 |  |  |  |  |
 |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| 2006 Harrah's New Orleans Bayou Poker Challenge World Series of Poker Circuit Event Tournament Results |
| World Series of Poker Circuit Events 2006 Harrah's New Orleans Bayou Poker Challenge Event #1 No Limit Hold'em Final Results |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| May 18, 2006 Harrah's New Orleans Bayou Poker Challenge Harrah's New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana |
Buy-In:
Prize Pool:
Entries:
Prize Pool:
Entries:
| Bach Vu |
|
Tournament Report
Bach 'B' Vu Wins Opening WSOP Circuit Event at
Harrah's New Orleans
Local Poker Champ Vows to Donate Large Part of $79,298 Win to Family
Members and Victims of Hurricane Katrina
Every poker player has a story to tell. Some are more compelling than others.
Some stories are so good, they warrant greater awareness for the
inspirational value they provide to others.
For example, take the top two finishers of the first event in the 2006 Bayou
Poker Challenge, held at Harrah's New Orleans. Bach Vu, better known
around local parts simply as 'B,' won $79,298. Immediately following his first-
ever tournament victory, Vu vowed to donate a substantial portion of his
prize money winnings to family members who suffered terrible losses in the
September 2005 hurricane and flood that devastated the New Orleans area.
The runner-up, Ryan Gafford made an equally inspiring promise. Gafford, who
lost his family's home in the disaster, plans to use much of his prize money,
$42,556, towards rebuilding his property. Indeed, sometimes nice guys finish
first -- and second.
This marked the second consecutive year that Harrah's New Orleans has
hosted a full-scale World Series of Poker Circuit stop. After a hugely-
successful first year, expectations were high for a big turnout in 2006. Poker
players did not disappoint, as 545 entrants participated in the kick-off
tournament at the Bayou Poker Challenge, the $500 buy-in no-limit Texas
hold'em event. On day one, it took 14 long hours to eliminate 536 players,
leaving the final nine to compete at the final table on day two.
Players arrived somewhat evenly-matched when the final table began, as all
nine had enough chips to be in contention - ranging from Rick Garren's
shortest-stack (still a relatively healthy 59,000) to Ryan Gafford's chip lead
(with 135,000). Blinds started off at 2,000-4,000 giving players plenty of time
to patiently wait for a hand.
9th Place -- Finalists played for one full hour before the first player was
eliminated. James Crow, who travels to poker tournaments all over the
country with his wife, was the ill-fated ninth-place finisher. Crow, from
Flowery Branch, GA, flew off with $5,287 in prize money.
8th Place -- James Davenport joined Mr. Crow a short time later. Davenport,
nicknamed the 'Redbird of Texas,' turned into the 'Railbird of New Orleans'
when he was rudely knocked out in eighth place. The Redbird collected
$7,930.
7th Place - Douglas Freiss lasted two hours before he finally ran out of chips.
Freiss arrived third in the chip count, but was unable to break away from the
pack. In previous tournaments, Freiss has finished high in a number of major
events in recent years, but had to settle for seventh-place prize money which
amounted to $10,573.
6th Place - Troy Davis went from contender to pretender, busting out in sixth
place. The Hammond, LA local got involved in a few big confrontations, losing
both hands and all of his chips in the process. Davis could still be proud of his
earnings, which came to $13,216.
5th Place - Jack Harrod found himself down to only 38,000 in chips, while
everyone else had over 100,000. Under the gun and dealt pocket fives,
Harrod moved all-in and was called quickly by two opponents. 'B' Vu managed
to spike a fifth club on the turn, making a flush. Harrod was eliminated in fifth
place. The Atlanta native earned $15,860.
4th Place - Bruce Thompson got quite unlucky on his final hand. Thompson
was dealt K-8 and flopped two pair -- kings and eights. Unfortunately, the
chip leader Ryan Gafford had two diamonds in his hand and caught a fifth
diamond on the turn to complete a flush. Thompson still had four outs on the
river to make a full house, but missed. Thompson, who plays poker mostly on
the Internet, added $18,503 to his poker bankroll.
3rd Place - Rick Garren, from the Houston area, arrived with the lowest stack.
He survived nearly four hours before finally busting out in third place. Garren
made a bold move on his final hand of the tournament when he was dealt A-
10 and moved all-in after the flop came Q-J-9. Garren was semi-bluffing on an
outside straight draw and was called quickly by 'B' Vu, with Q-8 (top pair). He
missed the straight, and Vu raked in what remained of Garren's chips. Third
place paid a very respectable $21,146.
If there is such a thing as justice at the poker table, it was most certainly
served on this night as both of the heads-up finalists were much-deserving
locals from the New Orleans area. When the poker duel began, 'B' Vu, from
Marrero, LA enjoyed slight chip lead over Dave Gafford, from Denham Springs,
LA.
2nd Place - It took only 10 minutes of heads-up play until the final hand of
the tournament was dealt. Gafford flopped top pair (tens) and was all-in. Vu
was dealt pocket kings and was thrilled to see his opponent commit all of his
chips with the smaller pair. The board failed to rescue Gafford, who was
forced to settle for second place. His take amounted to $42,556.
The runner-up had a story just as enchanting as the winner. Dave Gafford
said he lives in (what he calls) 'the love shack' with his family. His family
includes a wife and three children. Gafford described the 'the love shack' as a
700-quare foot wooden hut built on his land near Baton Rouge. 'We call it
‘the love shack' because there's got to be a lot of love to live in it and survive
after all we have been through,' said Gafford.
Incredibly, ‘the love shack' has also hosted quite a few home poker games.
'The record is 27 people in there at one time,' Gafford said. 'We play a lot of
$30 freezeouts and $1-2 no-limit games there. Now (after winning prize
money), I can finish building a new house for my family and move out of ‘the
love shack.'
'B' Vu won what was only the second major tournament he has ever entered.
'Last year, I played in the $500 event (here at Harrah's). Over the past year,
I have been working on my game and really improved,' he said. 'When I came
to this final table, I was short-stacked but I really thought I could win it.'
When he's not playing poker, Vu works full-time boiling crawfish in a local
seafood restaurant. 'I make my real money with the crawfish,' Vu admitted.
'But, it's sure nice to win one of these every now and then, too.'
Vu was just as proud of his poker accomplishment as his plans to use the
$79, 298 in prize money for something with a far greater sense of purpose.
'As everyone knows, the hurricane hit us so hard last year,' Vu said. 'My
brother lost his house. So did my grandparents and aunt. They all lost their
houses. They are trying to rebuild, but I want to give them something to
make it better for them.'
Vu went on. 'My older brother is the backbone of the entire family. After my
father passed away, he took care of everything. He became like a second
father to me. Now, I want to do something good for him. This tournament win
could not have come at a better time for me and my family.'
Indeed, some stories have happy endings.
Rebort by Nolan Dalla
Poker Room Manager – Rick Korte
WSOP Circuit Tournament Director – Jack Effel
Bach 'B' Vu Wins Opening WSOP Circuit Event at
Harrah's New Orleans
Local Poker Champ Vows to Donate Large Part of $79,298 Win to Family
Members and Victims of Hurricane Katrina
Every poker player has a story to tell. Some are more compelling than others.
Some stories are so good, they warrant greater awareness for the
inspirational value they provide to others.
For example, take the top two finishers of the first event in the 2006 Bayou
Poker Challenge, held at Harrah's New Orleans. Bach Vu, better known
around local parts simply as 'B,' won $79,298. Immediately following his first-
ever tournament victory, Vu vowed to donate a substantial portion of his
prize money winnings to family members who suffered terrible losses in the
September 2005 hurricane and flood that devastated the New Orleans area.
The runner-up, Ryan Gafford made an equally inspiring promise. Gafford, who
lost his family's home in the disaster, plans to use much of his prize money,
$42,556, towards rebuilding his property. Indeed, sometimes nice guys finish
first -- and second.
This marked the second consecutive year that Harrah's New Orleans has
hosted a full-scale World Series of Poker Circuit stop. After a hugely-
successful first year, expectations were high for a big turnout in 2006. Poker
players did not disappoint, as 545 entrants participated in the kick-off
tournament at the Bayou Poker Challenge, the $500 buy-in no-limit Texas
hold'em event. On day one, it took 14 long hours to eliminate 536 players,
leaving the final nine to compete at the final table on day two.
Players arrived somewhat evenly-matched when the final table began, as all
nine had enough chips to be in contention - ranging from Rick Garren's
shortest-stack (still a relatively healthy 59,000) to Ryan Gafford's chip lead
(with 135,000). Blinds started off at 2,000-4,000 giving players plenty of time
to patiently wait for a hand.
9th Place -- Finalists played for one full hour before the first player was
eliminated. James Crow, who travels to poker tournaments all over the
country with his wife, was the ill-fated ninth-place finisher. Crow, from
Flowery Branch, GA, flew off with $5,287 in prize money.
8th Place -- James Davenport joined Mr. Crow a short time later. Davenport,
nicknamed the 'Redbird of Texas,' turned into the 'Railbird of New Orleans'
when he was rudely knocked out in eighth place. The Redbird collected
$7,930.
7th Place - Douglas Freiss lasted two hours before he finally ran out of chips.
Freiss arrived third in the chip count, but was unable to break away from the
pack. In previous tournaments, Freiss has finished high in a number of major
events in recent years, but had to settle for seventh-place prize money which
amounted to $10,573.
6th Place - Troy Davis went from contender to pretender, busting out in sixth
place. The Hammond, LA local got involved in a few big confrontations, losing
both hands and all of his chips in the process. Davis could still be proud of his
earnings, which came to $13,216.
5th Place - Jack Harrod found himself down to only 38,000 in chips, while
everyone else had over 100,000. Under the gun and dealt pocket fives,
Harrod moved all-in and was called quickly by two opponents. 'B' Vu managed
to spike a fifth club on the turn, making a flush. Harrod was eliminated in fifth
place. The Atlanta native earned $15,860.
4th Place - Bruce Thompson got quite unlucky on his final hand. Thompson
was dealt K-8 and flopped two pair -- kings and eights. Unfortunately, the
chip leader Ryan Gafford had two diamonds in his hand and caught a fifth
diamond on the turn to complete a flush. Thompson still had four outs on the
river to make a full house, but missed. Thompson, who plays poker mostly on
the Internet, added $18,503 to his poker bankroll.
3rd Place - Rick Garren, from the Houston area, arrived with the lowest stack.
He survived nearly four hours before finally busting out in third place. Garren
made a bold move on his final hand of the tournament when he was dealt A-
10 and moved all-in after the flop came Q-J-9. Garren was semi-bluffing on an
outside straight draw and was called quickly by 'B' Vu, with Q-8 (top pair). He
missed the straight, and Vu raked in what remained of Garren's chips. Third
place paid a very respectable $21,146.
If there is such a thing as justice at the poker table, it was most certainly
served on this night as both of the heads-up finalists were much-deserving
locals from the New Orleans area. When the poker duel began, 'B' Vu, from
Marrero, LA enjoyed slight chip lead over Dave Gafford, from Denham Springs,
LA.
2nd Place - It took only 10 minutes of heads-up play until the final hand of
the tournament was dealt. Gafford flopped top pair (tens) and was all-in. Vu
was dealt pocket kings and was thrilled to see his opponent commit all of his
chips with the smaller pair. The board failed to rescue Gafford, who was
forced to settle for second place. His take amounted to $42,556.
The runner-up had a story just as enchanting as the winner. Dave Gafford
said he lives in (what he calls) 'the love shack' with his family. His family
includes a wife and three children. Gafford described the 'the love shack' as a
700-quare foot wooden hut built on his land near Baton Rouge. 'We call it
‘the love shack' because there's got to be a lot of love to live in it and survive
after all we have been through,' said Gafford.
Incredibly, ‘the love shack' has also hosted quite a few home poker games.
'The record is 27 people in there at one time,' Gafford said. 'We play a lot of
$30 freezeouts and $1-2 no-limit games there. Now (after winning prize
money), I can finish building a new house for my family and move out of ‘the
love shack.'
'B' Vu won what was only the second major tournament he has ever entered.
'Last year, I played in the $500 event (here at Harrah's). Over the past year,
I have been working on my game and really improved,' he said. 'When I came
to this final table, I was short-stacked but I really thought I could win it.'
When he's not playing poker, Vu works full-time boiling crawfish in a local
seafood restaurant. 'I make my real money with the crawfish,' Vu admitted.
'But, it's sure nice to win one of these every now and then, too.'
Vu was just as proud of his poker accomplishment as his plans to use the
$79, 298 in prize money for something with a far greater sense of purpose.
'As everyone knows, the hurricane hit us so hard last year,' Vu said. 'My
brother lost his house. So did my grandparents and aunt. They all lost their
houses. They are trying to rebuild, but I want to give them something to
make it better for them.'
Vu went on. 'My older brother is the backbone of the entire family. After my
father passed away, he took care of everything. He became like a second
father to me. Now, I want to do something good for him. This tournament win
could not have come at a better time for me and my family.'
Indeed, some stories have happy endings.
Rebort by Nolan Dalla
Poker Room Manager – Rick Korte
WSOP Circuit Tournament Director – Jack Effel
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| UltimatePokerForum.com The Ultimate Poker Site |
$500 + $50
$264,325
545
$264,325
545