LAPT Playa Conchal: They've been there before

The LAPT fields are still what we like to call "manageable." With 259 players in the field, it's easy to see a lot of familiar faces. What makes them all the more familiar is the fact we have seen a number of today's players on the final table of other LAPT events.

Perhaps the most recognizable of the players in the field is local favorite Alex Brenes. His record on the LAPT, at least in terms of final tables, is unmatched. In the first two seasons of the LAPT, Brenes has made two final tables. Both happened in season 1 when he took fourth in the now-defunct event in Rio and then placed runner-up in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Those two cashes earned him around $200,000.

The same year Brenes made the final table in Punta, he was up against now-Team PokerStars Pro Alex Gomes. The Brazilian placed fourth that year for a $68,000 win. Since then, he's signed on with Team Pro and won big just about everywhere he's been.

The only LAPT champion in today's field is Fabian Ortiz. In the Season 2 event in Vina del Mar Chile, Ortiz came back from a single small blind at the final table to win the entire thing for more than $141,000.

We also have the possibility of some final table rematches. The starting field today included players who have met before on previous final tables. Last year in Costa Rica, Brent Sheirbon and Jesus Bertoli placed third and fourth respectively. A few months later in Punta del Este, Mexico's Angel Guillen took third and Bolivar Palacios placed seventh. Finally, at the season 2 grand final in Argentina, we saw Leo Fernandez (6th), Derek Lerner (7th), and Jose Barbero (9th).

Finally, we can't let this list of notables end without mentioning the man with the most creative hair stylist among LAPT final table players. That, of course, is Steven Thompson who made the final table of the Costa Rican event in season 2.

Who's to say we won't see these guys meet again at a final table. After all, they've been there before.