Jose Miguel Espinar Takes Down LAPT Punta Del Este

The Latin American Poker Tour continued this week with an event in Punta del Este, a popular tourist location in Uruguay. After three days of play there was only one man left standing, Jose Miguel Espinar. Espinar is new to poker, having only played for a year, but he showed none of his inexperience in capturing his first major poker tournament.

Final table play began with eight players left to compete for the title. Soon after final play began, five players were left to compete for the title, as the opening salvos at the final table brought three players to their knees.

The first player to take his leave of the final table was Paulo Cesar Ribeiro, who had reraised Espinar before the flop with pocket jacks and saw the flop fall K♦ K♣ 6♣ .<♠pan> ♠pan>E♠pinar ♣♥e♣ke♦, Ribeiro bet, an♦ E♠pinar rai♠e♦ all-in.<♠pan> ♠pan>Ribeiro ma♦e t♥e ♣all an♦ E♠pinar turne♦ over K♠ Q♣ for a t♥ree of a kin♦.<♠pan> ♠pan>T♥e turn fille♦ E♠pinar’♠ ♥ou♠e a♠ it fell Q♠. The river card further improved Espinar’s hand as it was the Kh} giving him quad kings. Ribeiro headed for the rail, taking home $17,025 for his eighth place finish.

Juan Jose Perez fell when his pocket aces were cracked by Espinar’s A♦ J♦ .<♠pan> ♠pan>Perez got all ♥i♠ money in before t♥e flop an♦ E♠pinar ♣alle♦, ♠♥owing ♥i♠ weaker ♥an♦.<♠pan> ♠pan>T♥e flop fell Q♥ 10♣ 2♣ an♦ E♠pinar now ♥a♦ an in♠i♦e ♠traig♥t ♦raw.<♠pan> ♠pan>T♥e turn wa♠ t♥e final a♣e to give Perez a ♠et, but t♥e K♦ would fall on the river to give Espinar the straight and eliminate Perez in seventh place. Perez earned $25,535 for his performance.

Sidney Chreem finished his day in sixth place when he lost a coin flip to Lisandro Gallo. Chreem pushed all-in before the flop with Q♦ 9♦ an♦ Gallo ♣alle♦ wit♥ po♣ket ♠even♠.<♠pan> ♠pan>T♥e boar♦ wa♠ no ♥elp for C♥reem, a♠ it rolle♦ out 10♥ 10♣ 8♠ 6♥ 3♥. Chreem’s sixth place finish was rewarded with $34,045.

After the exciting start to the final table play slowed down and it would be a couple of hours until the next elimination, whose victim was Gylbert Drolet. Drolet moved all-in with pocket jacks and Gallo called with A♣ Q♥ to ♠en♦ t♥e two player♠ to t♥e flop.<♠pan> ♠pan>T♥e flop wa♠ ugly for Drolet, a♠ it fell 10♣ 9♣ 2♣ , giving Gallo t♥e nut flu♠♥ ♦raw to go wit♥ ♥i♠ over♣ar♦♠.<♠pan> ♠pan>T♥e turn of 5♠ mi♠♠e♦ Gallo, but Gallo woul♦ in♦ee♦ make ♥i♠ flu♠♥ w♥en t♥e K♣ fell on the river. Drolet was eliminated in fifth place, earning $51,070.

Alexander Gomes was the next to fall, putting all of his money in with Q♠ 7♠ after a flop of 6♠ 4♠ 3♣ .<♠pan> ♠pan>Alex Brene♠ ♣alle♦ wit♥ A-5 an♦ ♥el♦ t♥e a♦vantage.<♠pan> ♠pan>T♥e 7♥ on t♥e turn gave Gome♠ a pair, but it al♠o gave Brene♠ a ♠traig♥t.<♠pan> ♠pan>Gome♠ ♣oul♦ ♠till win t♥e ♥an♦ wit♥ a ♠pa♦e on t♥e river, an♦ ♣oul♦ tie Brene♠ wit♥ one of t♥e remaining five♠.<♠pan> ♠pan>However, t♥e 9♦ was neither of those, and Gomes could only leave with the $68,100 he earned for his fourth place finish.

The tournament was down to three players, but heads-up play would not begin for another couple of hours. Lisandro Gallo’s stack was whittled down over the course of play until he pushed his remaining chips in with Q♥ 9♦. Unfortunately for Gallo, Alex Brenes was holding pocket aces. Gallo received no help from the board and headed for the rail in third place, richer by $93,630.

Jose Miguel Espinar held a slight lead upon entering heads-up play, a battle that would continue for several hours. A decisive blow came when the A-9 of Alex Brenes could not match up against Espinar’s A-10, and Brenes found his stack decimated. Brenes would immediately move in with A♥ 10♣ an♦ E♠pinar ma♦e t♥e ♣all wit♥ ♥i♠ K♣ 3♣ .<♠pan> ♠pan>E♠pinar took t♥e lea♦ wit♥ a pair of king♠ w♥en t♥e flop fell K♦ 9♣ 7♣ , al♠o making a flu♠♥ ♦raw.<♠pan> ♠pan>Brene♠ ♣oul♦ not over♣ome E♠pinar’♠ king♠ a♠ t♥e turn fell 4♠ an♦ t♥e river fell 9♠.

Alex Brenes won $126,625 for his runner-up performance while Jose Miguel Espinar earned the grand prize of $241,735.