Weider Gutierrez wins LAPT Colombia Main Event

Colombian poker player Weider Gutierrez kept the LAPT Colombia Main Event title at home after an exciting final day of action at the Casino Allegre in Medellin.

Gutierrez had started the day third in chips behind compatriot Miguel Velasco – who had recovered from having just three Big Blinds midway through the penultimate day to come to the eight-handed final table with a commanding advantage.

The field also contained PokerStars pro player Christian “El Grillo” de Leon from Mexico and a third Colombian – Mayu Roca – who had finished second to Leandro Csome in the LAPT Brazil in April and who had been Miguel Velasco´s main tormentor on Day 2, before the chip leader´s incredible recovery.

When play resumed for the conclusion of the LAPT Colombia Main Event, Velasco had more than double the average chip stack and – with blinds of 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000 chips) – the three short-stacked players would be looking for a double-up pretty quickly.

(*) The Argentinean Juan Manual Pastor rather than the Spanish PokerStars Pro Juan Manuel Pastor

Pastor Gets Ambushed by Cowboys – Twice

The final day of the LAPT Colombia Main Event will be one that Juan Manual Pastor will want to forget in a hurry. Having got his final 15 big blinds into the middle with pocket Tens, he was called by Miguel Moscoso – who had woken up with pocket Kings.

The Kings held and Pastor was reduced to 70,000 chips, which he shoved three hands later with A♥ 2♥, and which was called by Alejandro Arrubarrena – who had been dealt pocket Kings. Again the Kings held and Pastor was bust from the tournament in eighth in the most unfortunate of circumstances.

Never Rely on Aces in Colombia

Pastor´s elimination with an Ace in the opening hand set a theme for the rest of the day. Mayu Roca left the tournament in seventh after his A♠ 3♥ failed to improve against Miguel Moscoso´s 3♣ 3♦ and Pablo Luzardo (A♦ 6♥) fell to Miguel Velasco (10♣ 9♣) when Velasco rivered a Club Flush.

The themed continued when Alejandro Arrubarrena (A♣ K♠) was bust in fifth against Miguel Moscoso´s 8♦ 8♣, and within ten minutes Arrubarrena was joined on the rail by Christian de Leon who failed to improve past Miguel Velasco´s pair of Nines with Q♠ 10♥.

Velasco´s Aces Cracked

Going into three-handed play, a deal was made between the three remaining players which saw each of them lock up 145,243,000 Colombian Pesos (around $76,000) with an extra 10 million pesos (c.$5,000) going to second and a further 10 million pesos to the winner.

The deal lead to an incredible hand in which Miguel Moscoso (K♣ 5♣) got all his chips into the middle on a flop of 2♥ 6♣ 3♣ and was called by Miguel Velasco (A♣ A♠). The 7♠ on the Turn kept Velasco´s Aces in the lead, but the 8♣ on the River gave Moscoso his Flush and Velasco was out on third.

More Aces Drama in the Heads-Up

Miguel Moscoso took a 2.5:1 chip advantage into the climax of the LAPT Colombia Main Event, but his eagerness to wrap the tournament up quickly back-fired when he ran his pocket Fours into the pocket Eights of Weider Gutierrez and the size of the chip stacks was reversed.

Weider Gutierrez (A♦ 8♥) thought he had won the tournament when he called Moscoso´s shove with 8♣ 7♦ and the flop delivered A♠ J♥ 6♦, but the 4♦ on the Turn and 5♦ on the River gave Moscoso a runner-runner straight which beat the Colombian´s paired Ace and brought the two players practically level in chips.

The final hand was equally dramatic. Both players checked the flop of 6♥ 7♥ 2♣ but, following the Turn of 5♠ Gutierrez check-raised Moscoso up to 900,000 chips. Moscoso responded by announcing he was all-in and Gutierrez snap-called

Moscoso turned over 4♦ 3♥ for a 6-high straight, but Gutierrez revealed 9♣ 8♣ for the nut 9-high straight and, with the hand, took the title of LAPT Colombia Champion.