Poker News

After finishing up their latest stop last week in Los Angeles, poker professionals have little time to rest on the World Poker Tour, heading up the coast of California for the start of the next event on the Season X schedule on Monday.

The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars, one of the more popular events on the WPT schedule, opens up its first of two Day Ones tomorrow and its unique format is something that truly draws in the players. Several of the professionals in the tournament have $5000 bounties on their heads and the chip leader at the end of each Day One will receive a $10,000 bonus. If a player is able to knock off some of the “Shooting Stars” or hold the chip lead in Day 1A or 1B, they basically will be on a freeroll in the $10,000 buy in tournament.

Some of the most popular players in the game are the featured “Shooting Star” bounties, spread out over the two Day Ones. For Day 1A, three former World Champions, Jonathan Duhamel, Joe Hachem and Phil Hellmuth, will have that $5000 bounty on their head, alongside such players as Liv Boeree, Christian Harder, Kathy Liebert, Maria Ho, Mike Matusow (who finished in third in this tournament last year), Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel and Vanessa Selbst. Other top players such as Allen Kessler, Luis Velador and Steve Brecher (the 2009 champion of the Bay 101 Shooting Stars) are expected for the tournament, but don’t have the task of being one of the “Shooting Stars.”

Day 1B doesn’t lack for star power, either. Heading the list is former World Champion Scotty Nguyen, joined by such players as Men “The Master” Nguyen, Allen Cunningham, Barry Greenstein, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier and defending champion Alan Sternberg. Another “Shooting Star” is WPT commentator and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, who made the final table of this tournament in 2011. Other notable players who do not have to worry about having the $5000 bounty hanging over their heads are Jonathan Aguiar and Kara Scott.

Another interesting aspect of the tournament is a wrinkle added by tournament director Matt Savage. Once play reaches the final 36 players, the players are broken down to six handed tables for the remainder of the tournament. Normally at a WPT tournament, late tournament play is on the regulation nine handed tables until the final table of six is reached.

The entirety of the WPT team is expected to be on hand for the action in San Jose. Sexton, Vince Van Patten, guest anchor Marianela Pereyra and the Royal Flush Girls will all be on hand at Bay 101 for filming of the tournament and “The Raw Deal” host Tony Dunst will be ready to broadcast the final table. The final table, set for March 9 at 4:30PM (Pacific Time), will be streamed on the WPT website (featuring complete information including hole cards) with Dunst and a host of special guests.

The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars will also feature a philanthropic note this week. On Tuesday during Day 1B, Bay 101 and the WPT will host the Silicon Valley Poker Challenge. Along with their partner, the Silicon Valley Executive Network, the charity tournament will be filmed as a part of the coverage of the regular tournament. Last year’s Silicon Valley Poker Challenge raised more than $25,000 for a local charity.

Last year’s Shooting Stars event drew in a field of 415 players and indications are that the field size for this year’s tournament should meet or exceed that number. Poker News Daily will report on all the action from San Jose as poker’s biggest names attempt to dodge the bounty hunters at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars.

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