Thursday, March 14, 2013

$7,500 Shooting Star Final Results


$7,500 Shooting Star Championship - Final Results
643 entries / Monday, March 4, 2013
Place First Name Last Name Prize
1 Kai Chang $1,138,350 *
2 Joe Nguyen $666,740
3 Paul Volpe $435,610
4 Erik Seidel $295,590
5 Chris Johnson $208,910
6 Joe Kuether $162,240
7 Steve Behm $124,460
8 Danny Wong $91,120
9 Antonio Esfandiari $64,450
10 Athanasios Polychronopoulos $48,890
11 Paul Klann $48,890
12 Matt Stout $48,890
13 Christian Harder $37,780
14 Gordon Vayo $37,780
15 Elky Grospellier $37,780
16 James Anderson $31,110
17 Stephen Bokor $31,110
18 Jordan Cristos $31,110
19 Robert Lo $26,670
20 Maria Ho $26,670
21 Isaac Baron $26,670
22 John Racener $26,670
23 Alex Keating $26,670
24 Numit Agrawal $26,670
25 Brendon Rubie $26,670
26 Aaron Motoyama $26,670
27 Kyle Julius $26,670
28 Somanath Nirakari $22,670
29 Andrew Lichtenberger $22,670
30 Tom Drotleff $22,670
31 Chris Tan $22,670
32 Andrew Mackenzie $22,670
33 Kathy Liebert $22,670
34 Todd Terry $22,670
35 Chamath Palihapitiya $22,670
36 Carlos Mortensen $22,670
37 Ray Dehkharghani $19,120
38 Zach Hyman $19,120
39 Robert Tepper $19,120
40 Jeff Madsen $19,120
41 Abrahim Aboukhalil $19,120
42 Jason Somerville $19,120
43 Garrett Greer $19,120
44 Axel Werner $19,120
45 Chris DeMaci $19,120
46 Thomas Gabriel $16,890
47 Steve Gross $16,890
48 Sandeep Pulusani $16,890
49 Chicong Nguyen $16,890
50 Grantland Hillman $16,890
51 Erik Hellman $16,890
52 Matt Affleck $16,890
53 Lori Bare $16,890
54 Andy Hwang $16,890
55 Michael Benvenuti $15,110
56 Kent Jensen $15,110
57 Francis Alfonso $15,110
58 Peter Smaha $15,110
59 Ben Palmer $15,110
60 Greg White $15,110
61 Chris Brammer $15,110
62 Robert Lewis $15,110
63 Scott Seiver $15,110
* = includes $25,500 WPT World Championship seat

Friday, March 8, 2013

Kai Chang, Shooting Star Champion Photo Blog

Kai Chang, winner of the Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event
Kai Chang is presented with the World Poker Tour Champions Cup.
Joe Nguyen joins Kai Chang and the WPT crew on stage.
Kai Chang and the Royal Flush Girls
Shooting Star Champion Kai Chang is joined by the Bay 101 staff.

Kai Chang Wins the Shooting Star Championship ($1,138,350)

Kai Chang, winner of the Bay 101 Shooting Star
Congratulations to Kai Chang, winner of the 2013 Bay 101 World Poker Tour Shooting Star.

Chang takes homes home $1,138,350 and gets his name on the World Poker Tour Champions Cup!

Joe Nguyen Eliminated in 2nd Place ($666,740)

Joe Nguyen
On a board reading [Th][7d][5s][9d], Joe Nguyen bet 530,000 and Kai Chang puts in a three-bet.  Nguyen then moves all-in for 7,010,000 and Chang immediately makes the call.

They turn over:

Chang - [8s][6d]
Nguyen - [Td][2d]

Nguyen has a pair of tens with a flush draw but Chang turns the straight.

The river comes the [6c] and Chang takes the massive pot, eliminating Nguyen from the Shooting Star event.

Joe Nguyen finishes in 2nd place, taking home $666,740.

Heads-Up Up WPT Shooting Star Photo Blog

Joe Nguyen (left) and Kai Chang are now heads-up for the Shooting Star title!
Tournament Director Matt Savage talks with Joe Nguyen before heads-up play gets underway.
The chip stack of Kai Chang as heads-up play begins.
Joe Nguyen and Kai Chang await the money presentation.
The Royal Flush Girls place the first place prize money on the table.

Paul Volpe Eliminated in 3rd Place ($435,610)

Paul Volpe
Paul Volpe moves all-in from the small blind for 1,500,000 and is called by Kai Chang in the big blind.

They turn over:

Volpe - [Qh][Th]
Chang - [Ac][9c]

The board runs out [Kh][Ks][7d][6d][3s] and Chang wins the pot with his ace high.

Paul Volpe finishes in third place and takes home $435,610.

Erik Seidel Eliminated in 4th Place ($295,590)

Erik Seidel

Action is folded around to Erik Seidel in the small blind, who moves all-in.  Paul Volpe, in the big blind, gets a count and then announces a call.

They turn up:

Seidel - [Js][Th]
Volpe - [Ad][4d]

The flop comes [Jd][Jh][7d], giving Seidel trips but giving Volpe a flush draw.

The [Kd] on the turn gives Volpe a flush and the lead.  The [8h] on the river does not help Seidel and the final Bounty in the Shooting Star has been eliminated in 4th place for $295,590.

Chris Johnson Eliminated in 5th Place ($208,910)

Chris Johnson
On a flop of [Td][8s][5h], Chris Johnson moves all-in and quickly called by Kai Chang.

They turn over:

Johnson - [Kh][Th]
Chang - [Tc][Ts]

Johnson flops top pair but is way behind top set of Chang.  The turn comes the [Js] and the river is the [Qc].

Kai Chang extends his chip lead with 7.6 million chips while Chris Johnson is eliminated in 5th place for $208,910.

Joe Kuether Eliminated in 6th Place ($162,240)

Joe Kuether
Kai Chang raises to 125,000 and Joe Kuether moves all-in for less than a million.  Joe Nguyen then moves all-in himself and Chang mucks.

They turn over:

Nguyen - [Ad][As]
Kuether - [Jh][Js]

The board runs out [Ah][Qs][7c][Qc][3d] and Nguyen improves to a full house to take the pot.

Joe Kuether is eliminated in 6th place, taking home $162,240.

Bay 101 Shooting Star Final Table Photo Blog

The final six at the televised World Poker Tour Final Table.
Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten on the set.
The chip stack and Bounty Medal of Erik Seidel, the only bounty remaining in the Shooting Star.
Paul Volpe comes into the final table as the chip leader for the second week in a row.
The Royal Flush Girls
The World Poker Tour Champions Cup and the over $1,100,000 first place prize.

Final Table About To Begin w/Live Audio Commentary

The players are currently being introduced, and play for the Shooting Star final table will begin shortly.  Here are the chip counts & seating assignments for the final table:

Seat 1: Joe Nguyen - 2,175,000
Seat 2: Erik Seidel - 3,435,000
Seat 3: Chris Johnson - 2,740,000
Seat 4: Paul Volpe - 5,525,000
Seat 5: Y.K. Chang - 2,590,000
Seat 6: Joe Kuether - 2,830,000

We are pleased to be able to bring you limited live audio commentary throughout the final table.  To tune in, head over to www.Bay101Live.com to listen to @veeRob and @WhoJedi bring you updates from the tournament floor.

For hand for hand updates and chip counts throughout this final table, make sure you head over to the WPT Live Updates page.

Videos: Shooting Star Championship - Day 3














Nick Schulman Wins the $25,000 Shooting Star High Roller Event


Congratulations to Nick Schulman, winner of the $25,000 Shooting Star High Roller event.  

Nick takes home $270,480 and the Shooting Star High Roller Trophy for his victory.

Final results were as follows:

1st - Nick Schulman - $270,480
2nd - Roger Sippl - $180,320
3rd - David "Doc" Sands - $112,700

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Bay 101 WPT Shooting Star Final Table Chip Counts and Seating Assignments

We are down to the final table of six players in the Bay 101 Shooting Star event.

The final televised table will get underway tomorrow at 4pm.

Chip counts are as follows:

Seat 1: Joe Nguyen - 2,175,000
Seat 2: Erik Seidel - 3,435,000
Seat 3: Chris Johnson - 2,740,000
Seat 4: Paul Volpe - 5,525,000
Seat 5: Y.K. Chang - 2,590,000
Seat 6: Joe Kuether - 2,830,000

Steve Behm Eliminated in 7th Place ($124,460)

7th Place - Steve Behm   $124,460

Danny Wong Eliminated in 8th Place ($91,120)

8th Place - Danny Wong  $91,120

Antonio Esfandiari Eliminated in 9th Place ($64,450)

9th Place - Antonio Esfandiari  $64,450

Athanasios Polychronopoulos Eliminated in 10th Place ($48,890)

10th - Athanasios Polychronopoulos  $48,890

Paul Klann Eliminated in 11th Place ($48,890)

11th Place - Paul Klann  $48,890

Matt Stout Eliminated in 12th Place ($48,890)

12th Place - Matt Stout  $48,890

Christian Harder Eliminated in 13th Place ($37,780)

13th Place - Christian Harder  $37,780

The 100,000 Plaques are now in Play

The Bay 101 Shooting Star 100,000 Plaques are now in play with 13 players remaining.

Gordon Vayo Eliminated in 14th Place ($37,780)

Bertrand Grospellier Eliminated in 15th Place ($37,780)

15th Place - Bertrand Grospellier   $37,780

Photos: Maria Ho Eliminated in 20th Place

Maria Ho awaits the actions after she moves all-in.
Maria Ho gets a call from Matt Stout and the two await the rest of the action before the flop.
Ho and Stout watch as Stout's pocket sevens hold up against the K-Q of Ho.
Maria Ho and Matt Stout shares a hug after Ho is eliminated in 20th place.

A Rare Show of Emotion

All-in with A-K vs. queens, Antonio Esfandiari reacts the moment an ace falls on the turn.

For the Kids, Chamath Palihapitiya Finishes 35th


Recent Eliminations on Day 3 of the Shooting Star Main Event

33rd - Kathy Leibert  $22,670
34th - Todd Terry  $22,670
35th - Chamath Palihapitiya  $22,670
36th - Carlos Mortensen  $22,670

Now 36 Players Remaining in the Shooting Star Main Event

We are down to the final 36 players in the Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event.

Players have redrawn for seats at the final six tables as play is now six-handed for the rest of the event.

Be sure to check out the live stream at Bay101live.com.

Photo: Jason Somerville Eliminated by Erik Seidel

Jason Somerville (left) shakes hands with Erik Seidel after Seidel eliminates him.

Day 3 of the Bay 101 Shooting Star is Underway!

The 44 remaining players in the Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event have taken their seats and cards are in the air.

The blinds are 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante for another 45 minutes.

You can watch the live stream of the Feature Table by clicking on Bay101live.com.

Videos: Shooting Star Championship - Day 2















Shooting Star Championship Day 3 Chip Counts & Seating Assignments

Day 3 chip leader Paul Volpe
$7,500 Shooting Star Championship
Day 3 - Chip Counts & Seating Assignments
Place First Name Last Name Chip Count Table Seat
1 Paul Volpe 1,394,000 22 3
2 Brandon Rubie 988,000 26 7
3 Isaac Baron 896,000 22 7
4 Steve Behm 854,000 23 4
5 Maria Ho 805,000 22 8
6 Antonio Esfandiari 787,000 22 5
7 James Anderson 770,000 22 2
8 Erik Seidel 751,000 23 5
9 Matt Stout 687,000 26 8
10 Jordan Cristos 672,000 24 6
11 Athanasios Polychronopoulos 621,000 24 2
12 Christian Harder 607,000 26 5
13 Kyle Julius 536,000 25 3
14 Joe Nguyen 509,000 22 1
15 Joe Kuether 485,000 25 2
16 Christopher Johnson 475,000 24 1
17 Alex Keating 475,000 25 1
18 Kai Chang 413,000 24 3
19 Paul Klann 389,000 23 6
20 Chris Tran 369,000 25 9
21 Numit Agrawal 367,000 26 6
22 Rob Tepper 364,000 23 9
23 Danny Wood 353,000 26 9
24 Raymond Dehkharghani 307,000 24 9
25 Todd Terry 295,000 26 1
26 Stephen Boker 290,000 22 9
27 John Racener 290,000 23 2
28 Zach Hyman 290,000 24 8
29 Jeff Madsen 273,000 25 4
30 Carlos Mortensen 271,000 23 1
31 Andrew Lichtenberger 262,000 24 5
32 Gordon Vayo 254,000 22 4
33 Axel Werner 240,000 23 7
34 Aaron Motoyama 235,000 25 7
35 Kathy Liebert 228,000 26 2
36 Tom Drotleff 217,000 24 4
37 Andrew Mackenzie 193,000 23 8
38 Robert Lo 186,000 24 7
39 Somanath Nirakari 185,000 26 3
40 Jason Somerville 169,000 23 3
41 Abraham Aboukhalil 162,000 25 8
42 Bertrand Grospellier 159,000 26 4
43 Chamath Palihapitiya 136,000 25 6
44 Garrett Greer 129,000 25 5

$25,000 High Roller Final Table Chip Counts & Seating Assigments

Play has concluded in the $25,000 High Roller Event.  The seven remaining players will resume play tomorrow at 2pm PST and play to a winner.

Here are the chip counts and seating assignments:

Seat 1: John Hennigan - 104,300
Seat 2: David Sands - 206,000
Seat 3: Nick Schulman 198,500
Sear 4: Roger Sippl - 302,700
Seat 5: Dan Smith - 200,800
Seat 6: Zach Clark - 33,900
Seat 7: Richard Thompson - 106,600

Repeat Performance for Paul Klann and Paul Volpe?

Paul Klann
Just a few days ago, Paul Klann won the World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic Main Event for over $1,000,000 and Paul Volpe was the runner-up.

Now, they are both in the money at the Shooting Star Main Event and looking for a repeat performance of the LAPC.

Paul Volpe

$25,000 Shooting Star High Roller Update

We are down to the final nine players in the $25,000 Shooting Star High Roller event.

The final three spots will finish in the money.

Final payouts are as follows:

1st - $270,480
2nd - $180,320
3rd - $112,700

Among the players remaining are the likes of David Sands, Brandon Meyers, Nick Schulman, John Hennigan and Dan Smith.

The Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event is in the Money!

With only 63 players now remaining, all players are now in the money.

Final payouts are as follows:

1st - $1,138,350
2nd - $666,740
3rd - $435,610
4th - $295,590
5th - $208,910
6th - $162,240
7th - $124,460
8th - $91,120
9th - $64,450
10th-12th - $48,890
13th-15th - $37,780
16th-18th - $31,110
19th-27th - $26,670
28th-36th - $22,670
37th-45th - $19,120
46th-54th - $16,890
55th-63rd - $15,110

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

On the Money Bubble in the Shooting Star Main Event

With 64 players remaining and top 63 players getting paid, we are officially on the money bubble.

Brandon Meyers Dodging Bullets in the High Roller

Brandon Meyers

Approaching the Money Bubble in the Shooting Star Main Event

With 73 players remaining, we are quickly approaching the money bubble.

The final 63 players will finish in the money, earning at least $15,110.

Dinner Break on Day 2


With the completion of 1,200-2,400 blinds, the remaining players from Day 2 of the $7,500 Shooting Star Championship are now on their one-hour dinner break.

Play will resume at approximately 6:45pm PST.

Photos: Father of the Year with Antonio Esfandiari

Antonio Esfandiari gets a massage from his father during Day 2 of Shooting Star.


The Shooting Star $25,000 High Roller Event is Underway!

The starting table of the $25,000 High Roller Event.
The $25,000 Shooting Star High Roller event is now underway.

Players start with 50,000 in chips and the levels are one-hour in length.

Registration will remain open for the first six levels.

Christian Harder Leads the Day 2 Field


With just under 120 players remaining in the field, Christian Harder has emerged as the chip leader on Day 2 of the Bay 101 Shooting Star.

Currently, Harder sits on just over 600,000 chips with the blinds at 1,200-2,400 with a 400 ante.