Home / Poker News April 2009 / LAPT Mar Del Plata Grand Final Day 1b report
LAPT Mar Del Plata Grand Final Day 1b report
Posted by: James Carter. - Sun, 2009-04-19 06:25
Day 1b of the Latin American Poker Tour’s Grand Final in Mar Del Plata saw an impressive number of 151 players belly up to the tables, taking the total number of participants to 291.
Day 1a had quite a few celebrities of its own, but Day 1b came truly stacked in this respect. Several PokerStars team members were in attendance this time around, among them Veronica Dabul, Leo Fernandez and Dennis Phillips. Max and Maria Stern, probably the most successful poker couple in the world were also present in the Day 1b field and so was Joe Hachem who probably needs no introduction.
At the end of the day, the field would be thinned down to 35 players and only one member of the Stern family team made it to Day 2: Maria.
Another family, the Brenes family was also extremely well represented. No fewer than 3 Breneses took their seats at the LAPT Grand Final tables: Humberto Brenes, brother Alex and son Roberto.
Roberto – the least experienced - was the first Brenes to find the rail on Day 1b, after running into Horacio Courdin’s A-high flush on the flop of a hand in which he had top pair. The turn and the river failed to come to Roberto Brenes’ rescue and his Grand Final was over. Eddie Sabat was among the Day 1b casualties as well, joined later by Dennis Phillips and Veronica Dabul.
The most experienced member of the Brenes assault force, Humberto, would also make the casualty list before the day was over. David Schechter was the player who claimed Humberto’s scalp. The two crossed swords with Brenes holding an Ac, 5c against Schechter’s As, Js. The board gave both players a pair of As, but Schechter got the better of Brenes on account of his higher kicker.
Joe Hachem had a struggle of a Day 1b and he eventually shoved it all in on a K,Q only to get a call from a player who had an A,K. He was soon followed to the rail by Andre Akkari and Alex Gomes.
Robin Chesne took the chip lead when all was said and done at the end of Day 1b. A total of 62 survivors will match skills and wits on day 2 of the LAPT’s Mar Del Plata Grand Final.
