LAPT PANAMA: FERNANDEZ WINS INAUGURAL TOURNAMENT

PokerStars Team Pro Leo Fernandez (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-686th) becomes the first player to ever win LAPT Pananma - the Main Event was held over the weekend at the Veneto Hotel and Casino in Panama City.

A total of 338 players registered for the Main, making it a very successful initial journey into Panama for the Latin American Poker Tour.

The man who entered final table play as the chip leader, Patrick Mahoney (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: T-1,238th), was runner-up to Fernandez when all was said and done.

As for popular pro Sam Razavi? His quest at a PokerStars triple play will have to wait another day. Razavi finished outside the Top 5 and won't be collecting POY points in this event.

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TOP 20 PAYOUTS (USD) 1. Leo Fernandez 171,930 2. Patrick Mahoney 108,700 3. Marco Antonio Pedroso 73,900 4. Walid Mubarak 55,050 5. Johnny Sandoval 42,230 6. Isaac Malca 33,180 7. Sam Razavi 24,880 8. Diego Sanchez 18,850 9. Ajitkumar Nagrani $14,520 10. Jimmy Castano $12,440 11. Brent Sheirbon $10,870 12. Daniel Ospina $9,830 13. Vincenzo Giannelli $8,800 14. Joel Fermin $8,020 15. Gerardo Godinez $7,370 16. Carlos Hernandez $6,790 17. Miguel Colmenares $6,270 18. Adesh Singh $6,270 19. Carlos Watanabe $5,820 20. Raju Chugani $5,820 RELATED POSTS > RAZAVI LOOKS FOR PS TRIPLE PLAY > QUALIFIER WINS LAPT COLUMBIA

PTPR CHALLENGER EVENT LATIN AMERICAN POKER TOUR LAPT Panama NLH Main Event September 27-30, 2012 Veneto Hotel & Casino | Panama City Buy-in: $2,500 | Prizepool: $754,080 Entries: 326 PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION LEO FERNANDEZ 35 PATRICK MAHONEY 18 MARCO ANTONIO PEDROSA 10 WALID MUBARAK 8 JOHNNY SANDOVAL 5 DEFENDING CHAMPION New event on LAPT calendar NEXT LAPT EVENT LAPT Grand Final Lima, Peru November 14-18, 2012

LAPT PANAMA: MAHONEY LEADS AS RAZAVI LOOKS FOR POKERSTARS TRIPLE

The final table is set at the inaugural LAPT Panama event in Panama City.

Patrick Mahoney (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: NR) will have the chip lead once play resumes at the Veneto Hotel & Casino on Sunday where the final eight players will play down to a winner.


Mahoney enjoyed scores in WPT events in Mississippi and Florida in 2011, he has yet to post POY points this season.

One intriguing storyline developing in Panama is that of Sam Razavi (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: 130th) and his chase for a PokerStars triple. After a 2011 win at UKIPT Cork in May of 2011, Razavi picked up the biggest cash of his career last month at ANZPT Melbourne.

Razavi will need a lot of help early though as he comes into final table play with an extremely small chip stack.

PokerStars Team Pro Leo Fernandez (2012 QJ/PTPR Rank: NR) is the other feature player at the final table. The Argentinian will start the day only a few chips off the lead.


FINAL TABLE SEAT ASSIGNMENTS/CHIP COUNTS:
Seat 1 Sam Razavi 323,000
Seat 2 Walid Mubarak 243,000
Seat 3 Leo Fernandez 1,692,000
Seat 4 Diego Sanchez 277,000
Seat 5 Marco Cheida 1,170,000
Seat 6 Johnny Sandoval 768,000
Seat 7 Issac Malca 698,000
Seat 8 Patrick Mahoney 1,714,000

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TOP 20 PAYOUTS (USD) 1. $171,930 2. $108,700 3. $73,900 4. $55,050 5. $42,230 6. $33,180 7. $24,880 8. $18,850 9. Ajitkumar Nagrani $14,520 10. Jimmy Castano $12,440 11. Brent Sheirbon $10,870 12. Daniel Ospina $9,830 13. Vincenzo Giannelli $8,800 14. Joel Fermin $8,020 15. Gerardo Godinez $7,370 16. Carlos Hernandez $6,790 17. Miguel Colmenares $6,270 18. Adesh Singh $6,270 19. Carlos Watanabe $5,820 20. Raju Chugani $5,820 RELATED POSTS > QUALIFIER WINS LAPT COLUMBIA

PTPR CHALLENGER EVENT LATIN AMERICAN POKER TOUR LAPT Panama NLH Main Event September 27-30, 2012 Veneto Hotel & Casino | Panama City Buy-in: $2,500 | Prizepool: $754,080 Entries: 326 PTPR POINTS DISTRIBUTION 1st place 35 2nd place 18 3rd place 10 4th place 8 5th place 5 DEFENDING CHAMPION New event on LAPT calendar NEXT LAPT EVENT LAPT Peru (Lima) November 14-18, 2012

CANADIAN CLOSERS: MOLSON, CHEN WIN ON FINAL DAY OF PCA

PHOTO CREDIT: POKERSTARSBLOG.com


Fellow Canadians Will Molson and Andrew Chen won big events on the final day at the PCA in the Bahamas.

This was Molson's (pictured, celebrating with his father) third straight year heads up at the PCA 25K High Rollers event - an amazing, almost inplausible feat - after two straight runner-ups in 2009 and 2010, Molson finally sealed the deal, winning the event. Molson, who had 3 PTPR Scores last season, earns his first PTPR Score of 2011.

Molson beat Leo Fernandez heads up. Fernandez and 4th place finisher Erik Seidel each score for the second time at the PCA. Max Lykov, David "Bakes" Baker and Jason Mercier also scored in the event.

Andrew Chen won the very popular 5K NAPT Bounty Shootout event. He won the event in very dramatic fashion, eliminating pros Shaun Deeb and Michael Binger on the same hand, to end the event.

Chen earns 102 PTPR Points for his win and is now ranked 3rd on the PTPR Player of the Year charts. Deeb earns his second PTPR Score of this very young season.

Although the PCA is now over and done with, we are still awaiting official results from a few events. Stay tuned.


PTPR TIER 3 EVENT
Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure
PCA 25K High Rollers Event
January 14-16, 2011

Atlantis Resort & Casino
Paradise Island, Bahamas

Buy-in: $25,000
Prizepool: $3,995,500
Entries: 151

Defending champion: William Reynolds

POINTS AT STAKE
MOLSON WILLIAM 101
FERNANDEZ LEO 61
LYKOV MAX 36
SEIDEL ERIK 26
METAAL GOVERT 19
BAKER DAVID "BAKES" 11
MARAFIOTI MATT 9
MERCIER JASON 6
DE VRIES SHANDER 6


PTPR TIER 3 EVENT
Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure
NAPT Bounty Shootout
January 13-16, 2011

Atlantis Resort & Casino
Paradise Island, Bahamas

Buy-in: $5,250
Prizepool: $1,134,000
Entries: 216

POINTS AT STAKE
CHEN ANDREW 102
BINGER MICHAEL 62
DEEB SHAUN 37
BAUMSTEIN SCOTT 27
NEUMANN MARKO 20
PILOSSOPH WILLIAM 12