Amauri Grutka Wins Party Poker Latin America Poker Championship For $200K

The $1,100 Main Event of the Party Poker Latin American Poker Championship at Punta del Este in Uruguay drew a 1,137-player field, with Amauri Grutka outlasting the competition to claim the first place prize of $200,000.

The Brazilian was among a handful of fellow countrymen at the final table and earned the largest payday of his poker career. He did it on the strength of pocket queens, having been dealt a pair of ladies in two key hands and managing to avoid his opponents connecting with an overcard ace in both instances.

Final Table

Grutka began the 8-player final table action as chipleader. Eight remaining became seven when the only Uruguayan still alive in the tournament, Francisco Garcia, was sent to the rail.

Garcia was followed by four Brazilians in a row, Lucas Scafini the first of those when his queens fell short to the kings of Yi Lin. The Chinaman took the chip lead on the winning hand.

Bruno Kawauti settled for sixth place when his shove with J-4 from the small blind lost to the pair of fours of Argentinian Federico Dania. Marcelo Azevedo and Party Poker Team Pro Joao Simao were next to see their title hopes die, the latter claiming fourth place and $60,000 on the heels of his second place finish in the $5,300 Super High Roller for a cash of $50,000.

That left Grutka, Lin and Dania remaining, with the eventual winner holding the shortest stack of the three. Grutka decimated Dania's chip stack with the first of his key pocket queens hands. Lin took what was left of the Argentinian's chips shortly thereafter and heads-up action commenced.

Roughly even in chips, the duo both got it in good, Lin banking on big slick while Grutka had his favorable pocket queens once again. Another queen on the flop sealed the deal and Grutka was declared the Main Event champ.

Party Poker Latin America Poker Championship  - Main Event - Final Table Results