WSOP-C New Orleans, Final Table: Nick Ceci Claims Ring
The final table of the fifth annual Bayou Poker Classic kicked off at a record pace, with seven players eliminated in less than 50 hands. Once heads-up play commenced, it took another two and half hours for Nick Ceci to put away his final opponent, Timothy "TK" Miles, and claim the $382,928 first-place prize.
The final table started off with a huge bang, as a three-way all in sent two players to the rail on the very first hand. Miles, the start-of-day leader, opened the betting pre-flop with a raise, only to find a re-raise from Ed Jatho and a smooth call from Marc Fratter. Miles re-raised, and Jatho moved all in over the top. Fratter and Miles both called, as the players tabled pre-flop monsters:
Miles – A♥A♦
Jatho – J♠J♣
Fratter – Q♣Q♠
The board ran out 6♣6♥2♥5♣6♦, and Fratter was eliminated in ninth ($23,933) while Jatho picked up $35,900 for his eighth-place finish.
After a couple more orbits, Chuck Kelley moved all in over the top of Nick Ceci's pre-flop raise with A♦8♥. Ceci made the call with 8♣7♦, and Ceci picked up a pair on the K♥7♠6♣ flop to take the lead in the hand. The turn and river ran out Q♦2♠ and Kelley was eliminated in seventh place ($59,833).
Lou Esposito made his third final-table appearance at the New Orleans Circuit stop, but a repeat championship was not in the cards for the 2007 Bayou Poker Challenge winner. Esposito put the last of his short stack in the middle after a raise from Ceci, only to find Miles waiting in late position with a re-raise. Ceci moved all in over the top of Miles, who called to set up another three-way all in. Miles tabled Q♠Q♥, well behind Ceci's A♥A♣. Esposito's 10♦9♦ was drawing thin, but he picked up a draw on the turn when the board read A♦9♠5♥9♦. The 5♦ river sealed his fate, sending him to the rail in sixth place ($59,833) as Ceci took the chip lead.
Jeff Tims was next to fall when he ran into Gabe Costner to finish in fifth ($71,799). Tims raised pre-flop from the cutoff with K♦J♠, and Costner made the call with pocket sevens. The flop came down Q♥9♣4♠, and Tims moved all in. Costner went into the tank for quite a while before making the call, but after some time in thought, he did so. Tims picked up additional outs with the 8♦ on the turn, but the 3♣ on the river provided no help and Tims departed. Tims picked up $71,799 to add to the $58,491 he earned by winning Event #12 in the New Orleans Circuit series earlier this week.
Just a few hands later, Costner ran into a huge cooler to exit in fourth place ($83,766). Costner flopped trips with 7♠4♠ on a board of J♠4♦4♣. Costner raised pre-flop from the button, and found one caller in chip leader Ceci from the small blind. Costner led out on the flop, and Ceci put in a stiff raise. Costner thought for a moment before moving all in, and Ceci made the call with A♥4♥. Costner needed a seven or the board to pair to save him, and when the turn and river came down 6♥8♥, his run was over
It only took two more hands for Floyd Vanderford to bust in third place, earning $107,699 on his investment of $65. Vanderford won his way into the main event in a live satellite and parlayed his investment into a great return over the course of three days. Vanderford moved all in pre-flop from the button with Q♣8♣ and was called by Miles with K♠J♥. Vanderford was behind from the A♥9♠2♦ flop, and the K♦ on the turn left him drawing dead. The 5♣ river was irrelevant, and Vanderford was eliminated.
Nick Ceci took a nearly 2:1 chip lead into heads-up play, but it took nearly two and a half hours for him to put away the persistent Timothy Miles. After jockeying for position for over 70 hands, Ceci finally took a significant chip lead into the final hand. Miles moved the last of his chips into the middle with Q♦4♠, and Ceci made the call with J♣7♣. Ceci picked up two pair on the J♠9♥7♠ flop, and Miles was left drawing to running cards to survive. The A♦ turn left Miles drawing dead, and the J♥ river completed the action. Miles finished in second place ($210,610), while Ceci picked up $382,928 for his triumph along with the gold Circuit Championship ring and a buy-in to the 2008 WSOP Main Event.
