Shakeeb Kazemipur has won the PokerStars.net sponsored Latin American Poker Tour Season 8 Main Event in Panama City. He defeated Olga Iermolcheva in heads up action to take the first prize of $180,112.
22-year old student, Shakeeb Kazemipur, has won the PokerStars.net Latin American Poker Tour Season 8 (LAPT8) Main Event in Panama City. Kazemipur defeated rising star Olga Iermolcheva, heads-up, to take the $180,112 first prize.
Kazemipur is only the second Canadian to pick up an LAPT Main Event win. The first was Amer Sulaiman, who picked up $172,095 for his victory in LAPT3 in Playa Conchal. According to the Hendon Mob database Kazemipur’s victory is only his second live cash.
The Sortis Hotel, in Panama City, welcomed the 422 entrants creating a total prize pool of $930,932. It was the third leg of the eighth season of the tour. There were some interesting stories contained within the mix of the final eight.
Tulio Bertoli of Venezuela carved out a little piece of LAPT history. His third place finish, good for $81,460, means him and his brother, Jesus, became the first pair of brothers to ever make the final of a LAPT Main Event. Jesus finished fourth in LAPT2 in San Jose. It was the year Ryan Fee took the title.
The most experienced player at the final table was Damian Salas. The Argentinian had previously won the LAPT6 High Roller in Uruguay for $107,800, and also finished third in last year’s Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) High Roller for $67,998. Salas could only make sixth in this one.
But all eyes were on Olga Iermolcheva. The Ukrainian had flown into Panama City from the European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final in Monte Carlo. You remember her as the protégé who represented Eugene Katchalov in the ‘Protégé’ campaign they hosted last summer.
Iermolcheva came into the final table as the chip leader, and did make it to the final two spots. The Ukrainian pocketed the largest cash of her career, but still had to settle for the bridesmaid position, behind the champion Kazemipur, after a thrilling three-hour battle. She is the second successive female to finish second in an LAPT Main Event. Renata Teixeira did likewise in Chile.
Final Table Results
1st Shakeeb Kazemipur (Canada) $180, 112
2nd Olga Iermolcheva (Ukraine) $113,580
3rd Tullio Bertoli (Venezuela)$ 81,460
4th Francisco Rocha (Chile) $64,700
5th Francois Lincourt (Canada)$ 50,740
6th Damian Salas (Argentina) $39,760
7th Pierce McKellar (United States) $29,880
8th Derek Ecenarro (USA) $21,220
