The schedule for Season 3 of the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) was announced this week and headlining the list was the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, also a staple of the European Poker Tour (EPT) in 2010.
The 2009 installment of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure drew 1,347 players to the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas. The $10,000 buy-in Main Event saw a whopping 1,061 entrants, or nearly 80% of the field, qualify through PokerStars, which sponsors both the LAPT and EPT as the world’s largest online poker room. In the end, Canadian poker player Poorya Nazari defeated Tony Gregg after just four hands of heads-up play. In the final pot, Nazari’s A-10 withstood Gregg’s Q-7 to take down the title of Champion of the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
From January 4th to 14th, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure will make its return to Nassau. The Main Event’s buy-in will once again be $10,300 and the tournament will assuredly break every record that the LAPT has to offer. Last season’s total prize pool on the LAPT circuit was just over $4 million and 1,053 players took to the felts in events held in San Jose (Costa Rica), Viña del Mar (Chile), Punta del Este (Uruguay), and Mar del Plata (Argentina). The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure also appears on the EPT schedule for 2010.
The third season of the LAPT will begin on November 19th at the Playa Conchal in Costa Rica. The $2,700 buy-in tournament marks the second time that the LAPT has visited the pristine area of Costa Rica and will call the Paradisius Playa Conchal Resort home. The tournament is capped at 350 players and will crown a champion on November 22nd. Text found on the LAPT’s website candidly explains why the country has become such a popular tourist destination: “One of the reasons Costa Rica has become one of the world’s premiere vacation destinations and a favorite place to purchase a second home is the spectacular climate.” Other than the rainy season, it boasts beautiful weather.
The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is the second stop on the third season of the LAPT. Originally a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT), the tournament moved to the EPT in 2008. It was the lone stop in the Western Hemisphere for the EPT circuit and boasted one of the largest live event fields outside of the United States. The 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is capped at 1,600 runners.
The LAPT heads to Punta del Este on February 24th for a tournament that will name a winner three days later. Its buy-in is $3,700 and last year, the event was the largest on the LAPT circuit at 327 players and had a seven-figure prize pool. Norwegian student Karl Hevroy took down the most recent running of the LAPT Punta del Este for $283,000. The event has a cap of 350 entrants.
From March 19th to 23rd, the LAPT will invade Viña del Mar, Chile. The Enjoy Viña del Mar Casino and Resort will serve as the tournament’s host venue. Players will pony up $2,700 to enter and, last time out, Argentinean poker player Fabian Ortiz won the event in style after being down to less than one-half of a big blind when play was four-handed. Nevertheless, he battled back in one of the most impressive comebacks in the history of poker.
The final stop of Season 3 of the LAPT is Argentina, which will take place at a yet-to-be-determine site and date. The $5,300 buy-in marks the conclusion of the following schedule:
November 19 – 22, 2009
LAPT Playa Conchal, Costa Rica
$2,500 + $200 buy-in
January 4 – 14, 2010
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
$10,000 +$300 buy-in
February 24 – 27, 2010
LAPT Punta del Este, Uruguay
$3,500 + $200 buy-in
March 19 – 23, 2010
LAPT Viña del Mar, Chile
$2,500 + $200 buy-in
To Be Determined
LAPT Argentina Grand Final
$5,000 + $300 buy-in
