We’re back! Greetings from Lima, Peru, where Season 6 of the Latin American Poker Tour has wound its way once again, bringing players from all over South America and beyond to the Atlantic City Casino in Miraflores for another chance at a coveted LAPT trophy.
I say “we’re back” because for many players and those of us covering them — including your humble scribbler — this week will mark a return trip to the picturesque Peruvian capital overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
I made my arrival late last night, spotting a few familiar faces while waiting in line for immigration, among them Team PokerStars Pro Jose “Nacho” Barbero who won his second of back-to-back LAPT titles here in Lima during Season 3.
The 40-minute cab ride from the Jorge Chávez International Airport to the Miraflores district that followed was likewise marked by memories of past visits brought back like the waves crashing alongside the coastal highway along which we traveled.
It’s a striking entry, actually, one that remains with any visitor to Lima. One travels due south from the airport until reaching the coast and the Circuito de Playas, the highway bound by the steep cliffs rising up imposingly on the left and the water peacefully brushing up against Lima’s Costa Verde (“green coast”) on the right.
More than once, however, the drive to Miraflores requires the negotiation of some hairpin turns this way and that, meaning the cliffs and beach switch sides as one goes back and then forward again.
Looking back, this is the fourth time the LAPT has come to Lima. Kemal Ferri of Peru would succeed Barbero as champion here in Season 4.
Then last November it was Jordan Scott winning the Season 5 LAPT Grand Final and the $168,210 first prize. Scott topped a field of 376 to win, outlasting a final table including Barbero who finished sixth.
Today, though, we turn to look ahead in anticipation of a brand new tournament and the first of two Day 1 flights. There will be many returners, but a lot of first-timers, too, all hoping to follow the paths taken previously by Barbero, Ferri, and Scott to victory in Lima.
Play begins at noon local time and our start-to-finish coverage of LAPT6 Peru will begin shortly thereafter and carry through to the last hand on Sunday, so stick close to the PokerStars blog and enjoy the ride!
Martin Harris is Freelance Contributor to the PokerStars Blog.
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