The World Poker Tour is heading back to the Bay 101 Casino this year. The WPT returns to the San Jose casino after a lengthy hiatus.
The main event’s return is set for Oct. 25-29 as part of a two-week tournament festival spanning from Oct. 17-31.
The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star was a fixture on the tour from Season 2 in 2004 until the WPT’s 15th season in 2017.
Sam Panzica took down the most recent running of the main event $1,373,000. Other notable champions of this storied event include Phil Gordon (2004), Ted Forrest (2007), James Carroll (2014), and Taylor Paur (2015).
The fan-favorite event long featured a unique bounty format, with each starting table including at least one ‘Shooting Star’ player with a $2,500 bounty on their head.
The popular structure is set to return this year, along with another classic feature of the event: a $5,000 chip leader bonus for the big stack at the end of each starting flight.
“Bay 101 Casino has long been a staple of the World Poker Tour’s rich history,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “The players, the fans, and the incredible team at Bay 101 create an amazing environment. We look forward to returning to this iconic venue once again.”
This year’s event will feature a delayed final table that will be filmed in Las Vegas at a yet-unreleased date.
“The news of the Shooting Star returning to the World Poker Tour has been on everyone’s wish list for a long time,” said Casino Manager Samuel Quinto. “We look forward to recapturing the excitement of one of poker’s most talked about events.”
More information can be found at the WPT’s official website.