With much of the poker media focused on Australia and PokerStars' APPT Grand Final, it would be easy to miss the start of another important PokerStars venture half a world away in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico - the Latin America Poker Tour Nuevo Vallarta Main Event.

This $2,500 + $200 buy-in tournament began today with nearly 250 players and is being billed as the biggest poker tournament ever held in Mexico. With so many entrants, this event will have a total prize pool well above the half million dollar mark, which should make for an exciting weekend of poker south of the border.

As this is a PokerStars sponsored event naturally there were quite a few PokerStars pros who came out to compete including Humberto Brenes, Alex Gomes, Victor Ramdin, Andre Akkari, and former WSOP Main Even Champion Greg "Fossilman" Raymer. And yet it isn't just PokerStars pros in this hunt, many well known live players, local Mexican celebrities, and crazy internet kids are also ready for battle.

To keep up with all the action in Nuevo Vallarta visit www.pokerstars.com for updates and info throughout this poker filled weekend.

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Story by Mark Anderson