency is?

"A lot of discipline and difficult work," says Villaran. "To qualify for the Americas Cup I played between two and 3 tournaments for nearly 28 days in a row. It was constant. I wasn't seeking to win the tournaments but just earn points, points, points. A LARGE NUMBER OF players don't understand that, they only need to win."

Luis Felipe Villaran Bedoya: once, twice, 3 times a Peruvian player

Apparently if you wish to follow in such successful footsteps and take a shot at Americas Cup glory, you will need to be "a rock firstly" of every qualifying tournament, and make good use of the time clock.

"If the button passes you and you have got one blind and one point locked up, I prefer to not push. By the point the blinds comes you'll have much more points. I LOVE to maintain my blinds."

Judging by Villaran's record in such matters and the calm way he delivers each word, it is a strategy I WOULD NOT argue with. But can such consistency realistically continue?

"Yeah, sure," he says. "THAT IS my third time so I NEED to come back again."

Until next year then I guess, Mr Peru. All of the best.

Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: Americas Cup]