Bayou Poker Challenge Main Event | 2008 WSOP Circuit Event - Harrah's New Orleans

05-21-2008 14:05 UTC-4

Almost Set for Day Three

[user66118]

We are here in the tournament theatre at Harrah's, as the staff prepares the room for the conclusion of the Bayou Poker Challenge. The room has been reconfigured, and all poker tables have been removed. All of them, that is, apart from the final table, which is positioned on stage, backdropped by the recognizable WSOP starscape.

When we begin play in just under an hour, we will have nine players battling for the championship ring and their spot in the record books. Here are the chip counts for the field:

Seat 1: Floyd Vanderford - 65,000
Seat 2: Chuck Kelley - 142,000
Seat 3: Lou Esposito - 116,000
Seat 4: Timothy "TK" Miles - 687,000
Seat 5: Jeff Tims - 345,000
Seat 6: Ed Jatho - 406,000
Seat 7: Marc Fratter - 321,000
Seat 8: Gabe Costner - 166,000
Seat 9: Nick Ceci - 256,000

Following are brief biographies of all nine players. We'll see you back here at 2:00pm CDT when the action starts!

05-21-2008 14:06 UTC-4

Player Bios: Floyd Vanderford (Seat 1)

[user42991]

Floyd Vanderford is living the dream, as this is his first ever tournament. He won a $65 super satellite entry into this event. Vanderford is a local product who normally works as a general contractor. He has a long road to hoe as he begins the day as the short stack with 65,000 in chips.

Tags: Floyd Vanderford

05-21-2008 14:07 UTC-4

Player Bios: Chuck Kelley (Seat 2)

donpeters

Chuck Kelley hails from Staunton, Virginia. A former stockbroker, Kelley has had various sizable cashes in World Poker Tour events over the past few years. The most significant of these came when he placed 2nd at Borgata's 2007 Winter Poker Open, taking just under $850,000. The Clemson Tiger alum plays golf and basketball in his free time. When he's not traveling and playing poker, Kelley works as a real estate manager.

Starting chips: 142,000

Tags: Chuck Kelley

05-21-2008 14:08 UTC-4

Player Bios: Lou Esposito (Seat 3)

[user66118]

Perhaps the handicapping favorite in this event is 32-year-old Lou "The Big Easy" Esposito. Esposito is a native of Howard Beach, NY, but appears to be at very much home here in New Orleans. In each of the last three WSOP Circuit Events here, Esposito has made it to the final table, cutting through fields of 346, 160, and now 249 players respectively. He took the title in the first of those, making him the defending Harrah's New Orleans Circuit Champion.

Esposito has only been playing poker since 2006, but has already racked up more than $1,000,000 in career earnings. Apart from his title here last year, he also won the 2007 Borgata Winter Open $1,000 event, and then came close to repeating that feat with a 4th place finish in the same event this year.

The Big Easy will start the day in 8th place with 116,000 chips.

Tags: Lou Esposito

05-21-2008 14:08 UTC-4

Player Bios: Timothy 'TK' Miles (Seat 4)

[user42991]

Timothy 'TK' Miles is a self-proclaimed professional gambler from Tallahassee, FL. He begins the day as the chip leader with 687,000 in chips. His personality is as flamboyant as his hairdo, and he uses a lot of table talk to try and get information from players and to intimidate his opponents.

Earlier in this series, Miles won the $1,000 buy-in NL event. If he is able to win this event, he would become one of the few players to win multiple events in a circuit series.

Tags: Timothy Miles

05-21-2008 14:09 UTC-4

Player Bios: Jeff Tims (Seat 5)

donpeters

Jeff Tims made the trip to New Orleans from Houston, Texas. Before diving into the poker world to become a professional player, Tims was a small business owner. This trip has proved to be a great one thus far, as Tims was able to best the field of 402 runners to capture event #12 here at Harrah's for over $58,000. Spending a lot of his time traveling to poker events around the country, Tims enjoys reading in his downtime and is an avid movie buff. He has worked his way to this final table using strong bets and powerful play. Since turning pro, this is the fifth final table of a major poker tournament for Tims.

Starting chips: 345,000

Tags: Jeff Tims

05-21-2008 14:09 UTC-4

Player Bios: Ed Jatho (Seat 6)

[user42991]

Ed Jatho is the other player playing in his first event. He is originally from Abita Springs, LA and officially lists his age as 59 years and 356 days. He is a stock broker and states that regardless of his finish, he is happy. He won his entry via a $500 satellite.

Perhaps a sign of things to come, Jatho stated earlier that he faced Timothy 'TK' Miles heads up in his $500 satellite. Jatho was able to take the satellite down. This may give him a slight advantage over other players at the table today. Jatho starts today second in chips with 406,000

Tags: Ed Jatho

05-21-2008 14:09 UTC-4

Player Bios: Marc Fratter (Seat 7)

[user66118]

Marc Fratter is a 36-year-old attorney from Murphy, TX. In 2007, Fratter had his first big cash, earning the title of Co-champion in the WSOP Circuit Event at Caesars Indiana.

Fratter's biggest fan is his 3-year-old daugher, who he says loves to play poker with her daddy. At the start of the day, Fratter is sitting in 4th place with 321,000 chips.

Tags: Marc Fratter

05-21-2008 14:10 UTC-4

Player Bios: Gabe Costner (Seat 8)

donpeters

Gabe Costner is a relative unknown to the tournament poker world. He is mainly a cash game player originally from Albertville, Alabama, but now resides in Long Beach, Missouri. A former stockbroker turned poker professional, Costner travels the tournament circuit with his girlfriend and fellow professional player, Claudia Crawford. 2008 has been a solid year for Costner so far. He finished 5th in the World Poker Open at Tunica back in January, earning over $123,000 for his efforts. Costner struck again in April when he won the Imperial Palace Poker Classic $2,000 event for $43,000. Costner made the final table at an earlier event here at Harrah's and hopes to be able to take down this main event.

Starting chips: 166,000

Tags: Claudia Crawford Gabe Costner

05-21-2008 14:12 UTC-4

Player Bios: Nick Ceci (Seat 9)

[user66118]

Nick Ceci is a 38-year-old demolition contractor from Peachtree City, GA. This is his second final table here at the WSOP New Orleans, the first coming in the $1,000 event earlier this week.

Ceci has been happily married for 12 years, and has three kids, ages 13, 10, and 5. When his wife became seriously ill, Ceci had to take a few years off from poker. Now, he's back and better than ever, putting up a fine effort this week in New Orleans.

With 256,000 chips to start play, Ceci is right around the average stack size, and is in 5th place.

Tags: Nick Ceci