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LAPT8 Uruguay: Castles and jet lag

Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari and Friend of PokerStars Felipe Ramos have both taken a seat here in Uruguay.

Both players are also far cheerier and fresh-faced than anyone should be after being in transit for the past 30 hours.

Andre_Akkari_LAPT8Uruguay.jpeg

Not many people would make a 30-hour journey to attend a tournament in time, but the Brazilian red-spade duo had a few incentives.

First, they were headed in this direction anyways. Brazil is right next door and São Paulo is just a quick two-and-a-half hour flight away.

Secondly, they had a good reason to stay where they were. The two were in a castle with supermodels and celebrities.

No, that's not a metaphor, hyperbole, euphemism or any other literary device.

The Brazilian duo literally spent the last few days in a Spanish castle coaching a Portuguese Victoria's Secret Model, Sara Sampaio; soon-to-be-star of Star Wars: Episode VII, John Boyega; and Brazilian soccer superstar, Neymar Jr.

They were coaching the stars for PokerStars' The Duel.

The filming was done at the Peralada Castle in Catalan.

Olha que incrível este lugar! Set para a filmagem de hoje. #PokerStars What amazing place!... https://t.co/5FBkDk2YBx

— andre akkari (@aakkari) September 17, 2015

Bicho pegando no Poker Room em Girona depois de um dia de gravações! Action at the Girona Poker Room... https://t.co/cgAurlXaGQ

— andre akkari (@aakkari) September 17, 2015

It wasn't the first time Mojave and Akkari have coached people in poker. Both players have helped Neymar with his game and both run poker training schools in Brazil.

Mojave's program focuses more on teaching beginners the ropes while Akkari's students tend to be more experienced and are looking to go pro.

While both players enjoy teaching, they prefer to lead by example.

For them, that means winning.

Both players have accumulated a number of victories and results, but one that's eluded them both is an LAPT victory.

The two are looking to change that today, but if that doesn't work out, they wouldn't mind taking the next LAPT title in their hometown of São Paulo in November.

Felipe_Ramos_LAPT8Uruguay.jpeg

Friend of PokerStars Felipe Ramos

Photography from LAPT8 Uruguay by Carlos Monti. You can also follow the action in Spanish and in Portuguese.

Alexander Villegas is a freelance contributor to the PokerStars Blog.