The final eight players have found their seats and unbagged their chips and we're ready to go on Day 3 of the PokerStars.net LAPT-Punta del Este tournament. We've endured a number of teething issues on the side of the camera crew, but tournament director Mike Ward has now instructed his dealer to do the shuffle up and deal thing and the cards are in the air in Uruguay. Tune in for thrilling updates as we play down to a champion today!

Action begins with 43:39 left in Level 19. We'll play this level and one more before taking our first break, and take a break every two levels thereafter. Button starts with Gylbert Drolet.

Juan Jose is a professional player who took up poker four years ago, playing online on PokerStars. He makes most of his money playing cash games, at the $3/$6 and $5/$10 tables. He also plays live in casinos in Argentina. He has played relatively few tournaments but has thoroughly enjoyed the LAPT. Short-stacked, he plans to play aggressively. “My only goal is to win.” Thinks the tournament has been very well-organized and hopes to win.

Alex has already set a phenomenal LAPT record by making two final tables in the first three events. He came fourth at the first LAPT in Rio. Alex is the younger brother of Team PokerStars Pro Humberto and has been playing poker for 20 years. He used to watch Humberto and their other brother Eric play home games and when the game shifted to a local casino, he started playing himself.

He said: "There was a group of around 30 regulars at the casino. We used to have two tournaments a week and at the end of the year, the top 10 on the leader board would play a final table. I won it every year from 1988 to 1996."

If he wins today, it won't be his biggest live result – aside from LAPT Rio where he won $62,800, he's come second in two WSOP side events, and won a WPT title in LA and a $250k first prize in a Vegas tournament. Nevertheless, it’s the LAPT title he wants – and which he aims to get today.

Gylbert has been playing poker seriously since he turned 18 three years ago but is already enjoying considerable success. He qualified for both LAPT San José and Punta del Este via the Steps satellites on PokerStars. He normally plays online as well as in home games with friends, and prefers tournaments. He has won three $100 online tournaments on PokerStars and also cashed in the Sunday Million around a month ago.

“I want to be sponsored and I know I can play really great poker,” he was quoted as saying. Gylbert is currently studying technology but will focus on business studies at university. “My parents aren’t that keen on me playing poker but they recognize that I’m pretty good at it.” He is being supported in Punta del Este by his good friend Andreane.

He added: “I had a really good feeling about this tournament. It started very badly though. In the first hour, I was dealt KK but ran into aces, which took me down to $6k. Despite that setback, I always felt very confident however.”

Paolo has played all the LAPTs so far: in Rio he busted in the first day and in Costa Rica he made Day 2 but busted short out of the money. Last Sunday he chopped four-way a tournament in a São Paulo poker room, taking $40,000 BRL. This inspired him and his best friend Piragibe to try the third and final LAPT Season 1 event in Punta.

Paolo started playing Texas Hold’em about a year ago but before that he used to play stick poker. Paolo, known online "PC PORTUGA", has tried not to think about what he'd do with the money if he wins, but he would definitely set aside some of it to bankroll more tournaments on the live and international circuit, especially EPTs. He has thoroughly enjoyed the LAPTs and now plans to bring the trophy and title back to Brazil.

Father-of-three Lisandro has been playing poker for 10 years, mainly live and online tournaments. His recent successes include winning a tournament at the Conrad Casino in Punta del Este in March and also an “Argentinians-only" poker tournament on PokerStars. By day, he manages an agricultural products company. Lisandro hasn’t had it that easy in this tournament – by the time we reached two tables, he was down to just $40k ... but a run of good cards brought him back up to $465,000.

Despite this low point, he is still supremely confident he can win. He said, “When I walked in here the first day, I pointed at the final table and told my friends 'That table is waiting for me.'” Lisandro is married to Karina and the couple have three children: Maria Celeste, Maria Eugenia and Juan Paolo.

Jose Miguel began playing poker in December 2007 but took to the game instantly. Only a month later, he found himself at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas. A friend had convinced him to leave his job and dedicate himself to poker. It was the right decision: José Miguel came 44th at the PCA, winning $24,000.

Following that, he played all the rest of the European Poker Tour Season 4 events. He came to LAPT Punta del Este with a bunch of Spanish friends but has been the only one to make the money. He reached the final table courtesy of busting Team Poker Stars Pro Vanessa Rousso, who came 10th. Vanessa had the misfortune to find pocket nines against Jose Miguel’s pocket aces.

Only two years ago, Alex was fully set on a career as a lawyer. He played poker at home with friends but was committed to his career and was already a partner in a corporate law firm. However, once he started playing online poker, he was soon winning big money, including first place in the Wednesday Hundred Fifty Grand for $65,333.

Eventually Alex had to make a choice, but doesn’t regret his decision to turn pro. In the last six weeks, his career has soared: first he took down the $2,000 NLHE at this year’s WSOP for an astonishing $770,540; then he was signed to join Team PokerStars Pro, and now he is chip leader on the final table at his first-ever LAPT. Alexandre is a keen sportsman and plays soccer regularly as well as supporting his local team, Coritiba FC. Alexandre plays online as "Allingomes."

Known as “flintstom” on PokerStars, Sidney mainly plays tournaments – both live and online. Today’s final-table appearance is the best result he’s had so far but he also took sixth place in a Super Tuesday on PokerStars and won a deep-stack tournament at the Conrad Casino in Punta del Este.

Sidney started off as a backgammon player but, like many backgammon players, found poker more lucrative. Back in Rio, he runs a chain of clothing stores. His wife Silvia couldn’t come with Sidney to Punta del Este – she’s back home caring for the couple’s two children, Laura and Gustavo.

"We talk every day though so I can tell her I’m getting on. I’m in this tournament to win so I expect to do well today.”

Welcome to Day 3 of the PokerStars.net Latin American Poker Tour's finale in Punta del Este. Of the 351 players who started with high hopes and beleaguered bankrolls two days ago, only eight remain, and they've all reconverged on the Mantra Resort Spa Casino for the final day of this epic battle.

There's a $241,735 first prize on the line and nearly double that in bragging rights, so the action is guaranteed to be fierce as we play down to a champion over the next few hours. PokerListings.com is live and on location as your only true source for credible and comprehensive coverage of the LAPT extravaganza.

Action was slated to begin at noon local time (i.e. now), but has been pushed back an hour. While you wait, check out the chip counts here, the results to this point here, and our photo gallery here.

And then get yourself a PokerStars account so you can see Season 2 out the window of a jet airplane and not your laptop!