High Stakes Gambling VIP sites

Saturday, November 21, 2015

LAPT8 Uruguay: The imitation game

The day started with a lot more barking than we're used to.

As players were getting settled into their seats, a Great Dane bolted into the tournament area. The large creature rocketed towards the snack bar area, barked and ran a few circles around a table.

Then the Great Dane hugged his friends.

While several people were amused, no one was really taken aback; this site has become fairly common wherever Igor Marani is present.

The dog doesn't belong to Marani, Marani is the dog.

For the past few years, Marani has been attending poker tournaments across the world dressed in a full-body Scooby-Doo outfit.

Marani is occasionally sober, but he's always cheerful and ready to celebrate at the drop of a river card.

Igor Marani

Marani's Scooby-Doo first popped into the scene in Las Vegas, during last year's World Series of Poker. Marani cheered proudly and loudly as his fellow Brazilian Bruno Politano made his way towards the November Nine.

Marani does a spot-on impersonation of Scooby-Doo --well, the Portuguese version-- and decided to buy the costume in Vegas on a whim.

Marani planned on using the costume to lounge around his house or go to parties, but when Politano started making it deep in the Main Event, he decided to put it on and join the rail.

Come November, Marani was back in Vegas in full costume.

We're not sure if Marani's taken it off since.

While Marani's been doing his best to impersonate Scooby-Doo, there's a Brazilian player in the field others have tried to imitate.

Renata Teixeira and her purple hair sparked a number of imitators when she made it deep in LAPT8 Chile.

Somehow, her rail found a place in Viña del Mar that had a large supply of purple wigs and bought enough for all her supporters.

Renata Teixeira and her supporters in Chile

Those too far away to join the rail posted pictures of themselves with purple wigs on social media to show their support.

If Teixeira makes it deep again, we're sure we'll see the number of purple-haired people quickly multiply.

Teixeira started the day a bit short but has chipped up to about 45,000.

In one hand, Matias Gabrenja raised to 2,500 from early position and Teixeira called from the button. The big blind called as well and all three players checked when the flop came K♥A♦7♠.

Action checked to Teixeira when the Q♠ came on the turn and she bet 5,000. Gabrenja folded and the big blind called.

The 8♣ completed the board and both players checked.

The big blind turned over K♣J♠ but Teixeira took down the pot and chipped up to about 45,000 when she showed K♦Q♦.