After a couple of disappointing months in the tough fields of WPT Bellagio and the Aussie Millions, it almost feels like a relief to be playing in a smaller tournament. The next stop for Withnail’s Poker School is Punte del Este in Uruguay to play in the second leg of Season 3 of the Latin American Poker Tour.

The LAPT was launched in 2008 but hit trouble in Season 2 when the second event in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, was raided by Police half way through Day 1. The Mexican Gaming Commission had apparently rescinded their licence. The cash and the chips were confiscated by the Police and carnage ensued. Pokerstars saved the day by paying out the prize pool to those still in (plus $500 per player). So there’s no Mexican leg this year.

This time we’re going slightly further afield, to Uruguay, who won the first ever World Cup in 1930 and for some reason has the reputation for being the de rigueur hiding place for Nazi war criminals. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.

So I, together with The Coach and our latest guest, Neil “Badbeat” Channing (profile to follow), will be on the flight to Montevideo on Sunday evening ahead of the $3,500 main event starting on Wednesday 24th February. Although many of the star names won’t be there, many anonymous internet star players will. My hope is that the internet qualifiers are not so ‘uber-confident’ out of their comfort zone :)

It’s about time we brought home some bacon, but we’ll make do with a juicy Uruguayan steak.

Withnail