Conrad Resort & Casino in Punta del Este, Uruguay is currently the gathering place for poker players from the Latin American region mainly but not solely, as the gambling venue is once again playing host to a LAPT stop. The $1,500 Main Event, the highlight on the festival’s schedule, kicked off on Friday with two starting flights played on Friday and Saturday.
Day 2 of the prestigious tournament was played on Sunday. The day was concluded with defending champion Mario Lopez as the chip leader. The player bagged a total of 572,000 in chips late last night.
It could be said that the Argentinian is an LAPT celebrity with his two Main Event titles and multiple cashes in the popular tournament series. Lopez scooped his first LAPT title in 2014, when he topped the field of the $1,700 Main Event in Viña del Mar, Chile. He collected a $117,991 payout for his performance. Title number two came about this time last year, when Lopez emerged victorious in the $3,300 Main Event played at Conrad Resort & Casino in Punta del Este. The player has every chance to win a record third LAPT Main Event trophy and to defend his title from last year.
Apart from his accomplishments in Latin America’s most popular poker series, Lopez is also a one-time Estrellas Poker Tour champion. With live tournament earnings of more than $1.8 million, the Argentinian is one of his home country’s most successful poker professionals.
Looking back to the LAPT Season 9 Uruguay Main Event, the $1,500 buy-in tournament attracted as many as 438 entries this year. The generated prize pool of $571,590 would be distributed to the top 63 finishers. In fact, the money bubble was reached on Day 2 of the tournament.
The event’s third day of play will see 32 hopefuls returning to play down to the official final table. With that said, the name of the big champion is expected to become clear on Tuesday. Led by Lopez, the 32 survivors are set to resume Day 3 play at noon local time. Poker regulars like Leo Fernandez, Julian Albero, Cristian Rotondo, and Julio Grimau will be among those to return at Conrad Resort & Casino later today.
As mentioned above, Lopez will lead the pack with 572,000 in chips, followed by Brazil’s Fernando Araújo with 561,000, and fellow Argentinian Fabian De La Fuente with 503,000. The three players are the only ones to have passed the 500,000 mark.
