For this Nitsche, God is not dead.

Dominic Nitsche is 18 years old. He is still in high school. Heck, he may have some homework to finish after this. And after playing in his first ever live tournament, he's an LAPT champion. After he knocked out fellow big stack Mark Ioli late on Day 2 to give him a massive chip lead, some of us joked that he could do away with this final table like a one-man wrecking ball. He didn't end up taking out every player, but he did win the most critical hand at the final table, ending up with two-thirds of the chips in play by the time we reached four-handed play. Clocking in at less than four hours of play, it was the fastest final table in LAPT history and perhaps the fastest televised final table we've ever seen.

291 players bought in to the LAPT's Grand Final in Mar del Plata, Argentina. 27 of them came away with a nice chunk of change, the majority of the prize pool handed out to the final nine this afternoon. Here's how they stacked up as the cards went in the air:

Seat 1: Jason Skean (338,000)
Seat 2: Rodolfo Awad (170,000)
Seat 3: Alfons Fenijn (65,000)
Seat 4: Sergio Farias (474,000)
Seat 5: Jose Barbero (181,000)
Seat 6: Dominik Nitsche (817,000)
Seat 7: Jorge Landazuri (428,000)
Seat 8: Leo Fernandez (329,000)
Seat 9: Derek Lerner (151,000)

First to hit the rail was Argentinian native Jose Barbero. On the third hand of play, Sergio Farias opened for 65,000 from the small blind, Jose Barbero moved all in from the big blind and Farias made the call.

Barbero [Ad][Kc]

Farias [5d][5h]

The flop came down [Qs][Td][5c], Farias hitting a set of fives, but Barbero still had a ray of hope with an inside straight draw. The [6d] on the turn made him frown a bit as his supporters cried for a "jota" on the river. It was the [9s], though sending Barbero home in ninth place.

After Barbero's elimination, Sergio Farias began to turn up the aggression and take control of the table, winning several small pots with well-timed reraises. He'd also end up taking out table short-stack Alfons Fenijn in eighth place. After Fenijn moved all in for 52,000 from under the gun, Farias, seated to his immediate left, made it 130,000 to go and the rest of the table got out of the way. It was [Qs][Th] for Fenijn and [Jc][Jh] for Farias, the board running out [Ah][Kh][3d][5c][Td] to send him to the rail in eighth place. After the hand, Farias was up to 750,000 in chips, enough to challenge Dominik Nitsche for the lead.

Derek Lerner created no small amount of controversy at the end of Day 1B. Greatly upset by a ruling made by Tournament Director Mike Ward, Lerner called it the "greatest travesty of his career" and on Day 2 was often found recounting his side of the story to anyone who would listen. Lerner ended up making the final table as the second-shortest stack and would end his run in seventh place. With the action folded to him on the button, Lerner moved all in for his remaining 100,000 and Rodolfo Awad snap-called from the big blind.

Lerner [As][8s]

Awad [Qs][Qd]

The [8d][7s][2h] flop paired up Lerner, but the [Qc] on the turn left him drawing dead, Awad hitting top set. As the [5h] landed on the river, Lerner shook his opponent's hand and departed the stage in an (uncharacteristically) quiet manner.

If that wasn't enough rapid-fire action for one level, well, how about a three-way all in?

Dominik Nitsche came in for a standard raise to 42,000. And let's be honest, Nitsche could have just about anything here. He's been known to raise light in the past. Leo Fernandez put on a pretty good show of thinking for an age before announcing he was all-in for 230,000.

So, maybe we'd see a good heads-up all-in battle. That's what we were thinking, anyway, until Segio Farias went deep in the tank. And let's be honest. We've seen Farias over-call with some pretty light hands. Five minutes later, Farias decided....despite his second place chip stack and the chip leader still in the pot...to move all-in for 515,000. Just to make it clear, Nitsche announced, he was all-in--not that he needed to. He had everybody covered. The hands turned over and this is what we saw.

Nitsche: [Ah][As]
Fernandez: [Ks][Kh]
Farias: [Ts][Th]

The board gave them a good sweat, but in the end the best hand held up on a [8d][4h] [Js][Qs][6c] board. After losing 90% of his 10,000 starting stack within the first five minutes of Day 1B, Fernandez remained patient, channelling his inner chess master to come away with a sixth place finish. Having Fernandez out-chipped on the hand, local favorite Sergio Farias took fifth place honors.

It took an unscheduled break to color up and organize Nitsche's mountain of chips after that hand, the German high school student now controlling two-thirds of the chips in play with close to 2 million in his stack. By comparison, Jorge Landazuri, his closest competitor at that point, held 413,000.

Jason Skeans was on the short stack and in need of some chips. The blinds and antes would do, as far as he was concerned.

He moved all-in and got snap-called by Rodolfo Awad's [Ac][7s]. Skeans only held [2h] [6d]. The board barely gave them a sweat: [4h][9d][Kd][3s][Td]. Awad's hand held up unimproved and Skeans was out in fourth place for $105,840.

It didn't take long before the two shorter stacks at the table tangled in one of the more dramatic hands of the final table. Jorge Landazuri came in for a raise and Rodolfo Awad moved all-in. Landazuri called to see he was way ahead.

Awad: [4s][4c]
Landazuri [9d][9h]

The flop was hard to look at [4d][8c][2h]. The turn, the [Ac], wasn't any better.

Landazuri put his thumbnail to his teeth and looked like he might just cry.

Then the room exploded as the dealer put the [9s] on the river.

Landazuri jumped into a crowd of supporters, high-fiving the entire rail as they chanted "Mexico, Mexico, Mexico!" Even in defeat, Awad couldn't help but smile at the 19-year old's good fortune as he departed in third place.

We were prepared for a rumble in the high school cafeteria when it came to our heads-up battle between 18-year old Nitsche and 19-year old Landazuri, but just like our last stop on the LAPT in Punta del Este, Uruguay, heads-up play lasted all of one hand.

On a flop of [Kh][8h][9d], Dominik Nitsche bet out 50,000 and Jorge Landazuri raised to 140,000. Nitsche called. On the [Ts] turn, Landazuri bet out 150,000 and Nitsche again called. The river drew ooohs and ahhhhs from the crowd. The [Kd] drew an all-in from Landazuri and an instant call from Nitsche. It wasn't hard to see why.

Nitsche: [Ks][Jh]
Landazuri: [Jc][5c]

Landazuri, here on a PokerStars.net freeroll, won $211,760.

Nitsche picks up both the title and distinction as youngest ever LAPT champion, but also $387,030.

In his post-game interviews, Nitsche said that he's planning on playing in next week's EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, Monaco. He'll also be postponing his college education for at least two or three years to concentrate on poker. With his win here, it's fair to say he has his tuition covered.

Congratulations to Dominik Nitsche on his stunning victory.

If you missed out on any of the action, have no fear. Check out any of the links below for all the highlights:

Final table player profiles
Level 18-19 live updates
Level 20-21 live updates

For full prize pool and payout information, hit up the LAPT prizes and winners page.

All you multimedia junkies should make sure to visit the PokerStars Blog Media Gallery as well as PokerStars.tv. If Spanish or Portuguese is your native tongue we have complete coverage on the PokerStars Spanish blog as well as the PokerStars Brazilian blog.

For Season 2 of the Latin American Poker Tour, that's a wrap. Good night from Mar del Plata and we hope to see you again next fall when Season 3 kicks off.

by Change100 and Brad Willis

All photos &copy Joe Giron, IMPDI

We don't know what to say. This hardly ever happens to us. We don't know how to react when it happens this fast. It usually lasts a lot longer. We promise.

Somehow we managed to dispatch 52 players in less than seven hours of playing time. Using the word "somehow" there may be a bit disingenuous, because we know exactly "how." His name is Dominik Nitsche and he crushed more dreams today than American Idol and Britain's Got Talent combined.

We could tell you all about the 18-year-old high school student from Germany, how he called a player's all-in with [2h][5h] because he could "read his soul," or we could just tell you about the only hand that really matters from the day.

Table consolidation played with the fates and put the two chip leaders right next to each other at the outer table. Dominik Nitsche and Mark Ioli had already shown they were gamblers, but we had no idea how much they'd try to prove it.

With the blinds at 4,000-8,000/500, Nitsche came in for a standard raise from the button. Ioli almost immediately announced raise from the small blind and nearly tripled Nitsche's bet. With barely a second of hesitation, Nitsche announced all-in. Ioli didn't even ask how much it was. He only asked, "You're all-in?" When confirmed half a second later, Ioli declared, "I call!"

He jumped from his seat and slammed [Kc] [Qs] down on the table like it was pocket aces. Keep in mind, these two guys were the chip leaders. Nitsche had pushed for 352,000. He casually turned over [Kh] [Th].

"Whooooo!" Ioli shouted. He jumped toward the ceiling, shoved his fist in the air and proclaimed, "I knew it!"

"Good call," someone said. Who said it, we don't know. We were busy snorting a whole bottle of smelling salts. And it was certainly--by definition!--a good call, but no one could help but be startled by the strength (or lack thereof) of the two hands tangling in an all-in pre-flop battle.

Despite the fact Ioli was well ahead, there was still the matter of the board running out.

The flop: [Ah] [6h] [Jc].

"Oh, God," someone said.

Two hearts and a gutshot draw for the young German. How could it happen? How could any fate be so cruel? Friedrich Nietzsche might have said, "God is dead," but Dominik Nitsche had some higher power on his side, we're sure of that.

Turn: [5h]

Ioli was suddenly drawing dead. He looked like someone had just burned down his house. And threw toilet paper in his trees. And shaved his dog. And painted it pink.

The final pot totaled more than 720,000 and slid over to Nitsche.

Ioli, for his part, was left with less than 200,000 and busted shortly thereafter.

By the time Nitsche's day was over, he was over the 800,000 mark, nearly twice what second place local boy, Segio Farias, had in his stack. Nitsche now holds 28% of the chips in play.

We can't dedicate this entire day-end wrap to Nitsche, however, because Team PokerStars Pro Leo Fernandez has defied all the odds and proven he is probably immortal. We're not sure what Friedrich Nietzsche would say about Fernandez, but we're starting to think pretty highly of the guy.

Within the first few minutes of Day 1, Fernandez had been bad beat for 90% of his stack. Tonight, the newest member of Team PokerStars Pro has made the final table. How's he do it? Quietly. There were no huge swings, no ostentatious screaming, no pleading, "one time." He just did it. Like a pro.

Fernandez eyes up Nitsche's stack

Seven other folks from around the world will be joining those two men tomorrow for the final table. Here's how they stack up.

Dominik Nitsche -- Germany -- PokerStars qualifier --817,000
Sergio Farias -- Argentina -- 474,000
Jorge Landazuri -- Mexico --PokerStars qualifier -- 428,000
Jason Skeans -- United States --PokerStars qualifier -- 338,000
Leo Fernandez -- Argentina -- Team PokerStars Pro -- 329,000
Jose Ignacio Barbero -- Argentina -- PokerStars player -- 181,000
Rodolfo Awad -- Chile -- PokerStars qualifier -- 170.000
Derek Lerner -- Canada -- PokerStars qualifier -- 151.000
Alfons Fenjin -- Netherlands -- PokerStars qualifier -- 65,000

You can find full chip counts on the remaining nine players at the LAPT Chip Counts page. Also be sure to check out the PokerStars Blog Media Gallery and the video blogs over at PokerStars.tv.

Final table play begins at 2pm local time (ET + 1 hour) on Sunday. Join us here for live coverage from the first flop to the last river.

For a look back at our live coverage from the day, check out any of the links below.

Level 11-12 live updates
Level 13-14 live updates
Level 15-16 live updates
Level 17-18 live updates

All photography © Joe Giron/IMPDI

This is a live blog of the LAPT Mar del Plata Grand Final, brought to you by bloggers Brad Willis and Change100. This post will updated on a regular basis. Click refresh for the latest information. The latest selected chip counts can be found on the LAPT Chip Counts page.

Blinds 5,000-10,000/1,000

Last updated: 10:19pm

10:19pm--Vincenzo Giannelli suffers tough beat, out in 10th ($28,200)

Play was hand for hand. Five players sat at each table. Nine of them would make the final table. One would go to bed tonight without any plans for the next day.

And so it came that Jason Skeans moved all in from the small blind [Ah][6c] and got a snap-call from Vincenzo Giannelli in the big blind. Giannelli held [Kh] [Kd].

"I call, I call, I call!" Giannelli screamed, "No aces!"

Skeans had Giannelli covered, but not by much. It looked like the big Venezuelan would make his second final table of this season's LAPT. Event after the flop, [2s] [Jc] [5d], all looked well. Then the [As] came on the turn. Giannelli couldn't find a king on the river and he was gone in 10th place.

10:00pm--Tragic fall: Mark Ioli sputters out in 11th place ($24,700)

It was not too long ago that American PokerStars qualifier was the chip leader in this event. It was not too long ago that he made a snap and hero call for most of his stack. It was not too long ago he was way ahead pre-flop for the biggest pot of the tournament. It was not long ago he lost that pot. Now, he is out.

It happened when he got [7d] [7c] all-in against Segio Farias' [Kd] [Ks] The board ran out [6h] [Jc] [4s] [2c] [8c].

With Ioli gone, the crowd is chantly wildly for Farias, their main from Argentina.

9:51pm-- Hugo Spangerberg eliminated in 12th place ($24,700)

Jorge Landazuri opened for a 32,000 raise from the button and with just over 140,000 in his stack, Hugo Spangerberg moved all in from the big blind. Landazuri thought the situation over for several minutes before electing to make the call. Spangenberg turned up [2h][2s] and we had ourselves yet another classic race situation, Landazuri showing [Ac][5d]. An ace hit the flop, leaving Spangerberg drawing to only two outs, neither of which materialized by the river, the board running out [Ad][Jd][Tc][Ks][3d] to send him home in 12th place.

9:45pm-- Alejandro Rodriguez eliminated 13th ($21,160)

We know it's cliche to talk about a classic race situation, but there's a reason cliches become cliches. This was one of them. PokerStars qualifier Rodolfo Awad got [Jc] [Jh] all in aganist Alejandro Rodriguez's [Ac] [Qc]. Just like the last hand, the door card [Qd] made it look like Rodriguez was going to catch up. Instead, the second card on the flop, [Js], pretty much finished the hand. No suck-out on the turn and river and Rodriguez finished in 13th place.

9:30pm--After dinner play purges Damian Salas (15th -- $21,160) and Eduardo Santi (14th -- $21,160)

Just back from dinner, we played just a couple hands before the short-stacks cannibalized each other. It started when Eduardo Santi pushed all-in and Damian Salas called for a little bit less. Perhaps neither expected Segio Farias to over-call. Farias had them both covered. When the hands went on their backs, it looked like this:

Santi: [Ad] [8c]
Salas: [6s] [6d]
Farias: [Ac] [Jh]

Santi was more than a little excited when he saw the [8s] in the door, but the next card brought the [Jc]. Another jack fell on the turn, no six fell on the river and Farias scored a double-bustout. Because he had slightly more chips, Santi officially finished in 14th place. Salas finished in 15th.

Santi reacts when seeing he's beat

7:50pm--Chow time

With the conclusion on Level 17, our 16 remaining players are on a 90-minute dinner break.

7:47pm -- Jamie Ateneloff eliminated in 16th place ($17,640)

Jamie Ateneloff made his last stand with the [Kc][Tc] and got a caller in Alfons Fenijn who held [Jc][6d]. A jack hit the flop and another hit the turn, ending Ateneloff's hopes for a repeat appearance at an LAPT final table.

7:45pm--Damian Salas doubles through Mark Ioli

Damian Salas moved all in from under the gun for his remaining 32,500, Mark Ioli moved all in from the button and the blinds folded. It was pocket kings for Salas vs. Ioli's [Qd][Jd], the cowboys holding up on the [Qc][8h][6s][As][5d] board to more than double him up to 79,000.

7:41pm--We believe the kids say...O-M-G.

Table consolidation played with the fates and put the two chip leaders right next to each other at the outer table. Dominik Nitsche and Mark Ioli are both gamblers. We knew that already. We just didn't know how much.

With the blinds at 4,000-8,000/500, Nitsche came in for a standard raise from the burron. Ioli almost immediately announced raise from the small blind and nearly tripled Nitsche's bet. With barely a second of hestiation, Nitsche announced all-in. Ioli didn't even ask how much it was. He only asked, "You're all-in? I call!"

He jumped from his seat and slammed [Ks] [Qs] down on the table like it was pocket aces. Keep in mind, these two guys were the chip leaders. Nitsche had pushed for 352,000. He casually turned over [Kh] [Th].

"Whooooo!" Ioli shouted. He jumped toward the ceiling, shoved his fist in the air and proclaimed, "I knew it!"

"Good call," someone said.

And it was, but no one could help but be startled by the two hands tangling in an all-in pre-flop battle.

Despite the fact Ioli was well ahead, there was still the matter of the board running out.

The flop: [Ah] [6h] [Jc].

"Oh, God," someone said.

Two hearts and a gutshot straw. How could it happen.

It could happen on the turn...the [5h].

Ioli was suddenly drawing dead. He looked like someone had just burned down his house.

The final pot totaled more than 720,000 and slid over to Nitsche.

Ioli, for his part, is left with less than 200,000.

7:15pm-- Rodrigo Caprioli eliminated in 17th place ($17,640)

Rodrigo Capriolo open-shoved from middle position only to have mega-stacked Mark Ioli move all in behind him to isolate. The rest of the table folded and the cards were turned up, [Qs][Th] for Capriolo, and [Kc][Kh] for Ioli. Capriolo was drawing dead and rising from his seat when the turn card hit the felt, the board running out [Jh][6d][5c][2c][8s] to send him home in 17th place.

7:05pm-- Pat Van Dijk eliminated in 18th place ($17,640)

Though Pat Van Dijk got a bit of a chip infusion when he knocked out Robin Chesne in 24th place, he got himself all in pre-flop holding [As][2d] against Alfons Fenijn's [Th][Td]. Van Dijk flopped good when it came down [Ad][Jc][5c], Fenijn spiked his two-outer on the turn when the [Ts] fell, making him a set. The river was the [Jh] and the good-natured Dutchman hit the rail with smiles and handshakes for his tablemates and a hug for his fellow countryman Fenijn.

7:00pm-- Julian De Berti eliminated in 19th place ($14,120)

Julian De Berti got the last of his chips in the middle holding [Ah][Qc] and Jose Barbero looked him up with [4h][4d]. Though he had at least ten outs on the [Kc][Kd][Th] flop, the turn and river blanked out with the [3d] and the [9d], sending De Berti to the rail.

This is a live blog of the LAPT Mar del Plata Grand Final, brought to you by bloggers Brad Willis and Change100. This post will updated on a regular basis. Click refresh for the latest information. The latest selected chip counts can be found on the LAPT Chip Counts page.

Blinds 3,000-6,000/500

Last updated: 7:00pm

7:00pm--Luis Jaikel busts in 20th place ($14,120)

After spending much of Day 1B at the top of the leader board, Costa Rica's Luis Jaikel has been eliminated. He held [Ad] [Qc] to Jorge Landazuria's [Kd] [Kh]. Landazuria flopped a king and Jaikel never caught up. He earned $14,120 for his efforts.

6:43pm--Damian Tinca eliminated 21nd ($14,120)

Not that they were in the money, it was time to start getting the chips in. Damian Tinca did it with [Kd] [Qc]. He was up against Vincenzo Giannelli's [Jd] [Ac]. The board ran out [As] [7h] [5s] [4s] [7c] and Tinka was eliminated in 21st spot.

6:40pm--Daniel Alfredo Bizoza eliminated 22nd ($14,120)

Congratulations to Daniel Bizoza for his 22nd place finish in the Latin American Poker Tour Grand Final.

6:32pm-- Carlos Benatuil eliminated in 23rd place ($14,120)

All in with 4-7 offsuit against K-Q things were looking a little brighter for Carlos Benatuil when he paired his seven on the flop. However, a queen hit the turn, and another fell on the river, sending Benatuil to the rail in 23rd place.

6:30pm-- Robin Chesne eliminated in 24th place ($14,120)

Robin Chesne came into Day 2 with the chip lead but unfortunately his run just ended in 24th place. All in with [Jd][Js] against Pat Van Dijk's [Kd][8s], the board cruelly four-flushed, running out [Td][9c][3d][2d][8d] to make Van Dijk a king-high flush.

6:25pm-- Jose Nadal eliminated in 26th place, Hector Aceval eliminated in 25th place ($14,120)

Julian De Verti just scored a double KO, eliminating both Hector Aceval and Jose Nadal on the same hand. Aceval moved all in from early position, Nadal moved all in behind him and De Verti moved all in behind him. The rest of the table folded and the cards went on their backs.

Aceval [8s][8d]
Nadal [Kh][Qh]
De Verti [Kc][Jh]

"Ocho!" cried Aceval in celebration as he hit bottom set on the [Qs][Td][8c] flop. The [Ks] landed on the turn, but the [9h] hit the river, making De Verti a king-high straight to eliminate both his opponents.

6:22pm--Marcelo Giorgetta eliminated 27th ($14,120)

Marcelo Giorgetta has just been eliminated in 27th place after running [Ac] [Tc] into Jaime Ateneloff's [Kd] [Ks]. The board fell [9h] [8d] [Kh] [6d] [Qc] and the Argentinian exited with $14,120.

6:11pm--Lernergate

At the end of play last night, ther was a bit of a brouhaha between Derek Lerner and...well, just about everybody. At issue was whether Lerner announced all-in before his chips (at the time, just the amount of a call) hit the table. We're not going to make any judgments about what actually happened, but we're happy to let both sides tell their story. (Incidentally, the ruling went against Lerner--something you're bound to understand after you watch the videos below).

Watch LAPT Mar del Plata S2: Lerner vs Ward - Lerner's POV on PokerStars.tv
Watch LAPT Mar del Plata S2: Lerner vs Ward - Ward's POV on PokerStars.tv

5:59pm-- Eduardo Camia=bubble boy

It took three deals of hand for hand play to burst the bubble, Eduardo Camia claiming the dubious title of bubble boy. Down to 4,500 in chips after folding his 6,000 big blind and his 3,000 small blind, Camia made his last stand from the button, moving in for his reamining 4,500 with [Ks][Qs]. Jose Barbero made the call with [4d][9c] from the small blind. The [9d][7s][5c] paired up Barbero, but the [2s] on the turn gave Camia nine more outs with a flush draw. The river, though fell the [8c] sending Camia to the rail as the rest of the players practically exploded, knowing they were all at least $14,120 richer.

The clock has been paused while our 27 remaining players re-draw for seats at three tables.

5:56pm--Bubble pops

The money bubble just went pop. Nice that it didn't event take half an hour. Details on the unfortunate soul who busted in just a moment.

5:35pm--On the bubble

Walter Oaquim just busted in 29th place when his [9h] [9d] couldn't hold up against [Js][Tc]. That leaves us with 28 players and on the money bubble.

5:15pm-- Blinds up

Our 30 remaining players have returned from break to blinds of 3,000-6,000 with a 500 ante. Three more to go before we hit the money.

4:55pm--15 minute break

Players are stepping out for 15 minute break.

4:55pm-- Battle royale brewing between Ioli and Chesne

Mark Ioli, he of the massive stack and Robin Chesne, he...who used to have a massive stack have been hooking up in a lot of pots as we approach the bubble. In one hand, Chesne opened for 10,000 and was called by both Ioli and the big blind. The flop came down [Ad][Kc][2s]. The big blind checked, Chesne bet 12,000, Ioli flat-called from the button and the big blind mucked. Both players checked the [Js] on the turn and when the river fell the [Jd], Chesne checked again. This time, Ioli made the ultimate power-move, making a massive all in overbet that would set Chesne all in. The Frenchman gave up his hand and Ioli added more chips to his collection.

Only a few minutes later they were at it again, Chesne opening for 10,000 from early position and Ioli moving all in, Chesne couldn't pull the trigger and folded, Ioli flashing [As][Ks].

4:50pm--Giannelli doubles up

Vincenzo Giannelli is doing his best to make a run for his second final table of the season. He just doubled up on the feature table with [Ac] [Kd] versus [Th] [Tc] all-in pre-flop. The board ran out [Ah] [4d] [5]s [4s] [4c] and Giannelli (not to mention his army of turtles) is still in action.

4:35--Meet your chip leaders

It's been back and forth for the chip lead between Mark Ioli and Dominiki Nitsche for some time. It's time you get to know them a little better.

Here are some interviews we shot with them a little bit earlier.

Watch LAPT Mar del Plata S2: Dominik Nitshce on PokerStars.tv
Watch LAPT Mar del Plata S2: Mark Loli on PokerStars.tv

4:20--Tamara Yael Szaingurten eliminated

Tamara Yael Szaingurten was so shy on Day 1, she covered her face with her hoodie and wouldn't give us her name. She said she'd be happy to be in the spotlight if she made the final table. She got close, but not nearly close enough.

Szaingurten needed a double up if she was going to survive until the money. She got [Kh] [Qs] all-in at the wrong time. She was up against [As] [Ks]. The board gave her a little hope, but ultimately the [Th] [9d] [Ts] [4h] [8c] meant her end.

4:00pm--Alex Brenes eliminated

Alex Brenes' amazing comeback story has unfortunately come to an end. After taking out Ernesto Panno with pocket sevens vs. 8-3 offsuit, Brenes got his stack in with A-2 but Dominik Nitsche looked him up with pocket eights. Brenes could not improve and he hit the rail just short of the money.

35 players remain in the field.

3:55pm--New level

Players are now battling at the 2,000-4,000/300 level.

Outside the Casino Central, it was a sparkling, sunny day. Cool ocean breezes announced the arrival of fall. Couples walked hand in hand down the Avenida Peralta Ramos, enjoying their Friday afternoon. Sea lions barked a few meters offshore. But inside the poker room, a man sat with an umbrella on his head. Sharks, turtles, pirates, and at least one plastic Jesus served as card cappers. Grown men wailed as the turn of a card spelled their fate. The poker circus has arrived in South America, amigos. Let's shuffle up and deal.

It's fair to say that Day 1B was a family affair. Two of Costa Rica's premiere poker-playing clans were represented in today's field-- the husband and wife duo of Max and Maria Stern, and a trio of Breneses spanning two generations. 18-year old Roberto was the first to fall, his top pair, top kicker falling to a flopped flush while his father, Humberto hung on until the late evening hours. Only Alex would survive to see Day 2. Max Stern was out before the dinner break, but Maria survived to Day 2 with 38,000 in chips after earning a key late-night double-up.

Most of the Team PokerStars Pro family that made the trek to Argentina took to the felt today. Joe Hachem, Andre Akkari, Alexandre Gomes, Leo Fernandez, Dennis Phillips and J.C. Alvarado all started their tournament this afternoon but unfortunately only one of them would survive to play Day 2.

Dennis Phillips was eliminated on a cooler of a hand. In a multi-way pot, Phillips and his two opponents all checked the [Kh][Qh][4c] flop. The [Td] came on the turn and after the first player checked, the second put out a 2,000 bet. Phillips slid his entire stack into the middle in response, and though the first player folded, the initial bettor called. It was quite the cooler, with Phillips holding [Jc][9c] for a king-high straight and his opponent with [As][Js] for the ace-high straight. Despite the ugly result, Phillips was gracious as ever and shook his opponent's hand before heading to the rail.

Joe Hachem just couldn't seem to get off the short stack today, but anytime we were about to count him out, he'd manage to double up or chop out a decent pot to keep himself alive.

Things looked grim for the Melbourne native when he got his stack in with A-3 only to run into A-K. However, the board ended up pairing nines and tens to give him a lucky chop. Saved by the river.

Hachem's tournament, though, would come to an end only a few hands later. Moving in with [Kh][Qd], Hachem again ran into [As][Kd]. This time there was no miracle, no lucky chop, no river save, the board running out [9c][2s][2d][Ts][5h] to send the world champion to the rail.

Though Akkari, Gomes, and Alvarado would all fall by night's end, Leo Fernandez was still alive and kicking despite losing over 90% of his stack on one of the very first hands.

On a [Qh][Ts][6s] flop, the pot raised and reraised pre-flop judging by the amount of chips already in the middle, Fernandez bet 1,300 and his opponent came in for a min-raise to 2,600. Fernandez stacked up the rest of his chips and slid them into the middle, earning an insta-call. Fernandez turned up [Qc][Tc], having cracked his opponent's [Ac][Ad] by flopping top two pair. Alas, his hand wouldn't hold up for long, the [6h] falling on the turn to make his opponent aces up. The [Ks] hit the river and after the stacks were counted down, Fernandez was left with two chips and a chair, a scant 1,100 fichas to his name.

Fernandez, though, would mount a stunning comeback, eventually tripling up with pocket jacks against A-K and A-9 to take him up to 12,000 in chips. Remaining patient all night, the former chess champion worked his stack up to the 23,200 he'll take into play tomorrow.

When the dust cleared Robin Chesne emerged as the Day 1B chip leader with 148,900. The online qualifier from France vaulted to the front of the pack after winning a better than 60,000 pot in the last level of the night when his pocket queens held up against A-J. Right behind him are Jason Skeans with 123,400 and Luis Jaikel with 113,600. Other notables surviving to Day 2 include Alex Brenes, Jose Rosenkrantz, Vincenzo Giannelli, Mark Ioli, David Flusfeder, and Gualter Salles.

Robin Chesne

If you missed any of the action (or just want to see the guy with the umbrella on his head), check out the links below:

The stars align
A novel approach
BrenesWatch, Part 1
Numbers released, names witheld
Looks like rain
Prize pool and payouts
Dennis Down
Rumbling
BrenesWatch, Part 2
Sick in any language
Sir, you have an umbrella on your head
Viva Leo!
Taking over
Go big or go home
Gone but not gone
BrenesWatch, Part 3 (Adios, Humberto)
How have the mighty fallen
Two stories with kings

Join us again tomorrow at 12 p.m. local time (EDT+1) as our 62 remaining hopefuls play down to a final table of nine. For even more multimedia goodness to satisfy your cravings check out the PokerStars Media Gallery and PokerStars.tv

Day 2 Starting Chip Counts

Robin Chesne -- France -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $146,900
Jason R Skeans -- United States -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $123,400
Luis Jaikel -- Costa Rica -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $113,600
Daniel Jaime Ateneloff -- Uruguay -- -- $108,300
Marcelo Giorgetta -- Argentina -- PokerStars Live Satellite Qualifiers -- $99,800
Eduardo Santi -- Argentina -- -- $96,300
Jorge Landazuri De Los Rios -- Mexico -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $96,300
Dominik Nitsche -- Germany -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $95,700
Damian Salas -- Argentina -- -- $74,200
Pablo Damian Tinca -- Argentina -- PokerStars Sponsored Player -- $65,500
Hector Luis Aceval -- Argentina -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $64,000
Jose Barbero -- Argentina -- PokerStars Sponsored Player -- $62,200
Daniel Alfredo Bizoza -- Uruguay -- PokerStars Live Satellite Qualifiers -- $60,000
Walter Oaquim -- Brazil -- -- $60,000
Angel Manuel Guillen Pereda -- Mexico -- PokerStars Sponsored Player -- $58,500
David Mormoyle -- Ireland -- PokerStars Live Satellite Qualifier -- $58,400
Hugo Spangerberg -- Argentina -- -- $57,300
Eduardo Oscar Camia -- Argentina -- PokerStars Sponsored Player -- $56,500
Horacio Courdin -- Uruguay -- -- $56,500
Gustav Schuldt Langner -- Brazil -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $55,600
Ryan Smith -- United States -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $51,100
Juan Serrano -- Argentina -- -- $50,600
Daniel Reijmer -- Netherlands -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $49,300
Vincenzo Giannelli -- Venezuela -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $47,500
Cristian Andres Rotondo -- Argentina -- PokerStars Live Satellite Qualifiers -- $47,400
Lautaro Curi -- Argentina -- -- $45,700
Andres Felipe Carrillo -- Colombia -- PokerStars Live Satellite Qualifiers -- $45,400
Julian De Berti -- Argentina -- -- $40,000
Gualter Salles -- Brazil -- Friends of PokerStars -- $39,700
Alex Brenes -- Costa Rica -- PokerStars Sponsored Player -- $39,600
Maria Stern -- Costa Rica -- PokerStars Sponsored Player -- $38,800
Carlos Javier Benatuil -- Argentina -- -- $38,000
Daniel Asis -- Argentina -- -- $36,800
Aslam Panjwani -- United States -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $36,600
Rodolfo Awad -- Chile -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $36,600
Gerardo Ruzo -- Argentina -- -- $36,200
Jose Nadal -- Mexico -- -- $35,800
Martha Eneida Herrera Gonzalez -- Mexico -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $35,600
Tamara Yael Szaingurten -- Argentina -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $34,600
Juan Pablo Reverter -- Argentina -- -- $32,800
Diego Maggiolo -- Argentina -- -- $32,700
Segio Farias -- Argentina -- -- $32,300
Pat Van Dijk -- Netherlands -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $32,100
Mark Alexander Loli -- United States -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $31,500
Mario Lopez -- Argentina -- PokerStars Live Satellite Qualifiers -- $30,400
Raul Paez -- Spain -- PokerStars Live Satellite Qualifiers -- $27,200
Daniel Pardo -- Argentina -- -- $26,800
Rodrigo Caprioli -- Brazil -- -- $26,400
Diego Allan Gartner Ferrer -- Spain -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $25,300
Jose Cassano -- Argentina -- -- $23,800
David Flusfeder -- United Kingdom -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $23,600
Leonardo Fernandez -- Argentina -- Team PokerStars Pro -- $23,200
Alejandro Rodriguez -- Argentina -- -- $22,800
Alfons Fenijn -- Netherlands -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $22,500
Derek Lerner -- Canada -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $21,700
Jose Rosenkrantz -- Costa Rica -- PokerStars Live Satellite Qualifiers -- $21,400
Ernesto Panno -- Argentina -- -- $20,800
Gustavo Serra -- Argentina -- PokerStars Sponsored Player -- $12,500
Ivan Raich -- Argentina -- PokerStars Live Satellite Qualifiers -- $12,400
Martin Van De Poel -- Netherlands -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $11,700
Vadim Thelin -- Denmark -- PokerStars Online Qualifier -- $2,200

All photos &copy Joe Giron, IMPDI

We're getting close to the end and the evening is paralleling last night pretty well. There was post-supper craziness followed by a food coma lull followed by a dramatic lock-down by the people looking to make Day 2.

A few minutes ago, we saw two nearly identical hands with quite different results.

The first came when LAPT Vina del Mar runner-up Vincenzo Giannelli got [Ks] [Kc] all-in against [Ah] [Jd]. A jack on the flop brought a bit of drama, but in the end Giannelli was shouting something that sounded a lot like, "Ship it to papa!"

Just a couple of table away, Alex Gomes had been working to build his stack back up to a respectable level. Within just a few minutes, he'd been all in a couple of times without getting called. Finally, he got a short-stack all-in. Gomes held [Kh] [Ks] to his opponent's [As] [Js].This time, things went in a dramatic different direction. There wasn't just one jack on the flop. There were two. Gomes couldn't catch a king and is now on life support.

Finally, a quick note about Mark Ioli. Since dinner--since dinner!--he has picked up queens three times and aces once. It's getting to the point that people simply assume he has a big pair and folded to every one of his raises.

Ioli (left, in the headband) and his table

About one hour of play remains before we break for the night. Forty-five players remain.