LAPT Playa Conchal Levels 25 and 26 updates

Updates from level 25 and 26 of LAPT Playa Conchal, brought to you by Brad Willis and Change100.

Approximate chip counts, updated throughout the day, are available on the chip counts page. The LAPT tournament structure can be found on the LAPT tournament structure page. The full payout structure is on the prize pool and winners page.

Previous coverage: Day 1 wrap | Levels 9 and 10 | Levels 11 and 12 | Levels 13 and 14 | Day 2 wrap | Level 15 and 16 | Levels 17 and 18 | Levels 19 and 20
Level 21 and 22| Day 3 wrap | Levels 23 and 24

Blinds: 25,000/50,000/5,000

4:35pm: Heads up chip counts

Sol Bergren: 2,805,000
Amer Sulaiman: 2,280,000

4:32pm: Rogelio Pardo busts in third
On the very next hand after Levesque went out, Sol Bergren got his pocket fives in against Rogelio Pardo’s A♣ 3♠ . Pardo picked up a club draw by the turn when the board looked like 8♦ 6♣ K♣ 4♣ , but the 5♥ on the river gave Bergren an unnecessary set and Prado went out in third. He banks $61,551.

4:27pm: Eric Levesque out in 4th
It started one hand before when Sol Bergren opened for 120,000 and Eric Levesque shoved for around 900,000. Bergren chose to wait for a better spot.

On the very next hand, Begren again raised to 120,000. This time Levesque raised to 700,000. Bergren decided this was it and raised the nominal amount more to put Levesque all in. It was off to the races.

Bergren: 8♦ 8♣
Levesque: A♣ Q♦

The board ran out J♥ [5♦ 4♠ [3♣ 7♥ and Levesque was out in fourth place earning $45,221.

4:16pm: Francis-Nicolas Bouchard eliminated in 5th place
Francis-Nicolas Bouchard moved all-in from under-the-gun and the action was folded around to Amer Sulaiman in the big blind. Sulaiman stood up from his chair and offered a gentlemanly handshake to his opponent as he made the call and turned up A♥ A♠ .

Bouchard was in bad shape with the K♥ 9♠ . Although the K♣ J♠ 10♣ flop gave him a ray of hope, he couldn’t catch up on the turn or river, which fell the 6♦ and the A♦ . Sulaiman dragged the pot, taking his stack up to 2.4 million while Bouchard exited in fifth place, earning $32,660.

4:10pm: Cards are back in the air

4:02pm: While we’re waiting
As we await our five remaining players’ return, he’s a little video about the final eight.

Blinds: 20,000/40,000/4,000

3:48pm: Players on break
We’re now on a 15-minute break. In the meantime, they will be coloring off the 1,000 chips in favor of the new 5,000 ante.

3:46pm: Close the cooler
All weekend long, there have been giant 35 gallon ice chests outside the poker room. At least one of them is always full of the local brew Imperial. Eric Levesque is not shy about having a few at the table, and nor are his friends on the rail. At one point a few minutes ago, the empty can count stood at 16. Levesque’s rail is accordingly louder. Some officials are beginning to chat about whether it might be a good idea to dry the room up for a while.

3:43pm: Canada on Canada action
In a battle of the blinds, Amer Sulaiman raised to 140,000 from the small blind and Sol Bergren called in the big blind. On the flop, Q♦ J♠ [8♣ , both players checked. The turn, 3♦ , led Sulaiman to bet 145,000 and Bergren to call. The river, 2♣ drew a 300,000 bet from Sulaiman. Bergren though for a few moments before looking Sulaiman up. Bad idea, it turned out. Sulaiman held the mighty J♣ 2♥ for two pair and then win.

3:32pm: Back to calm, speeches
Not much has happened since Rogelio Pardo’s double up. The closest thing we;ve had to action is a hand that just happened in which Eirc Levesque limped in from the small blind and Amer Sulaiman checked in the big blind. On a flop of J♥ [6♥ 4♦ , Levesque bet out 65,000 and Sulaiman called. The turn brough the 9♥ . This time Levesque checked and Sulaiman bet 150,000. That bet brought another of Levesque’s patented speeches.

“You don’t seem strange,” he said. “Not at all.”

And with that, after some more thinking, he folded.

3:14pm: Costa Rica stays alive
If Rogelio Pardo is eliminated, it will leave only Canadians at the table. That almost happened a couple of seconds ago when Sol Bergren came in for a raise to 95,000 under the gun. Pardo moved all in for 225,000 from the button. Bergren only held 3♠ 4♥ but made the call anyway. He was up against A♣ Q♣ .

The flop was disastrous for the Costa Rican: 4♦ 2♠ 2♣ . The turn, 9♠ was no help either. Then the river…Q♦ .

The Ticos on the rail went nuts and Costa Rica still has a chance to claim this title for the home team.

3:04pm: Updated chip counts

Rogelio Pardo: 280,000
Amer Sulaman: 1,420,000
Sol Begren: 1,890,000
Francis-Nicola Bouchard: 655,000
Eric Levesque: 936,000

2:58pm: Darren Keyes to the rail in sixth place
Just seconds after Giron went out, Canadian Darren Keyes moved all in for 371,000. Amer Sulaiman over-shoved and isolated Keyes.

Sulaiman: A♠ K♦
Keyes: A♥ 7♥

The flop, 8♦ 7♦ 6♣ , was uber sexy for Keyes, but the K♣ came on the river and Keyes went out in sixth place for $26,380.

2:55pm: Carlos Giron eliminated
Shortstacked and down to 241,000, Carlos Giron moved all-in from the hijack. Everybody folded to Sol Bergren in the big blind who called with Q♣ J♣ . Giron held A♥ 9♠ . The board ran out 10♠ Q♦ 6♣ 10♦ 5♦ . Giron was eliminated in seventh place for $20,098.