Bayou Poker Challenge Begins

The 2007-2008 World Series of Poker Circuit concludes their season with the fifth annual Bayou Poker Challenge in New Orleans, Louisiana. The tournament had 249 entrants who put up $5,000 each for a prize pool of over $1.1 million dollars. First place pays out over $382,000 in the Bayou Poker Challenge. The winner also gets an entry into the World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas that begins in July.

The top 27 finishers in the Bayou Poker Challenge will make the money. The main event is played at the Harrahs New Orleans Casino and the defending champion is Lou Esposito. Some top poker pros are in the tournament including Gavin Smith, Josh Arieh, Steve Billirakis, T.J. Cloutier, Allen Kessler, and Bill Edler. Final table action will get underway on Wednesday. The Bayou Poker Challenge concludes the WSOP circuit season that had 12 different stops and attracted more than 30,000 entrants.

Last year the Bayou Poker Challenge had 346 players. Phil Gordon started last year’s final table with the chip lead but his Kings ran into Lou Esposito’s Aces and he went out in 4th place shortly thereafter. Esposito went on to win the tournament.

In other poker news, the World Series of Poker gets underway later this month in Las Vegas and many casinos are preparing for the event. Numbers have been down in Las Vegas just as in other parts of the world and the World Series of Poker will be a welcome sight for Las Vegas. The tournament begins with events starting on May 30th. The amount of money in the World Series of Poker is just a small part of the overall poker action in the city.