PokerWorks

On March 10th, PokerStars announced the launch of the first ever Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT). The game of poker will set out on its first ever series of tournaments in some of the most intriguing destinations in Latin America.

The inaugural tournament of the LAPT will take place from May 3rd through May 5th in the beach city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Players from around the world will descend on the tourist city for the $2500 buy-in event that will boast of more than $600,000 in the prize pool. Not only will Team PokerStars pros be there, but international pros Humberto Brenes (Costa Rica) and Andre Akkari (Brazil) will be in attendance as well.

Akkari noted, “It’s a real honor to be representing Team PokerStars in the PokerStar’s Latin American Poker Tour – and even more exciting that the very first event is in my home country. The LAPT offers great opportunities for Latin American players. Poker is growing so fast in this region and now local players will have the chance to compete in major events in their own backyard.”

After Brazil, the tour moves to San Jose, Costa Rica from May 22-24, and then to Uruguay for the LAPT Punta del Este from August 7-9. Future stops have yet to be announced.

LAPT President Glenn Cademartori said, “Poker is exploding in Latin America and the game is more than ready for its own major poker tour. It’s one of the fastest-growing poker regions and there are thousands upon thousands of players in countries like Brazil and Argentina who will love the chance to take part in events of this kind. In every regard, the LAPT is going to put Latin America on the map as the newest hotspot to play high stakes international poker.”

Cademartori went on to explain why PokerStars was the ideal partner for the LAPT. “It’s not just because PokerStars has proven success in launching major poker tours in other regions, but also because it is the world's number one online poker destination. This means it's uniquely positioned to give an enormous number of players from across the globe the chance to take part through online qualifying satellite tournaments. Our goal is to provide Latin American players and beyond with the best poker tournament experience in this part of the world."

With PokerStars already sponsoring the European Poker Tour (EPT) and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), the next logical step was to partner with a tour that would travel throughout Latin America. And with more than 13 million players on PokerStars worldwide, along with pros on Team PokerStars like Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Chris Moneymaker, and Vanessa Rousso, the site and its players seem ready to take Latin America by storm.

Download PokerStars now to learn more about the Latin American Poker Tour and get ready to compete around the world. Enter marketing code “POKERWORKS” when registering and bonus code “First 2008” upon making your first deposit, and you’ll receive $25 free and 100% bonus up to $50.