Chad Batista - Winner!

Here are the complete results for this event:

	Hoyt Lance - 2nd place

They get all in pre-flop. Chad held Q4 suited and Hoyt held K9 offsuit. Board came A 2 3 3 5 giving Chad the wheel and the win!

Chad Batista finished in 1st place, earning $262,002, the gold WSOP Circuit Championship ring, and a seat at the 2007 WSOP Main Event.

Hoyt Lance finished in 2nd place, earning $137,471.

On a flop of 4 T 7, they get all the chips in. Chad shows QT for top pair and Hoyt shows J4 for bottom pair. Last two cards were A K and Chad doubled up again. He now has about 1.5 million to Hoyt's 100K.

Chad moved all in and Hoyt called immediately, showing A3 suited. Chad held pocket 6s. Board was 3 8 2 5 9. Chad doubled up and after that pot, these two players are about even in chips.

Chad moved all in and Hoyt called. Chad held AK suited and Hoyt held Q9 suited. Board was 7 3 2 J 7 and Chad doubled up.

	Ed Corrado - 3rd place

Hoyt completed the small blind and Ed checked. Flop was J 6 4. Hoyt checked, Ed moved all in, and Hoyt called, showing J7 for top pair. Ed held pocket Tens and needed help. Last two cards were 7 2 and Ed was done.

Ed Corrado finished in 3rd place, earning $80,865.

Hoyt made it 100K to play and Ed moved all in for another 167K. Hoyt folded.

Hoyt has started off strong, pushing the table around with his big stack of chips. He's now over 1 million chips without showing down a hand.

Level 17: Blinds 10k/20K with 3K antes. Play has resumed. 3 players remain.

End of level and final 3 are on dinner break until about 7pm.

	Hilbert Shirey - 4th place

Hilbert moved in and Hoyt called immediately, showing pocket Queens. Hilbert held AJ suited. Board came 7 Q 7 2 A and Hoyt took the pot with a full house.

Hilbert Shirey finished in 4th place, earning $64,692.

	Doug 'Rico' Carli - 5th place

On a flop of 7 2 2, Doug moved in and Hoyt called. Doug held 97 for two pair and the lead; Hoyt held AJ for two overcards. Last two cards were J A giving Hoyt two bigger pair.

Doug 'Rico' Carli finished in 5th place, earming $48,519.

Chad raised to 100K, Ed moved in, (140K more) and Chad called.  Ed showed AJ offsuit. Chad held 75 suited. Board was A 4 3 8 8 and Ed doubled up.

Hoyt raised to 50K and Doug moved in. Hoyt folded and Doug picked up some more chips.

Doug moved his last chips in with A4 and ran smack into the pocket Kings of Hilbert. Board came 5 9 4 A 8 and Doug made two pair to double up.

Hoyt raised to 100K and Chad moved all in. After a couple of minutes thought, Hoyt folded and Chad showed J9 suited. Hoyt seemed a bit ticked off -- said he folded JT and said "you better not do that again, kid".

Doug moved all in with AK and got action from Hilbert with pocket 5s. Board came J Q 7 8 5 and Hilbert doubled up, leaving Doug with only 50K.

Ed gets his last chips in with pocket Queens and gets called by Chad with K9 suited. Board came A 8 5 T T and Ed doubled up.

	Joel Casper - 6th place

Joel raised to 50K and Doug moved in. Joel called with A4 and ran into the pocket 9s held by Doug. Board was K 3 2 7 K and Joel was done.

Joel Casper finished in 6th place, earning $40,433.

Level 16: Blinds 8K/16K with 2K antes. Play has resumed.

End of level 15 and the final 6 players are taking 15.

	Robert Arthur - 7th place

Robert moved in with A3 suited and was called by Chad with pocket 9s. Board was T 4 3 8 7 and Robert was done.

Robert Arthur finished in 7th place, earning $32,346.

Ed Corrado moved in and got action from Robert Arthur. Ed held A 6 and Robert held AK offsuit. Ed caught 3 s on the board to make his flush and double up.

	Danny (William) Brown - 8th place

Chad raised to 34K and Danny moved in for 56K. Chad called, showing pocket Jacks. Danny held AT suited. Board was J T 3 A 3 and Chad took the pot with the full house.

Danny (William) Brown finished in 8th place, earning $24,260.

Ed moved his last 28K in from the button and Danny called from the big blind. Ed held J9 offsuit and Danny had K8. Board came J 8 7 2 6 and Ed doubled up.

	Thomas Fuller - 9th place

Hilbert raised, Thomas moved in, then Ed moved in behind him. Hilbert called (he had both players covered) showing AQ. Thomas had AJ and Ed held Q7. Board was 7 5 8 3 Q giving Ed the main pot with two pair (Queens and 7s) and Hilbert the side pot with the pair of Queens. Thomas gets the boot.

Thomas Fuller finished in 9th place, earning $16,173.

Ed moved in and Doug called all-in. Ed held KQ suited and Doug had pocket Jacks. Board was A A 6 6 3 and Doug doubled up.

Chad raised to 30K from the cutoff and all folded. He showed 53 offsuit.

Level 15: Blinds 6K/12K with 2K antes. Play has resumed. Levels will now be 90 minutes long.

Joel made it 25K to go and Ed bumped it on up to 60K. Joel called. Flop was 9 5 3 rainbow. Ed fired 50K and Joel moved in. Ed went into the tank, and finally folded. Joel dragged the big pot.

End of level 14 and they're doing some color-ups.

On the first hand, Chad raised to 22K and Hilbert moved all in. Chad folded.

Cards are in the air. 5 minutes remain in level 14 with 4K/8K blinds and 1K antes.

Here's the lineup, by seat, for the final 9:

Players are being introduced now. Cards will fly shortly.

The final 9 players in the Caesar’s Indiana WSOP Circuit Championship event will return at 2pm today to complete their quest for the gold – the gold Circuit Championship Ring, that is. The winner will receive the ring, an entry to the 2007 WSOP Main Event, and $262,002. Not a bad payoff for three days work.

The chip leader going to the final table is a 25-year-old online poker pro named Chad Batista of Coral Springs, FL. Chad looks more like 15 than 25, but his poker skills are far advanced for his age. He finished 4th in the $2,000 NLHE event here earlier this week and that was only his first ever B&M tournament. Most of his experience comes from playing online, where he has won hundreds of thousands playing as “m8kingmoves” on PartyPoker and “lilholdem954” on PokerStars and FullTilt. With 388,000 chips and more than 100,000 chips than his closest competitor, Chad is the odds-on favorite to win this event.

Robert Arthur of Columbus, OH, has not yet made a name for himself in the poker world, but today might be the day. He comes to the final table with 286,000 chips and might be able to give the kid a run for his money.

Joel Casper of Chicago, IL, has made a few final tables and cashed at this year’s WSOP, (11^th in Event 45, $1,500 NLHE) but has yet to book a win. He comes to the final table with 217,000 chips in third place.

Ed Corrado of Naples, FL has cashed twice already at this Circuit Event – including 7^th in the $2,000 NLHE event – and already owns a WSOP Circuit Championship ring that he earned back in January in Tunica where he won the $2,000 NLHE event. He’s in 4^th chip position with 206,000 chips.

Hilbert “Hill Street” Shirey of WinterHaven, FL is probably the most experienced B&M poker player at this final table. He owns three WSOP bracelets, one for NLHE he won in 1987 and two earned in 1995 for Pot Limit Omaha and Pot Limit Holdem. He has numerous other cashes including two from this year’s WSOP. He starts today in the middle of the pack with 166,00 chips and has his work cut out for him if he’s going to take this one down.

William (Danny) Brown of Filmore, IN, is a complete unknown. He comes to this final table with 149,000 chips in 6^th chip position.

Hoyt Lance of Ringgold, GA, has some cashes under his belt, including one earlier in this Circuit Event. He brings 112,000 chips to this final table.

Thomas Fuller came all the way from Boulder, CO, to play in this event. He finished 2^nd in Event #11 earlier this week for $35,618 and cashed five times at this year’s WSOP, so he’s playing well and primed for a win. With onlu 89,000 chips to start, he’s going to have to get busy quick if he want another shot at that ring.

Doug ‘Rico’ Carli is probably the best known player at this final table. He has cashed three times already at this Circuit Event, cashed 4 times at the US Poker Championships last month, cashed 4 times at this year’s WSOP, and already owns a Circuit Championship ring from Bally’s Las Vegas last year. He’s dead last coming to this final table with only 78,000 chips, but you can never count him out.