The Latin American Poker Tour has kicked off in the beautiful South American country, Argentina. Day 1a of play began with 140 players from all over the world. Action went fast and the list was reduced to 27 players by the end of the day.

Some faces in the field were Maria 'Maridu' Mayrinck, Jaime Ateneloff, Chris Moneymaker, Fabin Ortiz, and Boris Becker. Becker and Maria Ho both busted out early in the day. Fabian Ortiz was looking forward to his second LAPT title but was eliminated too.

However, more delightful to the eye, were the South American models and actresses who attended the event including Geraldine Neumann, Angelita Feijo (pictured) and Vanessa Machado. The three of them busted out almost by the end of the day.

These are the players in the top 10 in chips from day 1a:

Jaime Ateneloff (Uruguay) -- 108,300
Eduardo Santi (Argentina) – 96,300
Jorge Landazuri De Los Rios (Mexico) – 96,300
Damian Salas (Argentina) – 74,200
Pablo Damian Tinca (Argentina) – 65,500
Hector Luis Aceval (Argentina) – 64,000
Jose Barbero (Argentina) Player – 62,200
Daniel Alfredo Bizoza (Uruguay ) – 60,000
Walter Oaquim (Brazil) – 60,000
Angel Manuel Guillen Pereda (Mexico) – 58,500

We'll bring updates on the results of the upcoming days.