Probably the most fashionable stops in World Poker Tour historical past is returning to the WPT schedule for the primary time since 2017. The Bay 101 Taking pictures Star has a wealthy historical past relationship again to 1997, nevertheless it hasn’t been held since 2020 when the COVID pandemic interrupted the ultimate desk and compelled the final 10 players to end things with a chop.
The Bay 101 Taking pictures Star occasion had been operating for seven years earlier than the eighth Annual occasion joined the schedule in 2004 as a part of the WPT’s second season. Phil Gordon gained that match for $360,000, whereas Chris Moneymaker, who the 12 months earlier than gained the World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) Fundamental Occasion, was the final $5,000 bounty standing.
Returning to the Schedule
The most recent WPT Bay 101 Taking pictures Star pageant will run from October 17-31, highlighted by the $5,300 WPT Bay 101 Taking pictures Star Championship Occasion. The Championship Occasion will happen October 25-29, with a delayed televised closing desk to be performed at a later date in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Bay 101 On line casino has lengthy been a staple of the World Poker Tour’s wealthy historical past,” stated WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “The gamers, the followers, and the unimaginable crew at Bay 101 create a tremendous atmosphere. We look ahead to returning to this iconic venue as soon as once more.”
In line with a press launch, the WPT Bay 101 Taking pictures Star Championship occasion will adhere to the traditional bounty guidelines of years previous. Every beginning desk can have at the least one “Taking pictures Star”, with a $2,500 bounty given to the participant who knocks the Taking pictures Star out of the match. If a Taking pictures Star wins the match, they’ll gather their very own bounty. Along with the bounties, there’s a $5,000 chip chief bonus for chip leaders of Day 1 beginning flights.
“The information of the Taking pictures Star returning to the World Poker Tour has been on everybody’s want record for a very long time,” stated On line casino Supervisor Samuel Quinto. “We look ahead to recapturing the thrill of one among poker’s most talked about occasions.”
Historical past of the Bay 101 Taking pictures Star
Since its inception occasion, Bay 101 has hosted 15 WPT Championship occasions. The final winner to etch their title on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup was Sam Panzica, who gained the Season 15 match for $1,373,000.
| Season | Yr | Purchase-In | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 1997 | $1,060 | – | – | Sam Service provider | $29,000 |
| – | 1998 | $1,000 | 151 | $151,000 | Huck Seed | $30,250 |
| – | 2000 | $1,050 | 123 | $122,850 | Chau Vu | $44,550 |
| – | 2001 | $1,000 | 150 | $150,000 | Carlos Mortensen | $44,550 |
| – | 2002 | $1,560 | 150 | $202,500 | Bernard Ko | $66,825 |
| – | 2003 | $1,560 | 150 | $202,500 | David Sprenkle | $80,000 |
| Season 2 | 2004 | $5,200 | 243 | $1,125,000 | Phil Gordon | $360,000 |
| Season 3 | 2005 | $10,000 | 438 | $4,045,000 | Danny Nguyen | $1,025,000 |
| Season 4 | 2006 | $10,000 | 518 | $4,702,800 | Nam Le | $1,198,300 |
| Season 5 | 2007 | $10,000 | 450 | $4,490,000 | Ted Forrest | $1,100,000 |
| Season 6 | 2008 | $10,000 | 376 | $3,336,000 | Brandon Cantu | $1,000,000 |
| Season 7 | 2009 | $10,000 | 391 | $3,444,500 | Steve Brecher | $1,025,500 |
| Season 8 | 2010 | $10,000 | 333 | $3,163,500 | McLean Karr | $878,500 |
| Season 9 | 2011 | $10,000 | 415 | $3,942,500 | Alan Sternberg | $1,039,000 |
| Season 10 | 2012 | $10,000 | 364 | $3,458,000 | Moon Kim | $960,900 |
| Season 11 | 2013 | $7,500 | 643 | $4,444,950 | WeiKai Chang | $1,138,350 |
| Season 12 | 2014 | $7,500 | 718 | $5,133,700 | James Carroll | $1,256,550 |
| Season 13 | 2015 | $7,500 | 708 | $4,835,180 | Taylor Paur | $1,214,200 |
| Season 14 | 2016 | $7,500 | 753 | $5,138,800 | Stefan Schillhabel | $1,298,000 |
| Season 15 | 2017 | $7,500 | 806 | $5,722,600 | Sam Panzica | $1,373,000 |
| – | 2019 | $2,500 | 440 | $2,156,000 | Sandeep Pulusani | $354,400 |
| – | 2020 | $5,200 | 290 | $1,331,000 | Craig Varnell | $159,710 |
*Photographs courtesy of the WPT.
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