Some credit for the massive numbers are due to the first time the R$5,000 LAPT Brazil main event being held in the biggest city of the southern hemisphere and being held at the expansive Sheraton WTC in São Paulo.
Of the 536 entries into this event, a whopping 325 of them hail from Brazil. More than 60% of this field. Nearly 170 players in the field qualified in online poker satellites on PokerStars.
Including side events, LAPT Brazil will have a combined prizepool of R$4M making it Latin America's biggest festival of poker.
The 536 players created a prize pool of R$2,391,630 which 64 finishers will share with the main event winner taking down R$615,840.
Just 168 players survived the first day and will return Friday to the Convention Center of the Sheraton WTC in São Paulo for Day 2.
Argentine Leandro Csome holds the overnight chip lead with 271k. Word on the street is Csome has won the last two tournaments he's entered. His friends are already calling him "Hat Trick."
Notables to fall on Day 1 include Andre Akkari, Leo Fernandez, Alex Gomes, Gualter Salles, and Joao Nunes.
Notables still alive are Maria Mayrinck (36,800 chips), Humberto Brenes (55,100), Christian de Leon (31,600), Angel Guillen (16,300), and two time winner Nacho Barbero (75,700).
