I recently got back from LAPT Peru, the last stop of Season 7 of the Latin American Poker Tour. This time I did things a little differently for my trip to Lima. Instead of staying in the nearby hotel, I rented an apartment where I stayed by myself. It was fun not to be eating room service all of the time but instead going to the supermarket and making it a little like a home away from home.
Often I’ll travel to tournaments with my girlfriend or with other friends from Mexico, but this time it was just me. That wasn’t the original plan — my friend Bolivar Palacios was going to stay with me, but he had something come up at the last minute and after getting to Lima had to go back home.
It was still a fun trip, though. In the Main Event I was short-stacked most of the way, but I was able to hang on long enough to make the money. Once the bubble burst I couldn’t manage a double-up when I needed it, and so went out with a small cash. It was one of those events where I was short for so long yet still able to survive, I thought as soon as I started getting some hands I’d probably be chip leader before long. But it didn’t happen this time.
The LAPTs are set up smartly with side events coming after the Main Event, and normally I’d stick around to play in the High Roller and some others. But this time I decided not to, and instead just hung out for another day before going back to Mexico.
Now I’m back to preparing for the music festival I wrote about last time, the Tropico festival in Acapulco that will be happening in early December. There’s a lot of work to do with the production people and making sure the sound system for all three stages is operating the way it should, not to mention making sure all of the food and drinks and everything else will be ready. It’s going to be a great time, for sure.
Before that, though, I’ll be in Brazil for the BSOP (Brazilian Series of Poker) which comes during the latter part of November. I love going to Brazil and the BSOP should be very big this year. My friend Thiago Nishijima — a.k.a. “The Decano” — was telling me in Lima that I can’t miss it this year, it’s going to be huge. There’s the Main Event, a $10K High Roller, and a $25K Super High Roller as well.
That will probably be my last big poker trip of the year, although I’m playing a lot of cash games in Mexico — including a lot of my favorite new game, Mata Aces — and playing online a lot as well. But when the new year comes I’ll be back at it, going to the PCA in January where the LAPT will be having its inaugural LAPT Bahamas event to kick off Season 8.
Lots of fun times ahead, then. And hopefully a deep tourney run or two as well to make it even more fun.
Christian de Leon is a member of Team PokerStars Pro
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