Charged Up: Batteries Plus Franchisee Looks for Extended Life in Showdown

By Sean Chaffin

As a small business owner and Batteries Plus franchisee, Bill Criego (pictured) knows about profit and loss. It takes a lot of hard work to get a business off the ground and producing in the black. In his case, it also involved building the brand from the ground up.

“I was the first franchise 27 years ago,” he says. “With something new like that there’s no brand identification. Now we’ve got over 700 stores.”

The retail outlets sell all types of batteries, light bulbs, and other items. When not manning his business, Criego is a regular at the poker tables. The married father of two plays several WPT events throughout the year as well as events on other tours. He first became fascinated after seeing the WPT on the Travel Channel.

“It’s a hobby for me,” he says. “When the WPT went live on TV, I started watching it and fell in love with Texas Hold’em. I’d played cards all my life, but never Texas Hold’em.”

Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Criego has $380,000 in live tournament winnings and his biggest cash came in the $1,600 WSOP Circuit Main Event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for $66,644.

Entering the Day 2 field with 51,500, this battery salesman is hoping he has the power to go the distance.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.