Seat 1: Michael Vela, 50, Newburgh, New York, USA

New York’s Michael "MVP" Vela has been playing poker for more than a decade. He's earned nearly $2 million in live tournaments, with the vast majority of that coming from his big win in the 2007 WPT World Poker Finals at Foxwoods. On his way to that $1,704,986 payday, Vela outlasted a tough final table that included former WPT champs Nick Schulman and Nenad Medic, as well as a 21-year-old Tom Dwan, a nosebleed superstar in the making at the time. Vela, who's now 50 years old, has been active on the felt since then, but so far hasn't come close to repeating that breakthrough success. He’s doing his part to prove that his skills are still up to par here in The Bahamas, mounting an impressive run to this finale.
Vela's Main Event run: