In what was arguably the toughest final table of the current season, Taylor Paur emerged victorious in the World Poker Tour’s Bay 101 Shooting Stars early Saturday morning.
Paur came to the final table with the second biggest chip stack (4.27 million), behind only Isaac Baron’s 6.175 million, when the cards hit the air on Friday afternoon. Besides the challenge of Baron, Paur also had to contend with the final two Shooting Stars left in the event, Faraz Jaka (2.92 million) and Sorel Mizzi (1.92 million), as well as the difficult Jacob Bazeley (3.92 million) and a tenacious Ravee Mathi (1.47 million) at the final table. With the $1.2 million-plus prize sitting at the eventual goal of all the players, they wasted little time in getting to business.
Pushing often with his short stack, Mathi was able to pick up some chips in the early going, but his aggression would also lead to his downfall. On a J-6-5-6-5 board, Mathi’s final chips found their way to the center. Mizzi, playing out of the cutoff, would not look him up, but Paur made the call and tabled an 8-5 that had rivered a full house. As it was, the pair that Paur had made on the flop was good enough as Mathi showed an A-8 for a complete bluff, sending Mathi home in sixth place.
Only a dozen hands later, another player would meet his demise. Jaka, unable to get much of anything going through the early action, found a pocket pair of fours to make a stand for his last million chips. Unfortunately for Jaka, Bazeley woke up with a pocket pair of tens behind him and isolated the action with an all-in over the top. Once a Jack-high board was dealt, Jaka was sent to the rail – and his bounty to Bazeley – in fifth place.
Now down to four players, the men settled in for a lengthy battle. Over sixty hands were played before the next elimination would be made. Mizzi, the final Shooting Star left in the event, saw Bazeley raise in front of him and Paur three-bet the action before pushing his stack to the center of the baize. Bazeley agonized over his decision before finally sending his cards to the muck, but Paur stuck around with a call. Paur’s pocket fives were ahead of Mizzi’s A-J off suit and, once the board didn’t bring an Ace or a Jack, Mizzi was out of the tournament in fourth place and Paur captured his bounty and the overall chip lead.
With more chips than his two opponents combined, it was figured that Paur would simply steamroll to the title. Instead, both Bazeley and Baron would get timely doubles to bring Paur closer to them. Battling over a 70-hand span, Paur would eventually vanquish Bazeley in third place when his A-10 bested Bazeley’s K-7 on an A-2-2-9-A board to bring the event to heads up action.
Holding a 2-1 lead over Baron, Paur didn’t ever let Baron back into the tournament. Instead of battling through a lengthy heads-up match, the twosome only played nine hands before the champion was determined. On the final hand, Paur called a three-bet out of Baron to see a 9♠ 7♥ 2♥ flop. Paur would then check-call another million chip bet from Baron and, after a 3♦ on the turn, Baron would fire again for 1.65 million. Paur simply called again and, on the 5♥ river, Baron moved all in. Paur immediately made the call, tabling his 10♥ 9♥ for the rivered flush against Baron’s A-9 off suit to take down Baron in second place and earn Paur the championship.
1. Taylor Paur, $1,214,200
2. Isaac Baron, $704,200
3. Jake Bazeley, $461,470
4. Sorel Mizzi, $310,060
5. Faraz Jaka, $216,320
6. Ravee Mathi, $168,260
