Coming right into a session of poker with the chip lead doesn't guarantee you anything. Just ask Oscar Alache and Mario Lopez, who led going into Day 2 and Day 3 of the LAPT9 Uruguay Main Event. Both ended up cashing, adding to their lengthy tournament resumes, but had their hopes for an additional final table appearance, and potentially a record breaking third LAPT title, fall short.

While those South American legends couldn't make their advantages on the top of the leaderboard over the past few days make them the winner's circle, Pedro Claus did that, en path to claim the last ever title at an LAPT festival.

Pedro Claus - LAPT9 Uruguay Main Event Champion

The Argentine came into today's eight-handed final table with a large lead at the remainder of the field, or even though he surrendered that lead a couple of times, within the end, there has been no denying Claus the title that often appeared to be his.

The LAPT9 Uruguay final table

The final table got off to a comparatively slow start, which was surprising for the reason that there have been a couple of players working short stacks. Eventually, one in all them fell, as Marco Oliveira, considered one of two Brazilians at this primarily Argentine final table, bowed out in 8th place. He ran his pocket deuces into Ruben Barros' pocket kings and was the primary out.

Marco Oliveira - 8th place

Cristian Andres Rotondo, who was the low man entering today's session, made a pay jump but after two unlucky chops that are meant to have netted him more chips, he was eliminated in 7th place. He was busted by Nicolas Pernigotti, K♥Q♥ besting K♠8♦ on a Q♠J♠9♥7♣9♠ runout. When the dust settled, Pernigotti had suddenly jumped up the leaderboard, working the third biggest stack when a marathon six-handed session began.

Cristian Rotondo - 7th place

During that six-handed session, the opposite Brazilian, Fernando Araujo bottomed out near ten big blinds once or twice but each, he battled back to stick alive. It was also during that reach that Claus surrendered his chip lead for the primary time, losing it to Sergio De Benedictis, only to win it back a couple of minutes earlier.

Manuel Vuotto also held the lead momentarily but if we finally had another bust out, it was Claus breaking the stalemate and regaining the lead. Ruben Barros was the sixth to fall, along with his A♣8♦ unable to conquer Claus' Q♥Q♦, with Barros besting an 8th place finish in last year's LAPT Uruguay Main Event.

Ruben Barros - 6th place

An orbit later, another Che was sent to the rail, because the short stacked Nicolas Pernigotti bowed out in 5th. He had come from the ashes yesterday, recovering from a brief stack but after Fernando Araujo cut him right down to only a handful of huge blinds, Sergio De Benedictis made sure the Argentine Phoenix didn't rise again.

Pernigotti got Q♦T♥ in against De Benedictis' A♥T♠ and after the ace-high flop, he was officially drawing dead at the turn.  

Nicolas Pernigotti - 5th place

Immediately after that elimination, De Benedictis had an opportunity to attain another, as a virtually 3,000,000-chip pot developed between him and Araujo.

While De Benedictis was capable of stop one Phoenix from rising, he couldn't stop Araujo, who scored an incredible double with A♣Q♦ holding against A♠J♦. When the dust settled, De Benendictis was left extremely short and while he battled valiantly to check out to make the rostrum spots, Araujo eventually came back to finish his final table run in 4th place, in brutal fashion.

The short stacked "Guacho" got all-in with K♦Q♥ against Araujo's A♥T♥ and after the K♥Q♠2♦ flop, it gave the impression of he was set for a double. That was, until the 2♣ and J♦ completed the board, giving Araujo Broadway and sending De Benedictis to the rail.

Sergio De Benedictis - 4th place

After the knockout, the remainder three players were very evenly stacked and after a couple of minutes of negotiations, all of them decided to fasten up better than second place money. Each secured $70,000 and the remainder $20,630 was left for the eventual champion. Despite the deal, the 3 battled for over an hour before that three-handed stalemate was broken by, you guessed it, Pedro Claus.

Claus had chipped up to, again, take a commanding lead and while he wasn't the only to chop down Manuel Vuotto, he was there to finish his run in 3rd. Level 31 began with the fast stacked Fernando Araujo doubling through Vuotto to depart the him short and some hands later, the 2 Argentinians battled to drop this LAPT9 Uruguay Main Event to its final two.

Manuel Vuotto - 3rd place

Claus opened the button, Vuotto shoved from the large blind for slightly below ten big blinds and Claus called. He had his opponent dominated, K♦9♥ to Q♠9♠ and after a king-high flop, Vuotto needed to take bronze. There has been no break before heads up play and again, Fernando Araujo was going to need to rise from the ashes, as he faced an almost 5:1 chip disadvantage.

He tried to seek out a double immediately, moving all-in from the button at the first hand of heads up play. In a flash, Pedro Claus called and tabled Q♣Q♠, leaving Araujo to only three immediate outs as he held K♦6♣. The board ran out clean for the pocket pair and after an embrace with the silver medalist, Claus raised his arms in victory, celebrating claiming the last ever Latin American Poker Tour festival Main Event trophy.

Fernando Araujo - 2nd place

After the initial celebrations, LAPT Assistant Tournament Director Fernando Obando addressed the gang that had assembled across the final table area. He referenced the years of success that the LAPT had enjoyed, in addition to the intense future that Latin and South American poker has prior to it. The emotional speech was capped with Obando thanking the players, fans, tournament staff and everybody who has made the LAPT possible during the last nine seasons, with a round of applause making way for Claus to regain center stage along with his trophy.

LAPT's Fernando Obando, Pedro Claus and PokerStars' James White

LAPT9 Uruguay Main Event final table resultsEntries: 438Places paid: 63Prize pool: $571,5901. Pedro Claus (Argentina) $90,630*2. Fernando Araujo (Brazil) $70,000*3. Manuel Vuotto (Argentina) $70,000*4. Sergio De Benedictis (Argentina) $39,7205. Nicolas Pernigotti (Argentina) $31,1606. Ruben Barros (Argentina) $24,4007. Cristian Andres Rotondo (Argentina) $18,340 8. Marco Oliveira (Brazil) $13,040*denotes three-way deal

Thanks for following our coverage during the last week from the Conrad Hotel & Casino in beautiful Punta del Este. Listed here are each day's live updates, where you'll be able to relive it all:

Day 1A live updatesDay 1B live updatesDay 2 live updatesDay 3 live updatesFinal table live updatesFinal table profiles

While that is the last LAPT festival, there's a short break before the LAPT returns, as a part of the BSOP Millions series in November. That week-and-a-half long series culminates with the LAPT9 Grand Final in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Until then, adios from Uruguay.

Ready to embark by yourself poker adventure? Join PokerStars and start your journey. Click here to get an account.

Will O'Connor and Martin Harris are Freelance Contributors to the PokerStars Blog. Photos by Carlos Monti.

Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: Latin American Poker Tour]