mark_999 0 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Why no more updates at pokerstarsblog.com?well the LAPT Nuevo Vallarta tournament has been cancelled!I was there railing people on day 1 and left about 4:00pm......& at about 11:00pm the tournament was shut down.They had the license and permits to run the tournament but they wern´t following the guide lines which i what i heard. supossably poker is illegal in mexico...There were still about 80 people left in the tournament when it got shut down.Details to follow...JC , no not baxter, MJ.. maybe you guys know more about it? Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,321 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 http://www.pokernews.com/news/2008/12/LAPT...nt-canceled.htmLAPT Nuevo Vallarta CancelledDecember 06, 2008PokerNews Staff The PokerStars.com LAPT Nuevo Vallarta event was suspended late on Day 1 during the middle of play by local gaming officials. It was announced just a short while ago that the tournament as a whole has been canceled. 242 players bought into the $2,500 main event championship hosted at the Marival Resorts and Suites in Nuevo Vallarta, in the tourist destination area of Puerto Vallarta, which began at noon local time on Friday. The event attracted several American pros in addition to some of the premiere players in Latin America. After nearly a full day of deliberations and negotiations with local officials, it was announced late on Saturday afternoon that the tournament in its entirety was canceled. The remaining 89 players will split the prize pool, and play will not resume. Each of the 89 players reportedly will receive $5,000 directly from the prize pool, and the remaining prize money will then reportedly be distributed to the players on a chip-count basis, though this may be done by estimate due to the locked-down nature of the tournament facility. An additional $500 would then be given to each player over and above the prize-pool distribution. The tournament had been running smoothly until the ninth level of play. Local gaming officials were on hand for most of the day, observing the tournament. At approximately 10:30 pm local time, gaming officials made an abrupt decision to rescind the LAPT's gaming license. At that time, as players, tournament officials and media were escorted from the room, tournament director Mike Ward made an announcement that play was suspended until further notice. At that point, there were 89 players remaining, including Greg Raymer and Victor Ramdin, who was among the leaders. All of the players and spectators were ordered to vacate the tournament room immediately. Players left their chips on the table and headed for the, joined by the staff, dealers and media. For a couple of hours, perplexed players and media milled around while they eagerly awaiting a clarification on the suspension of the tournament. At midnight, the remaining 89 players were told to return at noon on Saturday when they would be provided with a status update. Meanwhile, attorneys for the LAPT continued to negotiate with local gaming officials. When players returned on Saturday, the LAPT informed them that the tournament was still suspended. Several hours later, players were informed that the tournament has been canceled. It is unclear at press time what this means for the future of tournaments in Mexico, but with the often murky legal environments that exist in the country, things like this always loom as a possibility, and it may well be some time before another major poker event is held on Mexican soil. At press time an official statement from LAPT sponsor PokerStars on the cancellation had yet to be released. When a statement is provided, it will be appended to this report. Link to post Share on other sites
grocery_mony 8 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 You think Pokerstars would have all there ducks in a row. Shakedown by crooked cops imo. Link to post Share on other sites
king_tanner 84 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Only in Mexico.When is the Middle East Poker Tour starting? Link to post Share on other sites
psujohn 0 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 You think Pokerstars would have all there ducks in a row. Shakedown by crooked cops imo.In Mexico, law enforcement is an entrepreneurial activity. Link to post Share on other sites
NoSup4U 0 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 In October I was in Mexico and got pulled over by the cops for running a stop sign that didn't exist. gg $40 'payment' for the ticket he didn't write me.Mark Link to post Share on other sites
RickyG033 0 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Rumor is that they had cash games running on the side which the Meixcan gov't apparently didnt like. Link to post Share on other sites
mtdesmoines 3 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 LOL Mexico. Link to post Share on other sites
lurbz 2 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 LOL Mexico. Link to post Share on other sites
aucu 3 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 I so wanted to go to this, living and working in Mexico I know that things are a bit trying at times but this is an epic screw up. Link to post Share on other sites
David_Nicoson 1 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 In October I was in Mexico and got pulled over by the cops for running a stop sign that didn't exist. gg $40 'payment' for the ticket he didn't write me.MarkWhen people visited the Thomson plant in Mexico, it was normal and expected to turn in travel expenses for tickets. Our instructions were to carry some cash, but never more than $100, because the fine is often the amount you have in your possession. Link to post Share on other sites
PrtyPSux 0 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 I talked to my mom today, who works for the mexican gov. (consulate) and is always up to date with politics etc...She said the story people are spreading around sounds very weird and doesn't really add up. From what I've heard (I haven't been keeping up too much), they're saying that the there was a different governor who I guess didn't get a bribe, so he decided to overturn the legal paperwork they had agreed on which would allow Stars to run a tourney here. So they sent the police to shut it down in order to get more money in bribes.I wouldn't put it past the gov to try and get bribes, that's simply the way shit runs here. What my mom said doesn't make much sense is:A- wtf are they talking about another governor, there isn't two per state obv and any other governor wouldn't have jurisdiction here. B- If they did agree to let them run the tourney and they saw it was a very public event, It's not likely that the gov of a state with heavy tourist towns like Vallarta would go back on their word and risk pissing off 500 tourists, and a company that successfully managed to bring so much positive publicity to the city.C- if in fact the government was looking for a bribe, why is the tourney shut down? I'm sure stars would be willing to make a huge bribe just as long as their LAPT doesn't get a horrible rep. If they wanted a bribe, they would have gotten it, and they would have let the tourney go on.So the theory we have is that they probably hired someone that wasn't very familiar with the way things work in Mexico. They either hurried through the paperwork, or they bribed the wrong officials...Say stars juiced the chief of police and the mayor to let them run a tourney here, then the governor or something finds out he'll be like "I'm in charge I'm shutting this down". Another thing, Mexico is having elections coming up in a few months, a lot of governors are cracking down on random things mainly as publicity stunts for re-election. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the governor shut this down as a gimmick to promote his strict policies etc. (Mexico is, in theory a very conservative country). The cash game thing was a terrible idea too.The reality is that we probably won't ever hear the real reason why this got shut down, it was probably a combination of things. All I know is that I made a trip that I would have never made if there wasn't a tourney, I bought in to a tourney that I would have never played if I knew that there was a chance of it getting shutdown, I skipped bellagio tourneys knowing that winning this would be way more +ev for me in the long run. If I don't get at least the buy in back I'll be pissed. People are speculating that the only ones getting money will be the 89 left, I busted like 10 minutes before this happened after having the chiplead at the table and losing 6 all ins in a row, obviously had I known there would be a bubble in 10 minutes for flat payouts I would have just waited. If they don't refund the people that were knocked out before this it's like they essentially freerolled us by making us think we were playing for 160k and a TV table when in fact we were playing a satellite.The trip has been awesome, but if I wanted a vacation I'd be in Acapulco not here. It really sucks that stars will probably never come back to Mexico and that this could possibly set back poker in Mexico and the rest of Latin America quite a bit. I wouldn't know exactly what Stars could do to make up for this, but I think that they should be willing to reach into their already insanely deep pockets to make sure everyone at least feels ok with the fact that they played an illegit tourney. off to the club Link to post Share on other sites
Jelly-Filled Ace 1 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 I wouldn't know exactly what Stars could do to make up for this, but I think that they should be willing to reach into their already insanely deep pockets to make sure everyone at least feels ok with the fact that they played an illegit tourney.Freeroll a 2500.00 bi on the site for all 242 entrants would probably be a good start, imo. 600K+ is nothing. Link to post Share on other sites
silkyjonson 1 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Sigh and this was the only tourney that offered Mexican hold'em. Link to post Share on other sites
silkyjonson 1 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 double post Link to post Share on other sites
cardcore 0 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 well jc at least you get to live your life like a corona commercial for a few days! Link to post Share on other sites
PrtyPSux 0 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 well jc at least you get to live your life like a corona commercial for a few days!dude...all day laying on the beach, we eat the biggest meal of our lives at 6 pm, go to the club, literally eat 60 tacos between 4 people, and I'm barely getting home at 7 am....nice life.this is why I'm moving out of the states Link to post Share on other sites
terradawg 0 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 In Mexico, law enforcement is an entrepreneurial activity.QFMFT. Link to post Share on other sites
EStormOk 0 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 No updates on this?How long do yo think it will be before PS has a press release on this? if ever? Link to post Share on other sites
mark_999 0 Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 so far this is what the LAPT has said..http://www.lapt.com/news/Statement on LAPT Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico – posted 12.07.08The Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) confirms that it is cancelling the poker tournament in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, due to an indefinite suspension served on one of its local partners.The LAPT states it has cooperated fully and in good faith with the requirements outlined by the Mexican government. The LAPT respects and abides by local regulations in each market. LAPT’s partner in Mexico obtained a formal ruling from the Mexican Ministry of the Interior (SEGOB) allowing the event to take place. As the LAPT complied with every rule stipulated by the Code of the Mexican Federal Law of Games and Raffles, the reasons for suspension are being reviewed by lawyers of all parties. Link to post Share on other sites
nutzbuster 7 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 In October I was in Mexico and got pulled over by the cops for running a stop sign that didn't exist. gg $40 'payment' for the ticket he didn't write me.Markwerrrrrd.We've talked about this before, but worth repeating.I am continually amazed at how a country like Mexico loses millions of dollars every year by jacking folks for just a few hundred. Those stories get told and lots of folks chose to vacation elsewhere as a result.Mexico is amazing and has so much to offer. The people are great, the beauty of the place is off the charts...and yet the government can't pull their stupid heads out of their asses and figure out a safe way to exploit the potential world tourist dollars.Just amazing. Then this happens. Another blown opportunity.pretty sad. Link to post Share on other sites
The Lobster 0 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 One of my friends was in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) two summers ago. He got pulled over by the cops, the police planted cocaine on him, put him and his buddy in the back of their police car, drove them to a dark alley, made them get to their knees and face away from the officers, then took their cash and watches before becoming friendly and driving my buddy and his friend back to their hotel. Link to post Share on other sites
Whatever 1 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 So sad. Mexico has so much to offer. Such a beautiful historic place but the government is beyond corrupt. This is just another ridiculous example of how screwed up they are. Link to post Share on other sites
vbnautilus 48 Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Pauly's first hand account of this debacle on his Tao of Poker blog is a pretty good read. http://taopoker.blogspot.com/ Link to post Share on other sites
cubsfan44 0 Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 One of my friends was in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) two summers ago. He got pulled over by the cops, the police planted cocaine on him, put him and his buddy in the back of their police car, drove them to a dark alley, made them get to their knees and face away from the officers, then took their cash and watches before becoming friendly and driving my buddy and his friend back to their hotel.Did they atlast let them keep the coke? Link to post Share on other sites
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