In San Jose, Costa Rica, 20 year-old American Ryan Fee emerged victorious from a pack of 219 players to win the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) San Jose event. Players made the pilgrimage to San Jose from five continents and 33 countries around the world, manifesting the unique flair of the tournament series. Let’s check out all of the action from the Ramada Plaza Herradura Conference Center, which played host to the event.
On the final hand, Fee defeated Joel Micka in a coin flip. Fee held A-10 offsuit against Micka’s pocket fours in a classic race situation. The K-7-Q-8 board looked promising for Micka, but Fee hit lightning in a bottle and spiked an ace on the river. After taking home the $285,773 first place prize, Fee commented to LAPT tournament officials, “I want to be home for Thanksgiving. But after that, I am going to play as many LAPT events as I can. This victory feels just great.” Amazingly, Fee and Micka were first and second in chips, respectively, when play began at the final table.
The LAPT San Jose boasted a buy-in of $3,700, which was $1,000 more than the cost to enter in 2007. Tournament officials claimed that the increased price tag meant that the Costa Rican tournament “was one of the highest buy-in events ever held in Latin America.”
The eight-handed LAPT San Jose final table played out as follows:
1st Place: Ryan Fee (United States) – $285,773
2nd Place: Joel Micka (United States) – $148,993
3rd Place: Brent Sheirbon (United States) – $109,913
4th Place: Jesus Bertoli (Venezuela) – $80,603
5th Place: Andrew Chen (Canada) – $61,063
6th Place: Jeff Patronack (United States) – $43,965
7th Place: Claus Rasmussen (Denmark) – $34,195
8th Place: Maria Stern (Costa Rica) – $24,425
Glenn Cademartori, President of the LAPT, commented in a press release distributed after the event, “Ryan Fee is a great young champion and was quite taken aback having won our biggest first prize to date. He is a sharp guy and has certainly made his mark in the poker industry with this win. We look forward to seeing him in Mexico next month.”
The San Jose stop was the first on Season 2 of the LAPT. Last year, the tournament series attracted 1,063 players in just three events. PokerStars, which is the presenting sponsor of the LAPT, expects the total number of tournaments to double during Season 2, including additional events in Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. Only two more events are listed on the LAPT’s website for Season 2:
LAPT Nuevo Vallarta (Mexico): Marival Resort & Suites Main Event
December 5-7, 2008
$2,500 + $200 buy-in
LAPT Punta del Este (Uruguay): Mantra Resort
March 18-20, 2009
$3500+200 buy-in
The Main Event of the Nuevo Vallarta stop is capped at 500 players. A second chance tournament is maxed out when the number of entrants reaches 300. Qualifiers on PokerStars will allow members of the online poker room to compete for an LAPT prize package that includes a Main Event buy-in, four night’s accommodation, and money for expenses.