Success in Costa Rica
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Three hundred ninety-eight players made their way here for the second PokerStars Latin America Poker Tour event. Included in that group were five Team PokerStars Pro members -- Humberto Brenes, Daniel Negreanu, Isabelle Mercier, Victor Ramdin and Andre Akari -- to go with most of the members of Latin American poker's three first families: Brenes, Rosencrantz and Stern (descended from the three pioneers Humberto, Jose and Max, respectively). In the end, none of those big names managed to take home a cent.
This was a tournament dominated by online qualifiers. Seven of the nine final table finishers qualified via the hosts, representing five nations (Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Costa Rica and the U.S.), showing once again that building bridges in sharing knowledge over political borders is the clearest path to poker enlightenment. That leaves us asking: Where does that leave Latin American poker?
The answer, simply: In a better place than it's ever been. Thanks to the mentorship from the families above and PokerStars' courtship, Costa Rica's poker community thrives, highlighted by a love of the game that shines through in every hand played in town. The cheers are authentic, the jeers nonexistent and the overall impression reminds the seasoned observer of a simpler time, when poker was just a game. The governments of Latin America, enamored of the tourism boon the LAPT created for San Jose and Rio de Janeiro, are knocking down LAPT president Glenn Cademartori's door. The circuit is already looking five years down the road.
"The inaugural Latin American Poker Tour event in Rio was a phenomenal success," Cademartori said. "But this second event in San Jose has topped all our expectations. We were expecting a robust field of players full of enthusiasm, but having nearly 400 players turn up is truly overwhelming. Costa Rica is a recognized leader of poker in Central America. We have very skilled players with a great deal of experience, and that has certainly been demonstrated here in San Jose. We are also impressed with the number of players from 35 different countries around the globe that came to the tournament having won their seats online with PokerStars. Truly an amazing accomplishment for the LAPT and the world of poker."
The tournament was won by a 24-year-old who'd traveled all the way from his native Budapest, Hungary, to play. Valdemar Kwaysser entered the final table ranked third in chips. He held steady until there were three left, and that's when he used his magic bullets. Twice, he mixed it up with American Steven Silverman with vastly inferior hands. Twice, he emerged the victor.
Once Silverman was gone, it was down to Kwaysser and 19-year-old American Max Steinberg, whose identical twin brother, Danny, was one of the first players eliminated from the event. Max came back from the seventh-ranked stack to start the day, twice finding himself holding bullets, twice using them to end tournament lives.
In the end, the bullets betrayed Steinberg. They were in Kwaysser's hand when the two went to war over a 9-8-8 flop, with Max's J-9 giving him false hope. The chips got in, the aces held up and for the second time in as many tries, a European had taken down an LAPT event. Kwaysser took home $274,103 for his trouble.
Reflecting on his victory, Kwaysser showed poise and humility. "I really wanted to win, but I know I had a really lucky period today," he said. "Steven trapped me [twice]. But that's poker. You sometimes play perfect and you don't get the results. And sometimes it's different."
There were other stories at this final table. Alex Torelli, better known to many as "traheho," was likely the most fearsome name at the table. Ashton Griffon, 19, started the day second in chips before wild fluctuations saw him finish in sixth. He had to give up his seat in the Full Tilt Poker $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, which was being played at the same time as this final table.
Steven Thompson, 28, was the lone Costa Rican at the final table and the eldest competitor in a group of nine who barely averaged 22 years of age (Steinberg, Silverman and Griffin have yet to see their 20th birthdays). His run lasted exactly one hand: He got his chips in with A-Q against chip leader Silverman's A-9, only to see a straight form around the inferior kicker.
Now the LAPT turns its sights toward Punta del Este, Uruguay, where the final chapter of this first season will play out from August 7-9. Along with San Jose, it will serve as a bookend for many to the World Series of Poker, where the three families started their journey so long ago. For them, and for PokerStars, this has been a triumph. It was a privilege to see it unfold.
Final results:
1. Valdemar Kwaysser (Hungary), $274,103
2. Max Steinberg (U.S.), $144,773
3. Steven Silverman (U.S.), $106,167
4. Alex Soderland (Sweden), $77,212
5. Alec Torelli (U.S.), $57,909
6. Pawel Sanojca (Poland), $38,606
7. Ashton Griffin (U.S.), $28,955
8. Joe Ebanks (U.S.), $19,303
9. Steven Thompson (Costa Rica), $14,477
Gary Wise is a regular contributor to ESPN.com, Bluff magazine, worldseriesofpoker.com and other publications. His podcast, Wise Hand Poker Radio, can be heard at roundersradio.com and airs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays.
