LAPT Brazil 2011 Won By Alex Manzano

Chilean player Alex Manzano has won the LAPT San Paulo 2011, after overcoming a huge field of 536 players over four days to take down the tournament, as well as collect the R$615,840 (USD $369,504) first place prize.
The increasing popularity of the competition was evident after the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) broke the 400 player barrier for the first time in its history. At the San Paulo tournament a massive R$2,391,630 (US$1,435,639) prize pool was collected from the US$3,000 buy-ins, with at least the top 64 players then getting paid.
Alex Manzano had taken the chip lead going into Day 3 of the competition and when the final table of eight was eventually set the Chilean found himself bunched close to the middle of the pack and seated alongside five Brazilian contenders. Also seated at the table was an Argentinian and a Mexican.
Manzano holding A-K then proceeded to eliminate Bruno Politano with pocket tens in 8th, and later Henrique Bernardes with Q-J in 7th before it was Joao Neto’s turn to dispatch the next three competitors.
Santiago Nadal finished in 6th holding A-J to Neto’s pocket kings, followed by Leandro Csome in 5th when his K-5 shove was called by Neto’s pocket nines. Finally, Marcio Motta then said goodbye in 4th holding pocket sixes to Neto’s Ah-10h
Three-handed, Manzano and Neto then together called Marcelo Fonseca’s ultra short-stack push to eliminate him in 3rd spot, thus heralding in the heads-up phase of the tournament.
Manzano held a 6.8 million to 3.9 million chip lead as the heads-up battle commenced and eventually the final hand was dealt after Manzano was dealt 6c-5c to Neto’s As-8d. Neto on the big blind then called Manzano’s raise with the flop then falling 3d-2d-2c. A 7c on the turn and a 4d on the river saw Neto check-calling both times and eliminated as the runner-up with just ace high.
With his victory in Brazil, Manzano became the first player from Chile to become a LAPT champion and ironically the next leg of the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) will take place in Viña del Mar, Chile on March 17-20.