Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) 2026 – Schedule, Winners, Buy-Ins & How to Qualify

🇧🇷 Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) 2026 – The Ultimate Guide to South America’s Premier Poker Series

The Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) is back in 2026, bringing thrilling tournament action to poker lovers across South America. Since its launch by PokerStars in 2008, the LAPT has become the heart of competitive poker in Latin America, with stops in Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, and Colombia.

Whether you’re a seasoned grinder or dreaming of your first live event, this complete guide covers:

• ✅ What is the LAPT?
• ✅ Full history and season-by-season champions
• ✅ Projected 2026 roadmap
• ✅ How to qualify
• ✅ Top players and iconic moments

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🎯 What is the Latin American Poker Tour?

The LAPT is a live poker tour with mid to high-stakes buy-ins, featuring Texas Hold’em main events, bounty tournaments, and high rollers. It combines:

• 🌎 International competition
• 💸 Big prize pools
• 🎉 Latin culture & vibrant host cities

Founded by PokerStars, LAPT events are professionally run and attract both regional heroes and global poker legends.

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🕰️ History of LAPT – Season by Season (2008–2024)

🏅 2008 Season (Inaugural Year)

Event	Winner	Country	Prize
Rio de Janeiro	Julien Nuijten	Netherlands	$222,940
San José	Valdemar Kwaysser	Hungary	$274,103
Punta del Este	José Espinar	Spain	$241,735

🏅 2009 Season

Event	Winner	Country	Prize
Viña del Mar	Fabián Ortiz	Argentina	$141,426
Punta del Este	Karl Hevroy	Norway	$283,580
Mar del Plata	Dominik Nitsche	Germany	$381,030

🏅 2010 Season

Event	Winner	Country	Prize
Lima	José I. Barbero	Argentina	$250,000
Florianópolis	Matthias Habernig	Austria	$248,004
Rosario Final	Martin Sansour	Peru	$322,280

🏅 2011 Season

Event	Winner	Country	Prize
São Paulo	Alex Manzano	Chile	$368,703
Viña del Mar	Murilo Figueiredo	Brazil	$146,000
Lima	Kemal Ferri	Argentina	$207,400
Punta del Este	Alex Komaromi	Uruguay	$244,720
Medellín	Julián Menéndez	Argentina	$165,992

🏅 2012 Season

Event	Winner	Country	Prize
Viña del Mar	Alirio Díaz	Venezuela	$129,470
Punta del Este	Marcelo Fonseca	Brazil	$144,240
Medellín	Robbie Renehan	Ireland	$147,877
Panama	Leo Fernández	Argentina	$171,930
Lima Final	Jordan Scott	USA	$168,210

🏅 2013 Season

Event	Winner	Country	Prize
Viña del Mar	Pablo Tavitian	Argentina	$184,220
São Paulo	Victor Sbrissa	Brazil	$252,971
Medellín	Weider Gutiérrez	Colombia	$86,947
Lima	Patricio Rojas	Chile	$123,840
Panama	Galal Dahrouj	Panama	$132,535
Punta del Este	Carter Gill	USA	$218,692

🏅 2014 Season

Event	Winner	Country	Prize
Viña del Mar	Mario López	Argentina	$117,991
São Paulo	Caio Hey	Brazil	$304,501
Panama	Fabián Ortiz	Argentina	$143,930

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🏅 LAPT Comeback Years

🏅 2023 Season

Event	Winner	Country	Prize
Montevideo	Joaquin Melogno	Uruguay	$177,300
Lima	Diego Ventura	Peru	$192,700

🏅 2024 Season

Event	Winner	Country	Prize
Rio de Janeiro	Andre Akkari	Brazil	$243,000
Santiago	Alejandro Lopez	Chile	$198,500

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📍 Projected LAPT 2025 Schedule

Event	Location	Date (Est.)	Buy-In	Prize Pool Est.	Winner	Country
Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	March 2025	$2,000	$800,000+	TBD	TBD
Montevideo	Uruguay	May 2025	$1,500	$500,000+	TBD	TBD
Lima	Peru	July 2025	$1,500	$600,000+	TBD	TBD
Santiago	Chile	Sept 2025	$1,500	$500,000+	TBD	TBD
Medellín	Colombia	Nov 2025	$1,500	$400,000+	TBD	TBD

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🏆 How to Qualify for LAPT 2025

Ways to enter:

• 💻 Online satellites on PokerStars (starting at $1)
• 🏢 Live step satellites at venues
• 🎁 Package promos from PokerStars partners

Many champions started with online qualifiers!

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🌟 Iconic LAPT Champions

Player	Country	Titles	Legacy
Nacho Barbero	Argentina	3x	Only triple LAPT Main Event winner
Andre Akkari	Brazil	1x	WSOP bracelet holder, LAPT 2024 champ
Fabián Ortiz	Argentina	2x	Early pioneer and Panama 2014 winner
Victor Sbrissa	Brazil	1x	Winner of São Paulo 2013

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🎯 Why the LAPT Still Matters in 2025

• 🌎 Builds bridges between Latin and global poker scenes
• 💸 Big prize pools with accessible buy-ins
• 🔥 Intense competition in stunning locations
• 🎯 Launchpad for the next generation of poker pros

“The energy at LAPT stops is unmatched. You feel the passion at every table.”
– Andre Akkari

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