Negreanu, Brenes Still Alive in LAPT Grand Final

Caio Cesar Pimenta took the lead on Day 2 of the Latin American Poker Tour Grand Final, bagging 607,000 chips heading into a critical Day 3.

Just 24 players remain after two days of play in São Paulo, Brazil, after 107 entered the second day. Day 2 saw the money bubble break, as the top 48 finishers all took home at least a small cash for their efforts.

Of the remaining field, the name that will undoubtedly grab the most attention is that of Daniel Negreanu. Kid Poker has nearly 400,000 chips, putting him in 10^th place and giving him an excellent stack with which to work with on Day 3.

Also still in the field is the always dangerous Humberto Brenes. While he’ll be coming into Day 3 with the field’s shortest stack, he still has a reasonable shot at topping his result from last season, which he finished in 15^th place.

The remaining players will be back on Day 3 in the hopes of napping one of eight tickets to the final table. Each final table player will be guaranteed to win at least $26,340, with the winner ultimately taking home $324,600.

Day Two saw several prominent players make deep runs, only to bust out after collecting small cashes. Elio Fox had held out hopes for a big finish, but had to settle for 47^th place, taking home just $6,320. Similarly, Patrick Mahoney and Leo Fernandez also the same prize with slightly higher finishes. They were all luckier than Bill Gazes, who unfortunately finished on the wrong side of the money bubble.

The Latin American Poker Tour is sponsored by PokerStars. The tour is currently in its fourth season; this season featured a totally of six events, beginning and ending in Sao Paulo. Other stop over the past year have included Lima, Vina del Mar and Medellin.