The second starting flight of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event was held Tuesday as 422 more players gave the tournament a whirl. The resulting overall field of 753 is the largest in the tournament’s history. A total of 292 players remaining from both starting flights, led by Ari Engel with 294,100 chips.
The impressive field created a prize pool of more than $5.3 million, with nearly $1.3 million of that going to the winner. The top 72 players will make the money.
The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star is the second leg of the “WPT California Swing,” the portion of the World Poker Tour schedule that stays in the Golden State for the better part of a month. The WPT L.A. Poker Classic and WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star are mainstays on the Tour, but it was not until WPT Rolling Thunder was added in 2014 that this portion of the schedule got an official name as well as a special promotion to go along with it.
Everyone who enters all three California Swing events will receive points based on where they finish. After all three are complete, the overall points leader will win several prizes:
• Up to six nights of accommodations at the 2017 WPT L.A. Poker Classic, a free airport transfer, and a free massage at the Meridian Spa
• Shooting Star status at the 2017 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star (Is this a prize or a penalty? I don’t know if I would want a target on my back. Meh, it’s probably a lot of fun.)
• Up to five nights of suite accommodations at the 2017 WPT Thunder Valley Series and a $500 room credit
The California Swing standings will be made public after this week and will be updated during the WPT Rolling Thunder.
Day 2 looks to be another long day at Bay 101, as the plan is to play from nearly 300 competitors down to the final 36. The money bubble is still a ways away from being popped and the action should slow down considerably for an hour or two as the bubble nears. Once all remaining players have cashed, though, expect play to speed up as some of the smaller stacks throw caution to the wind. Play will begin at 11:00am local time.
2016 World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star – Day 1B Chip Leaders
1. Ari Engel – 294,100
2. Ali Mohammadi – 272,000
3. Amir Shayesteh – 238,000
4. Kevin Eyster – 231,000
5. Danny Wong – 217,100
6. Mike Matusow – 187,400
7. Lee Markholt – 181,600
8. Dan O’Brien – 169,200
9. Jake Schindler – 153,000
10. Mike Leah – 148,200
2016 World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star – Combined Day 1 Chip Leaders
1. Ari Engel – 294,100
2. Ali Mohammadi – 272,000
3. Ankush Mandavia – 263,700
4. Rep Porter – 249,600
5. Amir Shayesteh – 238,000
6. Kevin Eyster – 231,000
7. Brian Yoon – 222,500
8. Connor Drinan – 222,000
9. Danny Wong – 217,100
10. Chance Kornuth – 194,500
