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!

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.

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.

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

Blinds: 600-1,200 (100 ante)

2:00pm: Players take a 15-minute break

1:59pm: Gomes on the short stack
The player in the hijack seat opened for 3,200 and Alex Gomes three-bet to 8,500 from the cutoff. His opponent called and they saw a [Ad][Qs][Js] flop. The action was checked to Gomes, who made a small bet of 6,800. His opponent called and both players checked the [4h] on the turn. The [5h] fell on the river and Gomes faced a 12,300 bet. After a solid three minutes of deliberation, he gave up his hand and is now left with 26,000 in chips.

1:57pm: Fabian Ortiz eliminated
The only Latin player to have ever won an LAPT event (not to mention, the only LAPT champion left in the field), Fabian Ortiz, has beenn eliminated. His pocket sixes couldn't stand up against James Mckeon's big slick.

1:50pm: Nacho cheesed
Jose "Nacho" Barbero just tried to steal the blinds with jack-six and ran right into pocket queens. He didn't suck out and the Argentinian Team Pro is gone.

1:44pm: Competing for the chip lead
The first two levels of the day have seen some massive swings. The overnight chip leader disappeared and Steven Merrifield took over that spot.

Coming up from a Day 2 starting stack of a little more than 60,000, PokerStars qualifier Fred Dykes is now sitting on 190,000. That's not the chip lead, but it's getting close to Merrifield.

1:33 pm: Roberto Brenes Eliminated
With the action folded to Kenneth Paul on the button, he made it 3,300 to go. Roberto Brenes moved all in from the small blind and Paul insta-called, turning up [Qh][Qc]. Brenes sighed and showed [Ac][5c] and began pleading with the dealer for an ace. No luck for the last Brenes standing as the board ran out [Jh][5s][3c][Kd][8c] to send him to the rail.

1:32pm: Victor Ramdin "Sick."
Team PokerStars Pro Victor Ramdin just came out on the wrong side of a nasty cooler. He flopped the nut flush with [Ah][2h]. His opponent held pocket tens for a flopped top set. The board went runner-runner sevens to give the set a boat and put Ramdin out short of the money.

1:28pm: Andre Akkari straightens it out
Brazil Team PokerStars Pro just found his run good. He got pocket sevens in against pocket queens. The board gave him a straight and doubled him up.

1:23pm: Marcelo Dabus eliminated
We're not sure what Marcelo Dabus held, but it was no good against Mathis Nehring's turned set of fives.,

1:15pm: Rob Woodcock, overnight chip leader, gone in 85 minutes
Rob Woodcock knows how to be the Day 1 chip leader. He did it in Costa Rica in season 2 and he did it again last night. In seaosn 2, he went on to the final table. Today, he went busto in less than 90 minutes.

After giving half his stack to our new chip leader Steven Merrifield, Woodock got broken to a new table. We wandered by to see how was doing and found him involved in a pot with Canadian Francis-Nicolas Bouchard. With around 45,000 in the pot, Woodock checked and Bouchard bet 17,000. Woodcock thought for a long time before moving all in for about 30,000 more. It was Bouchard's turn to think, but it didn't take him as long to call with [kd][Ks]. Woodcock tabled [As][Qd]. The river was an irrelevant [jc] and Woodcock was gone.

12:50pm: Shirley Rosario Eliminated
Bolivar Palacios claimed all by 600 of Shirley Rosario's chips, his A-A holding up against her A-K. Rosario was all in for less from the big blind on the next hand and although she found a double-up when her [9h][Ts] flopped two pair against Palacios' [Ac][Kd], she busted only a few hands later.

12:47pm: Team Pros Rising and Falling
Humberto Brenes looked, well, a little sad as we passed by his table a few minutes ago.

"I lose," he said with a shrug, his chip stack down to 24,000 after dropping the first pot he played.

Brenes walked off his beat by checking on his son, Roberto at an adjacent table, then returned to his own seat only to find his table breaking.

"Necesito fichas!" Brenes boomed as he walked across the room to his new seat at Table 2.

Brenes wouldn't stay there long, as he quickly got the rest of his "fichas" in with A-Q only to run into pocket queens. Humberto's elimination leaves Roberto as the LAPT Playa Conchal's "Last Brenes Standing."

Victor Ramdin, however is enjoying an excellent start to his Day 2. On a [Ad][Kc][2s] flop, Ramdin check-called a 5,000 bet. Both players checked the [5s] on the turn and when the [5s] hit the river, Ramdin deliberated a bit before tossing out another 7,000. The bet was enough to shake his opponent and Ramdin raked in the pot, taking his stack just north of 50,000.

12:45pm: Maridu doubles again
After making ace-king beat kings earlier, Maria Mayrinck managed to have her aces hold against pocket fives. She is now up to around 86,000. Meanwhile, she explained tablemate Christian de Leon's day. "Like a roller coaster, up and down," she said. "I beat his kings, then he had jacks full, then a set into a flush. It's like sex. Up and down."

12:35pm: A bit more about our new chip leader
A few minutes after that huge hand with Rob Woodcock (see below) Steven Merrifield's table broke. I wandered over where he was still stacking around 200,000 in chips. He caught me looking and offered a Cheshire Cat grin.

"You're proud of that one, aren't you?" I said.

Still smiling, he nodded.

Merrifield has nearly $700,000 in live tournament winnings to go alongside his untold online winnings. The 24-year-old hails from Fairmont, WV in the United States. His biggest live cash to date is a $428,948 finish in the 2008 $2,500 NLHE event at the WSOP. He also had a final table finish at a $2,000 side event in this year's PCA for $42,650.

12:24pm: Early eliminations
Short stacks Alfredo "Obama" Vaz and Michele Sainz Castro were both eliminated within the first few orbits.

12:22pm: Maria "maridu" Mayrinck hits a lead-off double
Maridu earned a double-up on the first hand she was dealt, her A-K snapping off her opponent's pocket kings when an ace hit the flop. That ace was the last one in the deck, as two players announced that they had folded A-2 and A-4 respectively. Maridu is now up to 68,000 in chips.

12:18pm: Rob Woodcock is no longer the chip leader
We picked up the action on Table 15 with around 18,000 already in the pot and Woodcock looking at the flop of [6c][3c][4h] flop from the small blind. Woodcock set out a bet of 11,000 and got a quick call from West Virginia's Steven Merrifield. The [Kh] came on the turn and Woodcock bet 26,000. Again, an easy call from Merrifeld. The bet on the [8d] river was 42,000. The call showed Woodock turning up [Ah][td] for ace-high. Merrifield...[Kc][7s] for the turned pair of kings.

Merrifield stacked the monster pot and remarked, "Any two will do."

12:17pm: Alex Fitzgerald eliminated
With a sigh and expletive on his lips, Alex Fitzgerald has been eliminated. A cursory look at the winning board showed him running into two kings.

12:09pm: Lessons at Table 15!
Brazil Team PokerStars Pro Gualter Salles was forced into a early and tough laydown in the first few minutes of action. As he folded, he told his opponent, "Thanks for the lesson."

PokerStars qualifier Eric Levesque answered quickly, "It's free!"

Salles shook his head ruefully. "It's not free," he said. "It's going to cost...me."

Both Levesque and Salles are sitting at chip leader Rob Woodcock's table. They won't be there for long. Table 15 looks to be the first to break of the day.

12:02pm: Cards in the air
Day 2 play is underway. Tournament Director Mike Ward reports the 119 players will compete today until 32 remain. We're figuring that will take somewhere between six and eight levels.

11:46am: Another day in paradise
Players are slowly trickling into the poker room to play Day 2. With 119 players remaining out of the starting 259, the UK's Rob Woodcock leads the field with 147,600 chips.

It was just last year that the British PokerStars Supernova came to San Jose and ended Day 1 as the chip leader. He went on to finish in 9th place for $17,098. While a good finish, he certainly hoped for more. Now, he's apparently decided to go for the final table again.

In a day that saw the chip leader change like the Costa Rican breezes, Woodcock has emerged again as the Day 1 chip leader. After starting the day on 20,000, he beat Brazilian Marcelo Dabus in a 120,000 pot and ended the day on 147,600. He will lead the other 120 players left in the field as Day 2 begins tomorrow.

Playa Conchal, this beautiful place along the Costa Rican Gold Coast, forces people to confront an age old issue. Although poker is as fun a game as we've found, it's nearly impossible to concentrate on flops and rivers when there is a beautiful ocean just yards away from the poker room. Among the 259 starters today, at least half the field found themselves thinking more about the beach than poker. They are all now free to enjoy the beach, pool, fruity drinks, and the ubiquitous pineapple plates around the resort. The other half will come back tomorrow to fight toward the money.

Today, the LAPT was full of Team PokerStars Pros, including the likes of Andre Akkari, Angel Guillen, Alex Gomes, Jose Barbero, Christian de Leon, J.C. Alvarado, Leo Fernandez, Gualter "stockcar99" Salles, and Maria "maridu" Mayrinck. We were also happy to see Veronica Dabul and local godfather Humberto Brenes. Of all the Team Pros in the field, we only had to bid goodbye to Dabul. She took down Brenes' Shark Hunt Charity tournament last night and must have used up all her run good.

Chasing Rob Woodcock for the chip lead is American Tyler Netter who held the top spot for most of the day and finished the day with more than 120,000 chips. Sitting on almost an identical stack is Icelander Daniel Mar Palsson.

Those players and about ten dozen more are now free to enjoy a good dinner before bedding down for the night to dream of making the money.

And what will they be playing for when the come back on Day 2? Well we've detailed that over on our LAPT Playa Conchal prize structure and winners page. If you don't feel like clicking through, here it is in brief: The top 40 players will get paid. The player who makes it to the end will cash for $172,095. Not bad for four days work.

We've posted a short list of selected chip counts over on our LAPT chip counts page. When the tournament staff provides a full list of counts tonight, we'll post a link to it in the little black box at the top right of this page.

If you're into reading this coverage in the language in which the LAPT might imply, feel free to head over to PokerStarsBlog.la for coverage in Spanish and PokerStarsBlog.net/br for coverage in our Brazilian's version of Portuguese.

Or, if you'd prefer to stick to English, you'll find a complete list of our coverage from Day 1 at the end of this post.

We'll be back at noon Central Time on Friday to start Day 2. In the meantime, have yourself a good night.

Easing into it
Shaking off the morning
Wipeout for the surfer boy
BrenesWatch Part 1
Adios, Maria
Ramdin needs a new belt
BrenesWatch Part Two, Alex vs. "Obama"
I'll follow the sun
Tres reinas
They've been there before
Gomes flushes Lerner
Better to be Netter
BrenesWatch Part 3

It was time for some Brenes-on-Brenes violence. And the Breneses like to play each other. Hard. Just ask Roberto, who just told us the story of how his older brother busted Alex out of a Season 1 even on the LAPT with a full house over full house. Their family home game (yes, they have one!) has to be one of the world's toughest.

With the board reading [Ks][As][Th][4d][3s] on the river, Alex checked to Roberto, who carefully counted out a 7,000 bet. Alex looked at the pot, at his nephew, and back at his cards. With the number of chips in the middle, it could have been a value bet, it could have been a bluff. Alex was genuinely puzzled. And after several minutes in the tank, he mucked his hand.

Roberto flashed the [9s][Ts] for a flush as the dealer pushed him the pot. Uncle Alex smiled and nodded, mumbling a bit in Spanish to the player on his left. The hand put uncle and nephew nearly even in chips, Roberto holding 32,500 to Alex's 30,000.

Across the room, Humberto wasn't looking nearly as exuberant as his usual self. Folding hands all day can do that. However, once his wife and daughter arrived to check on his progress, Humberto noticeably perked up. Once up to 40,000, then hovering around his starting stack for several hours, he's now on 37,500 in chips, good for the Brenes family chip lead.

If you don't know Netter (that's tnetter on PokerStars), you probably don't ever play tournaments online. The kid puts in some volume. Just counting his online cashes in November, we saw more than 30 in-the-money finishes in the last 19 days. That includes two fist place finishes in the high four figures and a massive fifth place finish in the Sunday Million for $63,000.

Now, he has spent most of Day 1 quietly eviscerating his opponents and at this hour sits on 130,000 from the starting 20,000 stack.

Netter, apparently is the real deal. That's how he ended up representing his country in poker's biggest national battle. A couple of years back, Netter represented Team USA in the World Cup of Poker. And, as expected, he and his team won.

Now he's on the LAPT and working on a title here. If the way he's been running in November is any indication, we might be using the old "better to be Netter" line more than a few times.

On the last hand before the break, Gomes and Aaron Lerner saw a [Tc][3c][2d] flop. Gomes tossed out 20,000, enough to set his opponent all-in. Lerner didn't waste any time making the call, his [Ts][Th] having flopped top set while Gomes held [Ac][Kc] for the nut flush draw. The [9c] on the turn left Lerner drawing to a trey, a deuce, a nine, or the case ten to make a full house or quads, but the river card didn't help him, the [6h] falling to send Lerner to the rail.

Alex Gomes stacked up 79,000 in chips before leaving the room with a pack of friends for what was left of his break. And this time, he couldn't hide his smile.

Perhaps the most recognizable of the players in the field is local favorite Alex Brenes. His record on the LAPT, at least in terms of final tables, is unmatched. In the first two seasons of the LAPT, Brenes has made two final tables. Both happened in season 1 when he took fourth in the now-defunct event in Rio and then placed runner-up in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Those two cashes earned him around $200,000.

The same year Brenes made the final table in Punta, he was up against now-Team PokerStars Pro Alex Gomes. The Brazilian placed fourth that year for a $68,000 win. Since then, he's signed on with Team Pro and won big just about everywhere he's been.

The only LAPT champion in today's field is Fabian Ortiz. In the Season 2 event in Vina del Mar Chile, Ortiz came back from a single small blind at the final table to win the entire thing for more than $141,000.

We also have the possibility of some final table rematches. The starting field today included players who have met before on previous final tables. Last year in Costa Rica, Brent Sheirbon and Jesus Bertoli placed third and fourth respectively. A few months later in Punta del Este, Mexico's Angel Guillen took third and Bolivar Palacios placed seventh. Finally, at the season 2 grand final in Argentina, we saw Leo Fernandez (6th), Derek Lerner (7th), and Jose Barbero (9th).

Finally, we can't let this list of notables end without mentioning the man with the most creative hair stylist among LAPT final table players. That, of course, is Steven Thompson who made the final table of the Costa Rican event in season 2.

Who's to say we won't see these guys meet again at a final table. After all, they've been there before.