The 29-year-old won a monster three-way all-in with eleven players remaining to shove his stack to the 1.2 million mark with nine players remaining. By the end of the night, he was sitting on 1,327,000, good for almost a 2-1 chip lead on second place.

Bergren refuses to describe himself as a poker pro, preferring instead to describe himself, in so many words, as a travel bum. He's spent the last couple of months, in his words, "bumming around," in Aruba and Costa Rica. We've seen him in the past on a PokerStars tour. His last big finish was in the December 2007 APPT Melbourne event where he made a final table. Now, he leads the final table of LAPT Playa Conchal. That's the type of thing he does when he takes a break from the tough life of world pleasure travel.

Day 3 of the main event here was a rock-and-fire affair that started with Brazilian Team PokerStars Pros Alex Gomes and Maria Mayrinck fighting for the final table. It ended quickly for Gomes after he rivered two pair against an opponent who rivered a straight. Mayrinck suffered the losing end of a coinflip, her ace-queen failing to outrun a pair of jacks.

Though those two stars would fall, eight people emerged from the day with another day ahead of them. The biggest hand of the evening came when Bergren busted Daniel Mar Palsson and Steven Merrifield on the same hand.

Bergren opened for 35,000 from the button and Merrifield reraised to 108,000 from the small blind. Then Palsson moved all-in for 127,000 from the big blind. Both Bergren and Merrifield called and the flop came down [8h][7s][4h]. Merrifield and Bergren both checked to see the [ts] on the turn. That's when Merrifield moved all-in for 268,000. Bergren dwelled then called for almost all his remaining stack. He turned up [ks][js] for the second-nut flush draw and two overs. He was up against Merrfield [as][6s] and Palsson's jack-ten.

The river that fell river elicited some pretty foul language and one pair of broken sunglasses. It was understandable. The [Kd] gave every one of the chips in the pot to Bergren.

After a protracted sparring match with nine players, we finally found the final table. The players will come back in about 15 hours to determine the champion. Here's how they stack up against each other.

Sol Bergren (Canada) PokerStars player -- 1,327,000
Eric Levesque (Canada) PokerStars qualifier -- 694,000
Rogelio Pardo (Costa Rica) -- 685,000
Amer Sulaiman (Canada) PokerStars player -- 604,000
Darren Keyes (Canada) -- 572,000
Francis-Nicolas Bouchard (Canada) PokerStars player -- 564,000
Carlos Giron (Guatemala) -- 400,000
Patrick De Koster (Netherlands) PokerStars qualifier -- 340,000

You'll notice something there. More than half of the final table hails from the great white north of Canada. With another player from the Netherlands, it will be up to Rogelio Pardo or Carlos Giron to claim the title for Latin America.

You can see a full list of people who have cashed so far on our LAPT Playa Conchal winners page. So see the same thing but in much better Spanish and Portuguese, be sure to head over to PokerStarsBlog.la and PokerStarsBlog/br.

If you'd like to read how we got to this point, we've listed all of our previous coverage links below.

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 | Levels 21 and 22

We'll be back with final table action Sunday at noon CT. Until then, enjoy your weekend.

Selected 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

Blinds: 10,000/20,000/2,000

8:19pm: Alin eliminated, final table set
Crippled after that last hand with Bouchard, Pandilica called an Eric Levesque raise, enough to put him all-in. Bouchard called from the blind and checked down the hand with Levesque. Pandilica was only holding [td][2d] and didn't make anything better than ten-high. By the river, Bouchard had made a straight with his [8s][3s] and the final table was set.

We'll have a full wrap-up shortly.

8:09pm: Francis-Nicolas Bouchard doubles through Pandilica Alin
Francis-Nicolas Bouchard moved all-in from the button and Pandilica Alin made the call from the big blind. Bouchard flopped top pair with his [Kd][9h] against Alin's [Ad][3d], the board running out [9c][5d][4s][4c][4h] to make him a full house and double his stack.

Alin is on fumes with 100,000 in chips.

7:41pm: Back in action
The final nine players are back in their seats and ready to play.

7:26pm: Blinds up

When the players come back from break, the will be playing at 10K/20K/2K and chasing chip leader Sol Bergren whose 1,375,000 chips is good for the lead. His closest competitor right now is fellow Canadian Eric Levesque.

Blinds: 8,000/16,000/2,000

7:22pm: Darren Keyes doubles through Patrick De Koster
Both Darren Keyes and Patrick De Koster checked the [Jh][6s][4h] flop. When the [Kh] hit the turn, Keyes moved all-in for his remaining 175,000 and after several minutes in the tank, De Koster made the call.

Keyes had turned a set of kings, his crafty check on the flop likely earning him the call on the turn. De Koster showed [Ks][9h] for a flush draw. The river was the [2d] and Keyes doubled to 519,000 while De Koster slipped to 440,000.

With that, we're on a 15-minute break.

7:20pm: Yes, we realize...
It's been 45 minutes since the last time we posted (and it really doesn't have much to do with the internet going down for a bit. In fact...nothing has really happened. We're still at nine players.

6:36pm: Bergren scores a double KO, eliminating Merrifield and Palsson
Well, that was dramatic.

Sol Bergren opened for 35,000 from the button. Steve Merrifield reraised to 108,000 from the small blind, only to watch Daniel Mar Palsson move all-in for 127,000 from the big blind. With the action back on Bergren, he asked tournament director Greg Pappas if Merrifield would be permitted to reraise should he make the call. Pappas told him that he wouldn't, and Bergren put in the call. Merrifield called the additional 19,000 and we went to the flop, which came down [8h][7s][4h].

Merrifield checked and Bergren checked behind, but when the [Ts] hit the turn, Merrifield moved all-in for his remaining 268,000. Bergren let out a long sigh, removed his headphones and stood up from his chair. The call would cost him most of his chips.

Bergren sat down, looking like he was about to fold, but surprisingly he called, tabling [Ks][Js] for the second-nut flush draw and two overs.

"I've got 20 outs" said Merrifield as he revealed [As][6s] for a double-gutshot straight draw, one over, and the nut flush draw. Bergren looked like he wanted to die.

That is, until the [Kd] miraculously spiked on the river. Wow. Just...wow.

Let's not forget about Palsson, who was also all-in. He showed [Jc][Tc] and actually led on the turn until Bergren hit his gin card.

Palsson exited in 11th place and Merrifield, who started the hand with more chips, took 10th. As for Bergren, he is now the far and away chip leader with over 1.2 million.

6:30pm: Level up
We've now moved on to Level 22 with Eric Levesque as our likely chip leader.

Selected 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

Blinds: 6,000/12,000/1,000

6:19pm: Security?
Before long, Canadian qualifier Eric Levesque may need security around him. Not only does he have a lot of chips, but he's drawn the ire of his tablemates.

The most recent hand saw three players to a [2s][4c][8h] flop. Levesque checked and saw a bet to 37 and call behind him. With that, he raised to 105,000. The original bettor folded, but Carlos Giron called. On the [5h] turn, Levesque check-called a 100,000 bet.

The river was a fairly scary [9h]. Levesque didn't think long for before putting more than half his stack, 200,000, in the middle. Giron thought for two minutes before mucking.

With that, Levesque stood, tossed his cards face-up at Giron, and exclaimed, "How's that?!"

He held [8s][6d] for second pair, no kicker, no straight, no flush, no anything that Giron wouldn't have called if he'd known.

But he didn't know, and now Levesque has as big a stack as he has cojones and attitude.

6:08pm: Well, Pardo me!
Fresh off his double-up, Francis-Nicolas Bouchard made it 28,000 to go from middle position. Eric Levesque flat-called, and Carlos Giron put in a three-bet to 88,000 from the small blind. Pardo, sitting in the big blind, came in and four-bet to 275,000, leaving himself only 205,000 behind.

Bouchard thought hard before folding. Levesque made a speech, then folded, as did Giron. Pardo raked in the pot and showed one card, the [Kc]. He's now up to 632,000.

5:55pm: Francis-Nicolas Bouchard doubles through Rogelio Pardo
Francis-Nicolas Bouchard has been shoving all-in virtually every time the action has been folded to him in the hopes of doubling up and on this last hand, he finally got a customer in Rogelio Pardo. Bouchard's [Ac][Kc] outran Pardo's [Jc][Jd], the board running out [5s][5c][7c][Ad][3c] to double him up to 375,000. Pardo's stack fell to 483,000.

5:50pm: Merrifield triples
It's a three-way all-in that came out of nowhere. The hands:

Steve Merrifield: [Ah][8s]
Darren Keyes: [3c][3d]
Patrick de Koster: [Ad][qh]

The board ran out [7s][jh][7h][8h][kc]. Merrfield 114,000 chips tripled in value, Keyes won the side pot and de Koster's big stack now has a dent in it.

5:35pm: Sol burns Iceland
Nearly down to the felt at the first break today, Sol Bergren is back in safe territory after doubling through Daniel Mar Palsson, his [As][Ah] holding up against [Ts][Th]. Bergren is up to 425,000 while Palsson was left with 187,000.

5:31pm: Our TD
While we're waiting for the action to pick back up, here's our favorite TD in the world, Mike Ward talking about the LAPT structure.

5:15pm: Chip count

We just put up a fresh chip count from the break. You can find it right here.

5:00pm: Break
Players are on a 15-minute break before moving on to Level 20.

Blinds: 5,000/10,000/1,000

4:59pm: Palsson takes a hit
We caught up with this hand on the turn, the board reading [Jd][Ts][5s][9h]. Patrick De Koster checked, Daniel Mar Palsson bet 37,000 and De Koster came in with a check-raise to 105,000. Palsson called and they saw the [Tc] hit the river. This time, De Koster led out, making it 145,000 to go. Palsson made the call and insta-mucked once he saw De Koster's turned straight with [Ks][Qc].

Palsson is down to 403,000 while De Koster is nearing the chip lead with 894,000.

4:40pm: Pandilica Alin doubles through Francis-Nicolas Bouchard
Pandilica Alin opened for 25,000 from under-the-gun, Francis-Nicolas Bouchard moved all in for 172,000 and Alin insta-called. It was pocket aces for Alin vs. Bouchard's pocket nines, the board running out [7c][5h][2d][5c][Th] to double Alin's stack to 350,000. Bouchard was left with only 73,000.

4:25pm: Sol plays it really slow
When Steve Merrifield came in for a raise to 22,000, he got three customers, including Sol Bergren.The flop fell [3d][ks][qh]. All four players checked. On the [kc] turn, everybody checked to Merrifield, so he bet 35,000. This time, only Bergren called. The river was the [4c]. This time Bergren checked again and Merrifield put out 125,000, enough to put Bergren all-in. He didn't waste time putting his chips in the middle with his [kh][qd]. Merrifield could only laugh and muck his hand.

4:15pm: Rogelio Pardo doubles through Pandilica Alin
Pandilica Alin led off the action with a raise to 25,000. Carlos Giron flat-called and Rogelio Pardo came in with a squeeze raise to 60,000. With the action back on Alin, he four-bet to 110,000. Giron gave up his hand and Pardo came in with a fifth raise to a total of 210,000. Alin called and they went to the flop, which came down [Kh][8s][3h]. Alin moved all-in and Pardo snap-called, turning up [Ad][Ac], leaving Alin in dire shape with [Jd][Jh]. The turn was the [9s], the river was the [6s] and Pardo scored himself a monster pot, taking his stack up to 750,000, good for the chip lead. Alin was left with 177,000.

4:06pm: Clayton McGuire eliminated
Short-stacked and ready to double, Clayton McGuire just got it all-in with ace-jack. Unfortunately for him, he ran into Steve Merrifield's pocket kings. McGuire never caught up and is gone in 12th place.

3:53pm: Time for a new level
Players are getting rid of the unnecessary 500 chips now. The blinds move up to 5,000/10,000/1,000.

While we wait for the players to sit back down, here's a photo of the sharks on sale for Humberto Brenes' Save the Sharks charity effort.

Selected 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

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 (500 ante)

3:52pm: Color-up
The tournament clock has been paused between levels so the pink 500-denomination chips can be colored up and removed from play. We'll be back in a few.

3:51pm: De Koster's wheel runs over Reynolds
On a flop of [8c][2h][3c], Patrick De Koster checked to William Austin Reynolds, who bet 26,000. De Koster moved all in and Reynolds quickly called.

"Do you have a pocket pair bigger than eights?" asked Reynolds as he tabled [Ac][8d].

Nope. De Koster showed [4c][4d].

The [Ad] on the turn made aces up for Reynolds, but the [5c] on the river gave De Koster a runner-runner wheel, eliminating Reynolds in 13th place.

3:40pm: James McKeon exits in 14th place
Short-stacked and shoving every chance he got, James McKeon pushed all in from the big blind after Daniel Mar Palsson came in for a raise. It wasn't a big enough shove to force out Palsson and he called with two red fives. McKeon turned up [ts][8s]. The board ran out [7d][7c][2d][5s][8d] and McKeon was gone.

3:31pm: Eduardo Hernandez eliminated...in brutal fashion
Eduardo Hernandez opened from middle position for 22,000. After one of his signature speeches in which he told his opponent all the reasons why he shouldn't have raised him, Eric Levesque three-bet to 109,000. Hernandez instantly moved all-in and Levesque asked for a count. It was an additional 80,500 to him, and Levesque made the call reluctantly.

Hernandez triumphantly turned over [Ad][Ah] while Levesque showed [Ac][Qd].

The [Qc][9d][2c] flop paired up Levesque.

"Come on, you can give me another queen, right?" Levesque asked the dealer. Instead, the [4c] peeled off, but it was a good card for Levesque, giving him a flush draw.

"Club or a queen, club or a queen!" he screamed. I don't think we have to tell you what happened next.

The [Qh] hit the river.

Hernandez looked absolutely devastated as Levesque leapt out of his seat, crying "BOOOOOM!" Several pairs of eyes rolled around the table.

Hernandez finished in 15th place while Levesque is up to 540,000.

3:12 pm: Fred Dykes eliminated in 16th place
Francis-Nicolas Bouchard opened for 18,000 from the cutoff and Fred Dykes moved all-in from the button for an additional 82,500. Bouchard didn't think for very long before making the call, turning up [Kc][Th] to Dykes' [5s][5d]. Dykes hit a set on the [As][5c][Qh] flop, the turn was the [6h], but Bouchard spiked his gutshot on the river, the [Jc] falling to make him a Broadway straight.

Bouchard is approaching 400,000 in chips.

3:10pm: Edgar Cruz eliminated
Clayton McGuire came in for a raise to 20,000 from the button. Carlos Giron called from the small blind, as did Edgar Cruz from the big. The flop fell [9d][th][8s]. Giron checked and Cruz immediately moved all-in for 68,500. McGuire folded, but Giron called with [9s][ts]. Cruz meekly turned up [7h][8h]. He turned a flush draw to go with his straight draw, but both missed and Cruz went out in 17th place.

2:34pm: New level

We're moving on up. Seventeen players remain. We'll have a full chip count in just a second.

Blinds: 3,000-6,000 (500 ante)

2:14pm: Giron calls the clock on Levesque
Eric Levesque opened for 18,000 and Carlos Giron called. The action exploded on the [Qh][9d][8c] flop. Giron checked, Levesque bet 20,000, Giron raised to 48,000, and Levesque three-bet to 110,000.

"All-in" said Giron, instantaneously, quickly followed by "Clock," as Levesque has been taking his time on nearly every decision today.

Levesque asked for a count, revealing it was an additional 280,000 to call. Tournament Director Mike Ward gave him another minute to act on his hand, counting down the final ten seconds. Levesque did not act, and his hand was declared dead.

Giron raked in the monster pot, increasing his stack to 540,000 while Levesque was left with 380,000.

2:04pm: Kenneth Hicks eliminated
With the board reading [5h][ks][ad][5s][jh], Kenneth Hicks shoved in his last 85,000. Clayton McGuire didn't waste much time before calling with [ac][jc], a two pair better than Hicks had with [ah]6h]. Hicks exits in 18th place.

1:57pm: Arturo Morales eliminated in 19th place
Arturo Morales tried to make a move with the [2s][5s], but it ended up backfiring, as he ran into James McKeon's [Ac][Ks]. McKeon flopped top pair along with a straight and flush draws, the board running out [Kc][Qc][Jc][3s][3d] to send Morales to the rail.

1:55pm: Palsson freezes Bergren
On aflop of [Kh][9h][5c], Daniel Mar Palsson led out and Sol Bergren tested him with a raise, making it an additional 32,000 to play. Bergren made the call. Both players checked the [9d] on the turn, and when the [6c] hit the river, Palsson bet 62,000. After a long stint in the tank, Bergren made a crying call, mucking his hand when he saw Palsson's [Kd][Qs].

The Icelander is now our new chip leader, with 680,000 while Bergren slipped to 123,000.

1:50pm: The Eric Levesque speech
Eric Levesque ha a sort of script he uses when making a decision against an all-in player This is it, almost verbatim:

Now you have to deal with me, because I don't think you have much. You look like you want to die. You should not have done that. I think you'll have a customer. You have 30 seconds to convince me to fold. Do you not want a customer? I don't believe you."

We've now heard the speech a few times and could recite it ourselves. This time, it ended with him calling Edgar Cruz's all-in bet on the river on a board [ts][4h][8c][ad][js]. Cruz sort of slow-rolled his pocket eights for the set and racked up about 250,000 in chips.

1:33pm: Francis Kemper Cagney eliminated in 20th place
All-in pre-flop with pocket fours against [As][Ts], Cagney couldn't win the race, an ace hitting the flop to take him out in 20th place.

1:29pm: Eric Levesque takes out Don Stockwell in 22nd, Gonzalez out in 21st
Eric Levesque opened for 14,000 from under-the-gun, Edgar Cruz flat-called from the small blind and Don Stockwell moved all in for an additional 34,000. Levesque called but after a few minutes in the tank, Cruz elected to fold. Although Stockwell's [Ad][Jc] had Levesque in bad shape with [Ah][3h], Levesque rivered a flush, the board running out [2h][6h][5d][7c][9h] to eliminate Stockwell in 22nd place.

Almost simultaneously, Alejandro Gonzalez Mata met his tournament end, exiting in 21st place.

1:27pm: New level, new blinds
After an hour of play, we're now moving up in blinds. And a bustout report is coming!

Blinds: 10,000-20,000 (2,000 ante)

8pm: Over
On the stroke of 8pm, this day is done. The short-stacked Claudio Coelho moved all in from the hijack seat - about 120,000 or so - and Jeff Sarwer re-raised from the small blind, convincing Antonio Matias to get out the way.

Sarwer was already ahead pre-flop with [ah][7h] against Coelho's [ac][6h] but the flop sealed it emphatically. It came [kh][2h][4h] giving him the nut flush. Coelho is out in ninth and our final table is set.

A full chip count is imminent, but these are the players (in seat order):

Ryan Franklin, United States
Jan Skampa, Czech Republic
Jeff Sarwer, Canada
Antonio Matias, Portugal
Andrei Vlasenko, Russia
Joao Silva, Portugal
Michel Abecassis, France
Pierre Neuville, Belgium

7.55pm: Skampa-in about
Jeff Sarwer opened for 45,000. It's called by Jan Skampa when the action reached him in the big blind. The flop comes [qh][tc][qc] which Skampa checks and Sarwer bet another 47,000. Skampa paused and then re-raised, 145,000 in total. Sarwer stared at Skampa, at his chips and then sat still. Both of them hardly moved. Sarwer passed. "Nice hand," he said quietly .

7.50pm: Flush anyone?
Jan Skampa opened with a raise to 50,000 and was called by Jeff Sarwer and Pierre Neuville to see a [8d][7c][5c] flop. It was checked to Sarwer and he bet 104,000 only to be called by Neuville from the small blind. The turn came [jc] and this time Neuville check-called a 225,000 bet leaving himself only 209,000 behind. When the river came [5d] Neuville moved in for the last of his chips and Sarwer folded saying "Thanks for that, you obviously have a big hand." Neuville flashed [9c] and raked in the big pot.

7.45pm: Silva golden
Joao Silva made it 50,000 from the button and Pierre Neuville called from the small blind for a flop of [6c][4c][2h]. Both checked for a [7d] on the turn. Now Neuville made it 60,000 which Silva called  for an [8c] on the river. Both checked that. Neuville turned over [as][qh] but Silva had him beaten with [ad][2d].

7.30pm: Silva survives
The first all-in didn't take long. Joao Silva moved all-in with [ac][8s] for a little more than 300,000. Claudio Coelho called with [kh][ks]. Silva needed an ace to survive and got it on the flop: [jd][3s][as]. Coelho was out of his chair holding his head. The turn and river came [6d][9c] and Silva raised his arms in the air. Coelho looked devastated, refusing to shake Antonio Matias's hand as an act of sympathy. Instead he's left with 150,000.

7.25pm: Chips
After a short delay to arrange the pseudo final table, here are the all important chip counts (in seat order):
1 - Claudio Coelho, Portugal, 448,000
2 - Ryan Franklin, United States, 1,219,000
3 - Jan Skampa, Czech Republic, 682,000
4 - Jeff Sarwer, Canada, 2,353,000
5 - Antonio Matias, Portugal, 2,986,000
6 - Andrei Vlasenko, Russia, 379,000
7 - Joao Silva, Portugal, 303,000
8 - Michel Abecassis, France, 544,000
9 - Pierre Neuville, Belgium, 705,000

7.05pm: Terrazas departs
Ryan Franklin opened for 48,000 and Santiago Terrazas re-raised another 97,000 more. Franklin then re-raised all-in and Terrazas called. He didn't like what he saw. His [9s][9h] was out-gunned by Franklin's [kh][kc]. The board ran: [3s][6d][7c][6h][qs]. No change for Terrazas who is eliminated in tenth place.

The remaining nine players are now gathering around the pseudo final table. One more to depart before we reach the final eight who will return tomorrow. Full chips of those nine are on their way.

7pm: This is poker
Action folded around to Jan Skampa who raised to 46,000 and was called Antonio Matias in the big blind. The flop was [5s][2d][qd]. Skampa continued his aggression with a 52,000 bet that Matias min-raised to 104,000. Skampa responded with another raise, up to 220,000 before Matias fought back again with what looked like another min raise. Skampa decided to bail and and folded only to be shown [td][js] by his opponent to cheers from his supporters on the rail.

6.55pm: Double-quick eliminations
Two players have just hit the rail in very quick succession. First up, Gino Gabriel raised from under-the-gun to 50,000 before Ryan Franklin moved all in for around 400,000 and Gabriel snap called all in with a similar sized stack. Franklin tabled [tc][td] and was in a very strong position against Gabriel's [ad][th]. The board ran [2d][kd][5h][kh][jh] to eliminate the final British player in 12th place.

About two hands later, and on the same table, this happened:

Jeff Sarwer opened for 45,000 from the cut off and Tome Moreira raised 75,000 more from the button. Sarwer tanked for a while, Moreira standing up. Sarwer then turned to him and announced all in. Moreira stood, lifting his cards off the table to stare at them before calling. Sarwer immediately said: "Good call". [as][th] for Moreira, [kc][9h] for Sarwer. Then the flop: [js][3h][9d]. Sarwer was now ahead, leaving Moreira in need of a ten or an ace. When the [3d] landed on the turn he gathered his things ready to leave. When the [ks] landed on the river he did just that, shaking hands with Sarwer to a round of applause.

"I'm surprised he had it in him," said Sarwer. Remember the ace-jack fold? I was surprised."

Moreira and Gabriel now find themselves on the prizewinners page, where you can see who has won what so far. The down-side is that they're no longer on the chip-counts page, which is still the best place to find information of those remaining.

6.50pm: No takers
First hand back after the break and Andrei Vlasenko shoved, getting no takers. Second hand back from the break Vlasenko shoved again, still no takers. Joao Silva was trying the same on the other table and you guessed it, no takers.

6.45pm: All in action
The action started with an under-the-gun 48,000 raise from Ryan Franklin before Gino Gabriel three-bet to 170,000 and Santiago Terrazas moved all in. Franklin folded but Gabriel called with [js][jh]. Terrazas opened [ks][kc] and the board ran [ah][5h][3h][5c][3s] to more than double-up the Spanish player.

6.40pm: Hidden talents
With Jude Ainsworth's elimination in the last level, Team PokerStars Pro took their leave of EPT Vilamoura. That gives them more time to work on their hidden talents, showcased in this video blog:

6.35pm: We're back
Play has resumed in Vilamoura. Just 12 players remain and we play on until that figure is down to eight. Check out the latest scores on the now updated chip count page. Missing someone? You might find them here on the prize winners and payout page.

Pierre Neuville

Selected 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

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 (500 ante)

1:19pm: Jose Del La Guardia eliminated
It was a weird hand and decision that sent our latest finisher to the rail. A series of raises and re-raises between Jose de La Guardia and overnight chip leader Eric Levesque ended with De La Guardia ultimately shoving all-in for his last 120,000 chips. Levesque snap-called with [Ah][as], way ahead and destined to hold up against [ks][qs]. Although De La guardia flopped a king, he couldn't catch up and is out in 23rd place

1:09pm: Maria "maridu" Mayrinck eliminated in 24th place
Mayrinck made her last stand, getting her chips in before the flop with A-Q and found herself in a race with pocket jacks. There was no love for "maridu" on the T-5-5-8-2 board, the Brazilian contingent sighing heavily as the last Brazilian (and the last woman...and the last Team PokerStars Pro) was eliminated.

"What, you think I run good?" she laughed on her way to collect her $4,711 in earnings.

1:05pm: Quads for Keyes
Rogelio Pardo made it 15,000 to go before the flop and Darren Keyes looked him up. Both players checked the [Ks][Kc][Js] flop. The turn came the [Kh] and Pardo led out for 22,500. Keyes made the call. The river fell the [Qh] and Pardo took another shot at the pot, betting 27,000. Keyes carefully counted out a raise to 70,000 and after a few moments of deliberation, Pardo gave up his hand.

Keyes flashed [Kh][Jc], having flopped a full house and turned quads.

1:01pm: Mayrinck eliminates Daniel Fernando De Mare
Maria Mayrinck came in for raise from the button and the short-stacked Daniel Fernando De Mare shoved from the big blind with big slick. With very little more to call, Mayrinck made the call with her king-ten. She spiked a ten on the river and De Mare went out in 25th place.

12:49pm: Eduardo Hernandez doubles through Kenneth Paul Hicks

Kenneth Paul Hicks opened for 12,000 from early position and Eduardo Hernandez made the call. Hicks check-called Hernandez's 12,000 bet on the [Qc][7h][4d] flop, then check-called another 24,000 when the [Ah] hit the turn. The river was the [6d] and Hicks checked a third time. Hernandez fired out 24,000 and Hicks made it an additional 58,000 to go. Hernandez quickly called, slapping his [Ac][Qd] on the table. Hicks had an inferior two pair with [Ad][7d] and lost nearly half his stack, dropping down to 165,000. Hernandez has over 500,000 now and is the current chip leader.

12:48pm--James Casement eliminated
Bad luck for American James Casement. Short-stacked and in need of a double up, he got [kh][ts] in against Kenneth Hicks [tc][[8h]. An eight hit the river and Casement is out in 26th.

12:43pm: Nehring, Franke down
Within mere seconds, two PokerStars qualifiers hit the rail. Short-stacked German Mathis Nehring got it in with pocket fives against William Reynolds pocket sevens. Reynolds flopped his set and Nehring was out in 28th place.

Moments later, Brazilian freeroll qualifier Andre Franke got ace-queen all-in and ran right into pocket aces. He didn't catch up and went out in 27th.

12:31pm: The Graham Express derails

Rory "A.J." Graham got the rest of his chips in before the flop with [8d][8s] and earned a call from Edgar Cruz with [Ac][Kd]. Graham's eights still led on the [Jc][5c][2c] flop, though Cruz picked up the nut flush draw to go with his overcards. The turn was the [6d], safe for Graham but the [6c] on the river filled Cruz's flush and sent Graham to the rail in 29th place.

The exuberant Graham shook hands around the table before heading out.

"Hey, I'm still the CHOOOOO CHOOOO!" he laughed, chomping on his cigar.

12:12pm: Alex Gomes eliminated
It was one of those ugly blind versus blind limped pots with a board that got there for both players. In this case, the money went in on the river with the board showing [6c][7h][js][4d][9d]. Gomes held nine-six for two pair. Too bad for him, as qualifier Clayton McGuire held [ts][8d] for the straight. Gomes finishes in 30th place for $4,082.

12:16pm: One more color up
As we move up to level 16, there is no need for those pesky 100 denomination black chips. Another short break to move those off the table. Antes are now 500.

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 (400 ante)

12:10pm: Annnnnnnnd, now we're underway
After a short delay to color up, we're in action. We ended with two minutes left in this left. By the time you read again, we'll be up.

11:50am: Thirty returning
We're back at our posts and ready to move this field from 30 down to eight players. The man in front is Canadian PokerStars qualifier Eric Levesque.

Action starts in ten minutes.

Blinds: 5,000-10,000 (1,000 ante)

6.15pm: Another break
That's the end of another level. The remaining 12 players are taking a 15 minute break.

6.10pm: Skampa in no hurry
Claudio Coelho limped and Jan Skampa made up the small blind. Antonio Matias checked his option for a flop of [7h][5d][8h]. Skampa made it 42,000 before Matias folded. At this point Pierre Neuville stepped away from the table. "Dah, I missed my plane..." Neuville had been a short stack coming in today and was on the 7pm flight home. Not now. Coelho called for a [3h]. Skampa, a serious and clean looking young man, made it another 90,000. Coelho folded [6s][6c] face up.

6.05pm: Time to play back
Jeff Sarwer, as you would expect, if dominating his table with just over min bet raises that are getting through most of the time. At some point an opponent was bound to play back and that someone was Gino Gabriel. Sarwer did his usual 35,000 raise before Gabriel re-raised to 100,000 from the big blind. Sarwer called and they went to a [ad][ac][5s] flop where both players checked. When the turn came [9c] Gabriel moved all in for 425,000. Sarwer asked for a count, thought about it for a while then smiled and said "Nice hand" as he slid his cards in to the muck.

5.50pm: The Matias show continues
Jan Skampa raised to 42,000 in the cut off and Antonio Matias called on the button. The two of them saw a flop of [7s][4s][qd] and Skampa bet 66,000, which Matias called. The turn was [8c] and the procedure was repeated: Skampa bet 132,000 and Matias called. The river was [2s] and now Skampa slowed down. He checked, as did Matias, who tabled [ts][9s] for the rivered ten-high flush. Skampa mucked and Matias added even more to his huge stack.

5.42pm: Three-way all in
This crazy little pot started with Irish Team PokerStars Pro Jude Ainsworth raising to 38,000 from first position and he was called by Antonio Matias in the small blind and Michel Abecassis in the big blind. The flop came down [kc][th][9s] before Matias led out for 60,000 and was cold called by Abecassis before Ainsworth moved all in for 278,000. Matias looked like he was trying to figure out where he was in the hand and then announced a call. He soon knew where he was when Abecassis moved all in behind for a total of 428,000. It wasn't much more to call now though and he did just that.

Ainsworth: [kh][kd]
Matias: [ks][jd]
Abecassis: [qh][jh]

The turn came [qc] to to help Matias hit his gutshot to catch up with Abecassis and the river came [3c] failing to pair the board. This means Ainsworth is eliminated in 13th place and the other two players chopped the pot.

5.35pm: Skampa skooling
Jan Skampa might have only the second biggest stack on table three, but he's assumed the table captain's mantle. He pushed Jude Ainsworth off a pot with a judicious re-raise pre-flop and he just took some chips from Claudio Coelho with ace high. Coehlo opened to 32,000, Skampa called in the small blind and the flop came [3d][7h][4d] which both players checked. The turn was [9c] and Skampa check-called Coehlo's 32,000 bet. The river, [5h], was checked by both. Skampa's [ah][8h] was better than Coehlo's [kh][qc].

5.30pm: No Victory for Visser
One of two remaining Team PokerStars Pros Ruben Visser has been eliminated. He pushed his short stack in from early position with [qh][th] but ran into Jeff Sarwer's [ad][ks] in the big blind. The board came [5s][7h][7d][7c][8d] offering no help for the young Dutch maestro who leaves to generous applause.

5.25pm: Long awaited elimination
Coelho is back in action, this time seeing off 102. Crippled by the hand against Jude Ainsworth, 102 shoved with [8s][8c] getting called by Coelho with [jh][th]. The board came: [tc][5d][7d][ks][2s] to bust him in 15th place.

5.20pm: Coelho the clown
Claudio Coelho limped under the gun and Jude Ainsworth and Pierre Neuville called from the blinds. The flop came [6c][qh][5d]. Ainsworth and Neuville checked before Coelho made it 33,000. Ainsworth folded but Neuville called for a [qd] on the turn. Neuville checked that and Coelho moved in a tower worth 75,000, grinning at Neuville. Neuville was having none of it though and re-raised Coelho, 200,000 total. Coelho stopped grinning and began rubbing his cards on the table while bouncing in his chair.

He began staring at Neuville again but the Belgian had a get-on-with-it expression. Then, after a minute of waiting, Neuville mimed playing a violin in faux sympathy for Coelho who folded his [7s][7d] face up. Neuville grinned, looked like he would show but instead mucked his cards, laughing and giving Coelho a pat on the back.

5.15pm: Lifelines
An open shove by Aurelien Guiglini in the small blind, called by Jude Ainsworth in the big. The Team PokerStars Pro was covered but only just. He showed [ad][jc] to Guiglini's [td][ts]. Ainsworth got nothing from the flop but a jack on the turn. He did a quiet fist pump while Claudio Coelho waved goodbye to him. A blank river and Guiglini was left with less than 50,000. Ainsworth gets a lifeline.

5.10pm: Bad timing
The action folded around to Hugo Felix on the button who open shoved with his last 176,000. Ryan Franklin was in the next seat and asked for a count all the while looking as if he had a difficult decision to make. The count was done and he announced "call" to give us a show down when Gino Gabriel in the big blind folded. Felix tabled [jd][7c] against Franklin's [as][ad]. Gabriel had evaded the trap. The board ran [2h][qd][4h][3c][td] busting Felix.

5.05pm: Matias still going strong
Pierre Neuville raised to 42,000 from early position and Antonio Matias was the only caller from the button. The flop came [js][3s][kc] and Neuville check-called Matias's 60,000 bet. The turn was [2h] and they both checked. The river was [9s] and they both checked that too. Matias' [ad][jd] was good.

5pm: New level
After the first level of the tournament during which no one was eliminated, 16 players return for the start of level 21. Their chips, as ever, are on the chip count page and you'll doubtless notice a few short stacks there. The pressure is on Ruben Visser and Ryan Franklin, among others.

In much safer waters are Antonio Matias, Jeff Sarwer and this man, Jan Skampa:

Blinds: 5,000-10,000 (1,000 ante)

4.45pm: To the break
A few scrappy looking pots have taken place on table two. Pierre Neuville has raised pre-flop a couple of times, but ended the hand down after re-raises from Andrei Vlasenko and Jan Skampa. He took some back though pushing Jude Ainsworth off a pre-flop raise.

Just before the break Skampa made it 27,000 from under-the-gun. Aurelien Guiglini called in the cut off, as did Claudio Coelho in the small blind. The flop came [5s][2d][th] and Coelho had a pop at it, betting 25,000. Skampa was having none of it and raised to 80,000. That got Guiglini out of the way and ultimately Coelho who showed [ad][js]

That's the end of the level - the first today that has ended without a player being eliminated. The last 16 are now on a 15 minute break.

4.35pm: Short stack battle
Dutch Team PokerStars Pro Ruben Vissser moved all in from the hijack for 277,000 when folded around to him before Ryan Franklin called all in for 132,000 from the button. It was a case of small pairs for the small stacks as Visser opened [4c][4d] to Franklin's [6s][6h]. The board ran [9c][3s][tc][6d][jh] putting Visser right back in the deep troble he was just climbing out of.

4.25pm: Double up for Visser
It's folded around to Tome Moreira in the small blind, who announces he's all. Ruben Visser, the short-stack at the table, instantly calls all in from the big blind.
Moreira: [as][7c]
Visser: [ad][8d]
The flop came [5s][kc][3c], and the [8h] turn sealed the deal. The [4h] river was of no consequence, and Visser doubled up to 280,000, leaving Moreira on around 350,000.

4.20pm: Small pot
There's not a huge amount happening at the moment, but here's a small pot to report. Claudio Coelho limped from under-the-gun and it was folded to the blinds, Jude Ainsworth in the small and Pierre Neuville in the big. They came along. The flop was [qc][9c][3d] and all three of them checked. The turn was [qs] and Ainsworth fired 12,000. Neuville raised to 32,000 and that was that. Fold, fold.

4.15pm: Visser on the point of evisceration
It's been a tough day for Ruben Visser and he is now down to his last 80,000 or so. Visser open shoved from the button and got that through, but on the next hand raised to 27,000 from the cut off. Gino Gabriel called in the big blind and they saw a [10s][9h][ah] flop. Gabriel checked, Visser bet 24,000 and Gabriel called. The turn was [7c], which they both checked, and the river was [ac]. Gabriel bet 45,000 and Visser, priced in, called. Gabriel showed [as][3s] and Visser's jacks were cracked.

4.10pm: Sarwer means business
Jeff Sarwer opened under the gun for 27,000, and it's folded around to Ruben Visser in mid position. He has a look down at his chips, then picks up a chunk and lobs them in the middle for a re-raise of 45,000.

Sarwer asked how much Visser had behind - it was significantly less than his stack - and re-popped for 250,000. Visser wasted no time in mucking his cards

4.05pm: Song and dance
On a flop of [9h][8d][4d] Michel Abecassis in early position checked to Claudio Coelho on the button who made it 30,000. Abecassis called for a [8c] turn. Coelho can't seem to sit still and dances in his seat. He made it 25,000 which Abecassis raised to 71,000. Coelho called, still dancing, for a [2s] on the river. Coelho immediately flicked out 20,000.

Abecassis asked how much he had behind. It's several hundred. It's hard to tell because Coelho has his chips all over the place, not stacked in 20s. Abecassis raises another 150,000. Coelho called instantly and without looking at the board, or Abecassis, turned over his [5h][5c]. Abecassis insta-mucked. "Whooooooo," sand Coelho, "Whooooooo," he continued, doing the dance at the same time. It's a routine that might not win him many friends.

3.55pm: No fun time for Franklin
Ryan Franklin opened with a 27,000 raise from the hijack and then called the 202,000 all in push from Joao Silva in the small blind. Franklin had [td][tc] and saw he was in good shape against Silva's [jd][9h]. That all changed though when the board came [jh][7s][9d][6s][6d]. Franklin down to 100,000 now.

3.50pm: No takers
A flurry of all ins on Jeff Sarwer's table, although nothing came from them. Sarwer made it 30,000 from the button before Ruben Visser moved all-in. Sarwer folded an ace, Visser said he had some of those too.

Then Ryan Franklin got stuck in, moving all-in behind a bet of 31,000 from Visser. No takers, but they wanted to see.

"Let me pick one!" said Visser but Franklin wasn't playing.
"You could have called to see both."
"Pay per view, right?" added Sarwer.

Franklin did the same on the next hand, again no takers. He's been the short stack for some time now but he doesn't look under threat.

3.45pm: Hey Jude, don't be afraid
"I don't like making hero calls," said Jude Ainsworth, staring down Antonio Matias and his huge stack, 71,000 of which had been bet on the river. The hand played out like this: Matias raised to 25,000 from the cut off and Ainsworth was the only caller from the big blind. The flop came [2c][js][kd] and both players checked. The turn was [5s] and Ainsworth check-called Matias' 25,000 bet. The river was [4c] and Ainsworth checked again, which prompted that 71,000 bet from Matias. "Did that four help you?" Ainsworth asked. "I think I was ahead before that." Ainsworth's read was spot on, but he called anyway, showing [7s][5h]. Matias showed [as][3s].

3.40pm: Neuville doubles
Pierre Neuville doubles up to 675,000 through Jan Skampa. Neuville bet 32,000 from mid position, and Skampa re-raised to 86,000 from the small blind. A little look at his opponent's stack - Skampa had him well covered - and Neuville moved all in for 298,000 more. Call.

Skampa: [js][jd]
Neuville: [kd][kh]

The flop came [qc][qs][9s] and the [6s] turn added a flush draw to Skampa's outs, making the man from Belgium sweat a little, but the [9d] was enough to keep him ahead.

3.42pm: Tome for a double-up
Tome Moreira has just doubled through Santiago Terrazas. Moreira raised to 31,000 from under-the-gun and was only called by the Spaniard to see a [2s][4s][3s] flop. Moreira bet 60,000 when checked to him before he was put all in by Terrazas. Moreira had 155,000 back and made the call with [th][td] and saw he was up against [8s][8c]. The turn came [6c] and river [kc] to see the chips heading the way of the Portuguese. The Spaniard down to 460,000.

3.35pm: Blind on blind
Pierre Neuville made it 30,000 from the small blind and Claudio Coelho called from the big. The flop came [ah][9d][9h] and Neuville led for 47,000. Coelho took a long time over his decision but folded, showing [10h][jc].

3.30pm: And we're back after break
Play resumes. 16 players remain and their chip counts are now available on the chip count page.

Ruben Visser

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 (500 ante)

3.15pm: Franklin picks his spot
Ryan Franklin reraised all in from late position after Tome Moreira had opened to 28,000. Franklin's all in was 161,000 more. The tournament clock ticked down towards the end of the level as Moreira sunk into the tank. He passed almost on the stroke of the end of the level, giving everyone their full 15-minute break. Including us.

3.10pm: Neuville nipped
Pierre Neuville is trying to get something going, but is not getting it his own way. He raised to 28,000 from the cut off, then Jan Skampa made it 51,000 from the big blind. Neuvill folded. A couple of hands later, Neuville raised to 25,000 from mid position and Claudio Coelho called to his left. The flop came [4d][2c][ah] and after Neuville checked, Coelho bet 50,000 and Neuville folded. Coelho showed [2s][3d].

3.05pm: Tome-much to call
Santiago Terrazas opened for 27,000 under the gun, called by Tome Moreira for a [3s][as][9c] flop. Terrazas made it another 39,000 which again Moreira called. Again on the [ac] turn, Santiago made it 85,000 which Moreira called for a [4c] turn. As the last card hit the board Terrazas announced "all-in", shoving 220,000 into the middle. Moreira went into an elaborate thought process, picking up his cards which everyone behind him could see: [ah][jd]. It looked like he was exposing his cards but he kept putting them back again. But he would fold, showing his ace-jack. Terrazas looked relieved and showed an [ad].

3pm: Online player
Ruben Visser moved his cards forward as if to pass, under-the-gun. The only problem was that he wasn't under-the-gun; he was in the big blind and just hadn't posted it. There was moderate hilarity at that, but when it was folded to Jeff Sarwer on the button, they were laughing again. Sarwer raised, and Visser said: "I always fold jacks under the gun. But I'll play them from the big blind." That wasn't strictly true. He folded.

2.55pm: Ainsworth less
Team PokerStars Pro Jude Ainsworth has slipped down to 270,000. He bet 20,000 on the button and was called by Claudio Coelho in the big blind. Coelho bet 30,000 on the [jh][10h][9c] flop - call. On the [6s] turn Coelho made it 40,000 - call. Finally, on the [5d] river Coelho bet 45,000 and again Ainsworth called. Coelho showed [js][8h], and that was good.

Coelho is now on around 600,000.

2.50pm: More for Matias
When you're hot, you're hot and Antonio Matias cannot miss at the moment. Michel Abecassis made it 24,000 under-the-gun, Jude Ainsworth called from middle position and Matias called from the big blind. The flop came [9s][qd][2c] and after Matias and Abecassis both checked, Ainsworth bet 35,000. Matias called, Abecassis folded. The turn was [5h] and both checked. They also both checked the [ac] river. Ainsworth showed black eights, but Matias had [ah][10h] and his rivered pair of aces took it.

2.47pm: El Classico
Gino Gabriel raised to 26,000 from early position and was called by Jeff Sarwer before Ruben Visser three-bet to 88,000. Gabriel then went all in for 260,000 and was called by Visser with [ac][kc] after Sarwer had passed. Gabriel tabled [qc][qd] and he was the happier player after the board ran [9c][qh][5h][3s][jd]. Visser down to 430,000 now.

2.45pm: One here one there
Jan Skampa opened for 24,000. Michel Abecassis was on the button and raised 42,000 more. Back to Skampa and he re-raised another 88,000 on top of that. Abecassis folded, patting the table. Over on the other table Ruben Visser opened for 23,000 from under the gun. Joao Silva called in the cut off. The flop came [2d][ac][2s] and Visser put his hood up, betting 31,000 which Silva called. On the turn [5h] Visser added another 79,000, enough for Silva to pass

2.40pm: Good call, sir
Ryan Franklin opened for 24,000 in mid position, called by Santiago Terrezas in the small blind and Jeff Sarwer in the big. All three checked the [js][8d][7c] flop. On the [8s] turn Terrezaz checked, Sarwer bet 36,000 and Franklin re-raised to 85,000. Only Sarwer called. Both checked the [2c] river.

Sarwer: [ad][9h]
Franklin: [as][4s]

Sarwer raked in the 235,000 pot.

2.35pm: Double up
Ryan Franklin raised from the button and then called the 190,000 all in push from Joao Silva. The race was on as Silva held [5d][5s] to Franklin's [ah][kh] and the board ran [8h][qd][2s][jc][9h]. Cries of "Vamos!" came from the Portuguese rail as one of their own survives for now.

2.35pm: The enigma revealed
The man crushing day four in Vilamoura is the Portuguese player Antonio Matias. Our photographer Neil Stoddart ploughed through his mountain of chips to get Matias to pose in front of the camera in the most recent break. Here's your chip leader:

2.30pm: Cheerio Garcia
On a flop of [6s][2c][9c] Javier Garcia moved in with [qc][jc], called by Michel Abecassis with [jd][9d]. A [jh] on the turn and [7s] on the river. That's that for Garcia, out in 17th place.

We're now down to two tables.

2.25pm: Another man down
The man in question is Ricardo Sousa and he fell at the hands of the Irish Team PokerStars Pro Jude Ainsworth. It was a standard shove-call pre-flop and Ainsworth tabled [td][tc] to Sousa's [ac][4s]. The board ran [kh][4h][7s][8s][3h].

2.15pm: The rich get richer
Jude Ainsworth is the latest player to suffer at the hands of Antonio Matias. Matias raised to 30,000 from the cut off and Ainsworth called from the small blind. The flop came [js][3h][jc] and Ainsworth check-called Matias' 60,000 bet. The turn was [10h], which both players checked, and the river came [10s], which is where it got interesting Ainsworth led for 100,000 and Matias made it 300,000. Ainsworth reluctantly folded, but Matias nodded in appreciation and showed the [jh]. He later said he had quads - you can believe that if you like.

2.10pm: Nothing to see here?
On a flop of [9h][kc][9c] Jeff Sarwer on the small blind and Ryan Franklin were playing out a now familiar hand. Both checked for a [6d] on the turn where Franklin bet 40,000 and Sarwer passed. "That wasn't very interesting, was it?" said Sarwer looking over. Not on its own perhaps, but these two are providing day four with their own intriguing sub-plot.

2.05pm: Joao Bar-busta
The action folded around to Joao Barbosa in the small blind who open shoved for around 180,000, getting snap called by Pierre Neuville in the big blind with [ah][ks]. Barbosa was live with [jd][9d] but he got no help on the [7c][qd][2h][kh][8h] board. Barbosa leaves in 19th spot.

2pm: Short stack surges continue
The latest shortie to double through is Hugo Felix who moved all in for 145,000 when the action was folded to him on the button. Gino Gabriel took a quick peek at his cards from the big blind and called with [9d][9c]. Felix tabled [ah][qs] and the board ran [kd][js][3c][jc][td], making a straight on the river for Felix.

1.55pm: All ins
Two players are all in on neighbouring tables. The short story goes like this: Gino Gabriel raises to 26,000 from early position and Joao Silva moves all in for about 220,000. Fold.

The slightly longer story occurred on table one, where Joao Barbosa raised from the hijack, making it 20,000 and Ruben Visser re-raised from the button, asking for 46,000 to go. Andrei Vlasenko, from the small blind, then moved all in for about 185,000. Barbosa folded, leaving himself with about 160,000, but Visser called, tabling [10h][10d]. Vlasenko's [jh][jd] were ahead and stayed there through a dry board.

After a flurry of early eliminations, the short stacks have started to double up.

1.50pm: Sarwer the exception
Every player who has had to move tables this morning has busted from the tournament - with one exception. Jeff Sarwer has more than a million in chips and is still well in the hunt here.

1.50pm: Video
Here's the introductory video to day four.

1.50pm: Back to the tables
The players have returned and we've been busy counting chips. Antonio Matias is well ahead at the moment. Head over to the chip-count page for full details.

CLICK HERE FOR CHIP COUNTS

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 (500 ante)

1.45pm: That's the break
Another level ends and players take a 15 minute break.

1.40pm: Return of the Jeff
Jeff Sarwer made it 20,000 from the button. Ryan Franklin re-raised from the big blind, making it 76,000. Sarwer fired back with another raise, taking two towers of yellows from his stack. He hadn't even pushed them forward before Franklin folded.

But Franklin would turn the tables soon after. After Sarwer opened for 20,000 from middle position Franklin re-raised to 51,000 from the button. The blinds folded and it was back with Sarwer.

"The empire strikes back, huh?" said Sarwer, before humming the first bars of Darth Vader's signature tune. This one went to Franklin.

1.38pm: Checking with the nuts
Joao Barbosa raised from the hijack and was called by Claudio Coelho in the big blind. Both players checked to the river where the board read [td][ad][5d][6d][jd]. At this point Silva bet 80,000. Barbosa called with [7d][7c] but was shown [kd][2d] by Coelho who had the nuts all the way.

1.37pm: Fold, really?
There was a raise and a call before Santiago Terrazas re-raise, a classic squeeze that had worked for Terrazas on the previous hand. This time it wasn't so successful: the original raiser folded but Gino Gabriel moved all in. Terrazas had his opponent well covered but after looking like he was going to call he folded [qd][qs] face-up.

1.36pm Ainsworth talks
Jude Ainsworth is one of the few players that hasn't got massively involved on what is without question the action table. Late last night, the new member of Team PokerStars Pro talked to the video blog team:

1.35pm: Garcia doubles
Javier Garcia just outdrew Ricardo Sousa to double up. It was all in pre-flop, Garcia's 120,000-odd well covered by Sousa. Garcia had [as][8c] to Sousa's [ad][qd]. The flop was good for Garcia though: it ran out [7s][8s][6h] and the turn and river were [10s][5c], meaning the flopped eight stayed good. Sousa's slide continues.

1.30pm: Barbosa aggression
Pierre Neuville limped under-the-gun and it was folded to Joao Barbosa in the big blind. He raised to 24,000 and Neuville made it 53,000. Barbosa moved all in for about 300,000 and Neuville got out the way.

1.25pm: Double up
Michel Abecassis raised to 38,000 from the big blind. Ricardo Sousa was in the hand with him from middle position, and moved all-in, easily covering Abecassis who called showing [ad][ac], ahead against Sousa's [8c][8d]. The board came: [3h][2c][qh][4h][3d] and Abecassis doubled up, close to 600,000 now.

1.20pm: Skampa over Sousa
Ricardo Sousa raised to 20,000 under-the-gu and Jan Skampa called. The flop came [7d][qc][5c] and Sousa bet 27,000, which Skampa called. The turn was [6c] and they both checked, as they did the [kh] river. Sousa showed [7h][8h] but Skampa's [10c][10h] was better.

1.15pm: Previously this tournament
Putting that Lellouche bust out in a little context, here's a hand from earlier in the day that went unreported, although it's more relevant now. Lellouche raised to 20,500 from the hijack and Jan Skampa re-raised to 57,000 from the cut off. Lellouche then made it 137,000 and Skampa announced he was all in. That's the four-bet, fold from Lellouche that some people are talking about on internet forums, but also shows that Lellouche is capable of laying a hand down.

1.15pm: Loose change
Santiago Terrazos raised on the button to 20,500. Jeff Sarwer was in the small blind and re-raised to 61,000. Terrazos called and the flop came [7d][8c][7c]. Sarwer then bet 100,000, enough to take the pot.

1.10pm:The bigger they are, the harder they fall
Antony Lellouche started the day as chip leader and now he is out in dramatic circumstances. He raised from the cut off and was called by Antonio Matias in the small blind. The flop came [2c][8d][jc]. Matias check-raised Lellouche's 45,000 bet up to 100,000 and received a call. The turn came [qs] before Matias check-called a 145,000 from the Frenchman. When the river fell [2d] Matias checked to face an all in bet from Lellouche. Matias called! Lellouche said: "You're good," and tabled [7d][9d] for a busted draw and Matias opened [ah][2h] for rivered trips twos. A shocked Lellouche leaves the room while Matias spends a while stacking his stack now worth at least 1,700,000.

1pm: Big pair v big pair II
Guillaume Da Silva is next out and again it's big pair against big pair. Da Silver has pocket jacks, Santiago Terrazas has pocket queens. No help and that's another elimination.

12.57pm: Big pair v big pair I
Pierre Neuville raised from second position only to be re-raised by Andrei Vlasenko two seats along. His answer was to move all in and the call was quick in coming. [kc][kh] for Neuville, [qd][qc] for Vlasenko and the board ran [as][ks][9h][9s][3c]. It was all over by the turn and Neuville doubled to 340,000. Vlasenko on 190,000 now.

12.55pm: Vlasenko takes one from Sarwer
Jeff Sarwer and Andrei Vlasenko tangled on table one when Vlasenko called Sarwer's pre-flop opener from the big blind. The flop came [qc][3h][10s] and they both checked. The turn was [jc] and Vlasenko bet 25,000, which Sarwer called. The river was [4h] and Vlasenko bet 40,000, which again Sarwer called. Vlasenko showed [qh][10h] for two pair. "Hmm, better than I thought," said Sarwer.

12.50pm: Mr_BigQueso grilled
James Collopy is out. He eventually got it all in from the button with [ad][kc] and was up against Ryan Franklin and his [qs][jd]. The flop came [2s][4s][4d], good for Collopy, then the [4c] came on the turn. "Don't show me a two," Collopy said, but that was the least of his worries. The river was [js] which gave the whole pot to Franklin. Collopy is out in 21st.

12.45pm: Narrow margin
Tome Moreira just pushed Joao Barbosa out of a hand that was brewing pre-flop. He'd raised from the button before Barbosa re-raised in the small blind. That prompted Moreira to move all in for 200,000 or so more, ending the action.

A hand later Moreira was in action again, although not for long. Claudio Coelho opened for 25,000 which Moreira called in the cut off. Ruben Visser also wanted in, calling from the big blind for a flop of [ac][5d][4d].

Visser checked to Coelho who bet 30,000. Moreira folded but Visser called for a [2c] on the turn. The pattern continued. Visser checked before Coelho made it another 50,000 to play. Again Visser called. Same again on the [ad] river. Another 60,000 from Coelho, called by Visser. [as][qd] for Coelho, a narrow defeat for Visser, holding [ah][js].

12.45pm: Jacks full
Michel Abecassis raised to 20,500 from under-the-gun and was called in three spots to see a [jd][4c][7h] flop. Antonio Matias led out for 40,500 and was only called by Ricardo Sousa before the [9d] turn came down. Matias contimued to push with a 100,500 bet and once again his fellow country man called. The river [js] didn't slow Matias down as he fired 200,500 into the pot. Sousa thought for a while but ultimately laid it down and good job too as he was shown [jc][9c] for a full house.

12.30pm: Johns departs
Well, it doesn't get much crueler than this. Matt Johns is out, the victim of two miserable hands back-to-back. He had Antonio Matias covered in chips when they got them all in pre-flop, but Johns' kings were no match for Matias's aces and that put Johns down to about 70,000. Then he shoved with pocket sevens and ran into Ricardo Sousa's aces. Out.

That's aces on the first three hands of action on table two, with Johns following Mohamed Razab out the door.

12.25pm: Opening gambit
Jeff Sarwer made it 15000 from the cut off. Pierre Neuville was waiting in the big blind, raising to just less than 100,000. Sarwer rubbed his temples for a bit before folding. "Alright, nice hand." Cue long discussion about what Neuville had.

No such discussion for Santiago Terrazos. He just got re-raised off a hand by Jim Collopy. Collopy didn't show but Terrazos folded [ah][qh].

12.20pm: Cold start to the day
We have our first elimination today and it was a bit if a cooler. Action folded around to Mohamed Razab on the button who raised to 17,000 and then moved all in for around 230,000 when Jan Skampa re-raised to 27,000 from the small blind. Skampa snap called with [ac][ah] and you have to feel sorry for Razab who tabled [as][ks]. The board ran [qh][9h][7d][kh][jc] and a disbelieving Razab left the room.

12.10pm: Back to the action
We're back, the players are back, and we have action again in Vilamoura. There are only 11 minutes of level 17 remaining, where the blinds are 3,000-6,000 and then we'll be up to 4,000-8,000 for another 75 minutes. Stick with us.

The list of those players in order of chip-stack can be seen on the chip-count page. But here we have it in table and seat order. There was a redraw late last night and these are the results.

Table one
Seat 1 - Claudio Coelho - 508,500
Seat 2 - Aurelien Guiglini - 253,000
Seat 3 - Jeff Sarwer - 913,500
Seat 4 - Tome Moreira - 359,000
Seat 5 - Joao Barbosa - 362,000
Seat 6 - Pierre Neuville - 174,000
Seat 7 - Ruben Visser - 749,000
Seat 8 - Andrei Vlasenko - 258,500

Table two
Seat 1 - Mohamed Razab - 237,500
Seat 2 - Jan Skampa - 562,000
Seat 3 - Antonio Matias - 305,000
Seat 4 - Michel Abecassis - 250,000
Seat 5 - Matt Johns - 374,000
Seat 6 - Jude Ainsworth - 491,000
Seat 7 - Javier Garcia - 140,500
Seat 8 - Ricardo Sousa - 765,000

Table three
Seat 1 - Joao Silva - 283,500
Seat 2 - Santiago Terrazas - 351,000
Seat 3 - Antony Lellouche - 1,134,000
Seat 4 - Guillaume Da Silva - 167,500
Seat 5 - James Collopy - 192,500
Seat 6 - Hugo Felix - 160,500
Seat 7 - Ryan Franklin - 299,500
Seat 8 - Gino Gabriel - 385,000

We begin today with 11 minutes left in level 17, but if we're anything we're mavericks at PokerStars Blog and we're going to go right ahead and call our first post of the day Level 18 updates. Tune in there for all the action from the first couple of hours and stay with us until the end.

Meanwhile, we all know Team PokerStars Pro are a talented bunch, but this video just proves it. Watch out for Jan Heitmann's magic!

Woodcock was among the 119 players that returned to play Day 2 of the LAPT Playa Conchal. 40 of them would walk away with at least some cash in their pockets, 30 of them returning tomorrow to play down to the final table.

All but one of the Team PokerStars Pros that started this event yesterday returned to play Day 2, but only Maria "maridu" Mayrinck and Alexandre Gomes survived to make the money. Humberto Brenes exited during the early going, as did Victor Ramdin who went out on a brutal beat. Ramdin flopped the nut flush against a set, but his opponent hit runner-runner sevens to fill up and send him to the rail.

Other Team Pros finishing short of the money included Andre Akkari, Leo Fernandez, J.C. Alvarado, Angel Guillen, Christian de Leon and Gualter Salles.

If there was an award for the liveliest character in the room today, Rory Graham would win in a landslide. The Costa Rica-based American could be heard bellowing from across the room when he scored a key double-up, his pocket aces holding up against pocket jacks.

"SHIP IT! SHIP IT! Every last ficha, SEND IT!" he screamed. "I was quiet before," he said. "But you can't wake up a crazy man. I'm awake now!"

The self-proclaimed lunatic built up a six-figure stack in the early evening, but ended the day on 72,300 in chips.

Fred Dykes played at Graham's table yesterday and at one point was down to only 3,000 in chips. Today was a different story for the online qualifier from Arkansas, who ran his stack all the way past 300,000 this afternoon, putting him among the top five in chips.

Dykes and Steven Merrifield traded the chip lead for most of the afternoon until the largest pot of the tournament thus far unfolded. On a flop of [As][Jh][7h], Costa Rica's Rogelio Pardo check-raised his opponent's lead bet only to be met with an all-in reraise. Pardo called in a shot, having flopped top set with A-A. Up against [Kh][8h], he needed to fade a heart that didn't pair the board, the turn and river falling the [4d] and the [Js] to make him the nut boat, eliminating his opponent. With that pot, Pardo's stack rocketed up to the 370,000 mark and he claimed the chip lead with 47 players remaining.

Big blind: [Kd][5s]
Justiniano: [Jd][[7s]
Stebeleski: [As][4s]

The flop came down [3c][5d][9h] as a crowd of spectators surged around the table. The big blind paired his five while Justiniano and Stebeleski were both in imminent danger. In a stroke of magic for Justiniano, the [7d] hit the turn, giving him the lead. The river was the [9s] and Justiniano survived, while Stebeleski bubbled.

It didn't take long to go from five tables to four, and with 33 players remaining, three went out on the final hand, leaving us with 30 players who will return tomorrow for Day 3. PokerStars qualifier Eric Levesque leads the pack with 420,000 in chips, with Eduardo Hernandez (382,300), Fred Dykes (330,000), and Rogelio Pardo (319,400) close behind.

Our 30 remaining players are all guaranteed at least a $4,082 payday for their efforts, with the champion taking home $172,095. For a look at the complete payout schedule, check out the LAPT Playa Conchal prize structure and winners page.

We've been tracking a selected number of players today and their chip counts are available on the LAPT chip counts page. Official counts from all our 30 remaining players will be posted there as soon as they become available.

If your Spanish is better than ours and you'd like to read the coverage in Costa Rica's native tongue, look no further than PokerStarsBlog.la. If Portuguese is more your speed, our brilliant Brazilian blogger Sergio has all the skinny for you over at PokerStarsBlog/br. If you're all for sticking with the English language, here's a look back at our Day 2 coverage:

Level 15 and 16 updates
Level 13 and 14 updates
Level 11 and 12 updates
Level 9 and 10 updates

Cards will be back in the air tomorrow at 12:00 pm Central Time and we'll play down to a final table of eight. We'd love for you to join us again. Until then, buenas noches from Playa Conchal.

Selected 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

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 (400 ante)

8:30pm: Well, that was crazy

When the bubble burst, we lost players like a drunk blogger at a craps table. In fact, we were scheduled to stop with 32 players remaining. We ended up losing three players on the last hand of the night.

We'll update the prizewinners page in just a sec. For now, we're finished playing for the night.

Also on the last hand of the night, we got a new chip leader. Eric Levesque, PokerStars qualifier from Canada, won a giant pot with ace-queen versus jacks to move up to 420,000.

We'll have a full wrap-up in a second.

7:52pm: Short-stack survival
Props to Trevor Massey, the PokerStars qualifier from Vancouver, who managed to nurse a short stack--and I mean REALLY short--through most of the afternoon and sneak into the money.

7:44pm: Brad Stebeleski, Bubble Boy
This was one of those bubbles where you feel bad for the guy going out. In this case, two players on the same table--right next to each other in fact--didn't have enough to put in the pot to make their bets whole.

Bolivia's Gustavo Robles Justiniano was down to just 200 chips--half an ante!--and all-in from the button. Meanwhile, Brad Stebeleski was all-in for his final few chips from the small blind. Only the big blind was left to play. When the cards went on their backs, here's what they looked like.

Big blind: [kd][5s]
Justiniano: [Jd][[7s]
Stebeleski: [As][4s]

With a crowd of cameras surrounding the table, the dealer put out [3c][5d][9h]. If nothing changed, both players looked to go out simultaneously. Then the dealer turned the [7d], putting Justiniano's 200 chips in the lead. The river, [9s] changed nothing and Stebeleski went out on the bubble.

With 40 players remaining, we have several short stacks left in play. We're playing down to 32, something that should happen very fast.

7:21pm: Nehring doubles on the bubble
It looked like we might have our bubble boy with Mathis Nehring all-in for his last 15,000 and earning a call. Nehring woke up with pocket kings, however, and they held up against his opponent's [As][Qh] to double him up to 38,000.

7:12pm: Yup, we're still here
As you might have suspected, we're still stuck at 41 players and awaiting one more bustout before reaching the money. Thus far, two of the shortest stacks in the room have doubled up, including one poor chap who was all in for his last 6,000 from the big blind.

6:47pm: Time to bust somebody
Players are back in two minutes and soon after that, we will be in the cash. In other news, the fruit here is amazing.

Selected 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

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 (300 ante)

6:36pm: Level ends, bubble remains
We were hand for hand for about 15 minutes, but nobody was ready to go bust. Players are now on break. We'll still be hand for hand when they come back.

6:19pm: Felipe Ramos busto; bubble time
Bad luck for Felipe Ramos. He got in on the flop of [ts][jc][5d] with [ah][ac]. Unfortunately for him, his opponent held [jd][td]. The board didn't pair and Ramos is out in 42nd place.

With 41 players remaining, we are now on the bubble and hand for hand.

6:11pm: Revenge...for love!
Team PokerStars Pro Maria Mayrinck came in for a raise, got a call from a button, and then saw the short-stacked big blind push all-in. She thought for a moment before calling. The button went away and the cards went on their backs. Mayrinck held [js][ts] to her opponent's [6h][6c]. She flopped a jack and her top pair held.

"That was revenge for my boyfriend," she said. "[The big blind] two-outed my boyfriend twice yesterday."

There are now 42 players remaining. Forty will get paid.

6:01pm: Iceland melting
All the money went in on one of those flops neither player could get away from, Daniel Mar Palsson flopping top and bottom pair with [Ah][5h] on the [As][Tc][5d] flop while his opponent, Darren Keyes hit middle set with [Td][Ts]. The turn and river blanked with the [4h] and the [Qd], Palsson shipping 92,100 of his hard-earned chips across the table.

Keyes is now up to 184,400 while Palsson slipped to 143,000

5:57pm: If not playing poker...

I stepped into the restroom a moment ago and found a sweaty, sweaty man fanning himself with his hands.

"Football, football, football!" he exclaimed. "Speak Spanish?"

I said I didn't speak enough.

"Footballllll!"

That was enough to explain the sweat. Apparently some of the busted players are nearby in a Argentina vs. Costa Rica football (yes, soccer) match.

5:55pm: Christian de Leon eliminated
Moments ago, Mexican Team PokerStars Pro Christian de Leon went out just shot of the money. His exit leaves only two Team PokerStars Pros left in the field. That's Alex Gomes and Maria Mayrinck. As the Brazillians are fond of saying....vamooooooooooo!

5:38pm: Paul pummels Wald
Matias Bienen Wald's tournament just came to an end after most of his chips evaporated on that squeeze play-gone-awry. Left with 8,400 in chips, he moved all in behind Ezequiel Guizzi's 8,100 opening raise. Kenneth Paul flat-called from the button, the big blind called, and Guizzi dribbled in three more 100-chips. The action was checked around to Paul on the [Jd][9c][2s] flop, and his 16,400 bet chased away his active opponents and the cards went on their backs. Holding [Ad][8d] Wald needed an ace or running cards to survive against Paul's [Tc][Th], but didn't get there, Paul improving to a full house when the [Js] and the [Ts] fell on the turn and river.

Four more eliminations to go before we hit the money.

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 (300 ante)

5:28pm: Bad time for a squeeze
With a raise and call in front of him, Matias Bienen Wald tried to squeeze from the small blind with ace-five. The original raiser folded, but the caller in the middle, Leonardo Emperador, called with his [jd][jh]. The board didn't do anything silly and Wald is on life support.

5:18pm: Rory resurgent
After dropping from his high-water mark of 120,000 down to around 50,000, Rory Graham found another double-up. Juan Jose Chavez moved all-in from late position and Graham snap-called, his [Ah][Kh] holding up against Chavez's [Jc][Tc] to take him up to 104,000.

5:12pm: Rojelio Pardo= your new chip leader
On a flop of [As][Jh][7h], Rogelio Pardo check-raised his opponent's lead bet only to be met with an all-in reraise. Pardo called in a shot, having flopped top set with A-A. Up against [Kh][8h], he needed to fade a heart that didn't pair the board, the turn and river falling the [4d] and the [Js] to make him the nut boat, eliminating his opponent.

With that pot, Pardo's stack rocketed up to the 370,000 mark and he is the new chip leader with 47 players remaining.

5:05pm: Slowing down

With 48 players remaining, we're just eight off the money bubble. That said, we have a new chip leader. That news coming in mere moments.

4:48pm--Salles can't win this race
The button opened for a 6,000 raise, Eduardo Hernandez flat-called from the small blind and Gualter Salles put the squeeze on, moving all in for 44,700 from the big blind. The button folded but Hernandez called, turning up [Ah][Qd] to Salles' [Jc][Jh]. Hernandez got an ace in the door and Salles couldn't find another jack, exiting the tournament just short of the money.

4:45pm: Our top three

With the players back in action, here are the top three stacks with 52 players remaining (approximated, because Fred Dykes stacks his chips like my kid stacks his Legos.

Fred Dykes: 330,000
Steven Merrifield: 270,000
Carlos Girou: 230,000

4:30pm: Almost back in action
We're just a couple of minutes from returning to action.Fred Dykes, the PokerStars qualifier from southwest Arkansas looks to still be our chip leader.

Selected 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

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 (200 ante)

4:13pm: Players headed to break

With 50 or so players left in the field, it's break time again.

4:00pm: No doubt, the sickest hand we'll see today
There are few bad beat stories worth listening to. The other night, somone tried to tell us how ace-queen was beat by ace-ten. We didn't blink.

This story, however, is worth telling. It was a [kc][5d][4s] flop. One player held pocket fours for the flopped set. Garoar Geir Hauksson held [Kh][qc]. They were all in and the board ran out...[ks]...[kd]. If you do a little math, Hauksson had a less than 2% chance of winning that hand when the money went in.

The man with the fours stood, looked at me, and said, "My name is Zack. I am the biggest loser in the world."

3:48pm: 10% of the field played this hand
"There's seven players at that table," said Tournament Director Greg Pappas. Six of them are in this hand.

Pappas' eyes weren't deceiving him. Six players saw a flop of [As][9c][4h]. Both blinds checked, and Carmen De Peluso moved all in from under-the-gun. Mattias Bienen Wald moved all in behind her and the rest of the table folded. De Peluso's [Ah][Qh] trailed Wald's top and bottom pair with [Ad][4d], the turn and river falling the [2h] and the [Js] to send her to the rail.

With De Peluso's elimination Team PokerStars Pro's Maria "maridu" Mayrinck is officially the last woman standing at the LAPT Playa Conchal with 54 players remaining.

3:48pm: J.C. Alvarado eliminated
Speaking of Fred Dykes, he is now likely the chip leader after sending Mexican Team Pro J.C Alvarado to the rail.

3:46pm: From 3,000 to 200,000 in less than 24 hours
Speaking of Mr. Chugga-Chugga, he just took a tour of the room and spotted his old tablemate Fred Dykes.

"Dude, you were down to 3,000 yesterday!" he exclaimed.

Dykes nodded humbly. So he was. Now he is among the top five in chips.

3:35pm: The Rory Graham Show, Part Dos
Rory "A.J." Graham just busted another player holding [as][8c] on an eight-high flop. For the past hour or two, he's been mimicking a train with his now infamous "Chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga" routine. Now that he has some chips, he has declared. "No more chugga-chugga! Now it's Whooooo-Hoooooooooo!" His train whistle is now the loudest thing in the room.

"I was quiet before," he said. "But you can't wake up a crazy man. I'm awake now!"

3:22pm: The Rory Graham Show
We meet a lot of characters in poker. Guys who wear funny hats, guys with superstitious rituals, heck, one of our own Team Pros puts on a helluva show with a menagerie of plastic sharks. Well, today, we met another. An American living in Costa Rica, his name is Rory Graham, but everyone seems to call him A.J.

Graham opened for 5,000 from under-the-gun. A middle position player raised to 14,000 and the button moved all-in. The blinds folded and with the action back on Graham, he slapped his entire stack into the middle, putting our middle position three-bettor to a decision.

"I go home now. You beat a damn good man. I'm done with it! I don't wanna see any more money! I want Drachmas. They're not worth anything anymore."

The middle position player made an anguished fold, showing [Qc][Qs].

"I got Aces!" Graham screamed.

"Yeah, I know," snapped the middle position player. "F**k!" he shouted, despite making the correct move.

Up against the button's [Jc][Js] Graham's [Ah][Ac] held on the [Kc][Ts][5d][3s][Ad] board.

"SHIP IT! SHIP IT!" he bellowed. "Every last ficha, SEND IT!"

"Man, I wanna smoke this now!" he shouted, chomping on an unlit cigar still inside its plastic wrapper.

3:20pm: Moving on up

We have now moved on to level 12 and 1,000/2,000/200 blinds and antes. Sixty-one players remain.

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 (200 ante)

3:08pm: Adios, Akkari
Andre Akkari's lengthy tableside massage just came to an abrupt end when the Brazilian Team Pro ran his pocket eights into pocket kings.

3:05pm: Bolivar Palacios Eliminated
Bolivar Palacios found himself on the wrong end of a coinflip to bring his tournament to an end. All-in before the flop, his [Js][Jd] fell to [Kd][Qh] when the board ran out queen-high.

3:02pm: The 200 Club
There are currently four players among the 65 remaining who have 200,000 or more chips in front of them.

Daniel Mar Palsson--290,000
Carlos Girou--220,000
Steven Merrifield--205,000
Fred Dykes--200,000

2:57pm: Iceland continues to roll
It's not that we don't know Daniel Mar Palsson's name, but among the media, he has simply become "Iceland." We could also continue to call him "chip leader." We just walked by his table again and picked it up on a [Jc][Ks][8c] flop. His opponent had check-raised all-in from the blinds. Palsson had to call 26,400 more and did just that.

"Do you have a king?" Palsson was asked. He nodded. "Then I lose," said his opponent, and turned over [Kd][2c]. Palsson had [kh][9h]. It held and he moved up to 290,000.

2:41pm: J.C. Alvarado flushes, then flips
J.C. Alvarado opened for 3,400 from the cutoff and Maximilliano Bassil defended his big blind. Both players checked the [Jd][4h][2h] flop. Bassil checked again when the [Ah] hit the turn, opening the door for Alvarado to fire out 4,800. Bassil called and they went to the river, which fell the [Kh], putting four hearts on the board. Bassil checked to Alvarado, who bet 12,800. Bassil used every trick in the book to try and get a read on Alvarado-- the ol' staredown, the "let me count out my chips like I'm making a call" fake-out, but Alvarado remained stone-faced. Finally, Bassil made the call, Alvarado flipping over his [Qh][Ts] for the nut flush. The hand took his stack up to 118,000.

Alvarado hadn't even finished stacking his chips when he made it 3,400 to go on the very next hand. Eduardo Hernandez three-bet to 8,500 from the button, Alvarado moved all in and Hernandez called. It was a classic race with Alvarado's [Ah][Ks] up against Hernandez's [Tc][Td], but Alvarado couldn't outrun him on the [Jd][5c][4c][4s][6d] board.

And just like that, Alvarado was back down to 69,000.

2:36pm: Netter nets nothing, apparently
American Tyler Netter looked good to go deep and at least cash in this weekend's event, but like overnight chip leader Rob Woodcock, it's not to be. We're not sure exactly what happened to Netter, but he is gone-daddy-gone.

2:34pm: Iceland grabs the chip lead again
After spending a good part of Day 1 with the chip lead, Icelander Daniel Mar Palsson gave it up before our night was over last night. Now, he's got it back. At this hour, he is sitting on 245,000. That's good for the chip lead and a bit ahead of Steven Merrifield's 210,000.

2:21pm: Alex Gomes doubles
We missed the action but our Brazilian colleagues have informed us that Alex Gomes doubled up on the last hand before the break, his pocket aces holding up against pocket nines. He's presently on 63,000 in chips.

2:20pm: Leo Fernandez eliminated
Down to 17,100, Leo Fernandez open-shoved from the hijack seat, and Ivan Freitez announced that he was all-in as well from the small blind. Freitez's [Kc][Qs] dominated Fernandez's [Qh][9d], the board running out [Kd][7s][2d][Ac][5d] to send him to the rail. Or the pool. Or maybe the bar.

2:17pm: Annnnnnd, we're back
Players are back in their seats and cards are back in the air. We hit the money when 36 more players find the rail.

2:10pm: Players finishing up break
The 76 remaining players are finishing up some chicken wings and hamburgers. They'll be back soon. While we're waiting, here's a picture of the always animated Maria "maridu" Mayrinck.