There was a lot of final table experience at the LAPT6 Brazil final table. We all knew about Team PokerStars Pros Andre Akkari and Leo Fernandez. But the most under-the-radar source of final table experience came from Colombian Rafael Pardo.
Pardo was at the final table the first time the LAPT came to his home country, back in Season 4. He finished in 7th place at that inaugural event in Medellin. Three seasons prior, he was at the final table the first time there ever was an LAPT final table. That event, which took place in Rio de Janeiro in 2008, also ended in a 7th-place finish for Pardo.
Measured by that yardstick, Pardo achieved great success here in São Paulo. Measured by the yardstick that all poker players use, however – winning is everything and everything else ain’t much – Pardo came up just a bit short.
He was involved in many of the afternoon’s all-in altercations, doubling up a few times and doubling others up himself. When the action got down to 3-handed play, he was the decided short stack. Brazilians Victor Sbrissa and Daniel Murta had about 14 million of the 15 million chips in play, leaving Pardo with about a million. That’s not much when the blinds are 60k-120k.
On his final hand, Pardo opened his button to 250,000. Murta defended the big blind with K♣ 2♣ . When he caught two clubs on the Q♣ 10♣ 8♦ , he shoved into Pardo. With only 800,000 left in his stack, Pardo called with A♦ 10♦ , a pair of tens. The partisan Brazilian crowd, many of whom have been screaming their lungs out in support of Victor Sbrissa, got behind Murta for this hand and began to chant for a club. They exploded in cheers when the turn 6♣ left Pardo drawing dead.
Pardo earned R$231,400 for making it to 3rd place, by far his best finish on the LAPT.
The players are taking a short break in preparation for heads-up play. Murta is unlikely to find any more support from the crowd. They are all firmly behind Sbrissa. In fact, when Murta eliminated Leo Fernandez earlier in the day, he asked the crowd, “Doesn’t anyone want to hug me? I have no friends here.”
Nobody did.
Dave Behr is a freelance contributor to the PokerStars Blog.
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