WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Final Table Preview

Poker stats geeks rejoice, this WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star final table is filled with big players on the live tournament circuit…

LE, PAHUJA HIGHLIGHT BAY 101 FINAL TABLE

Nam Le (GPI#506) hopes to make history later today in San Jose. A win and Le, who won the Bay 101 Shooting Star in 2006, would become the first player to ever win the same event twice on the World Poker Tour. With over 6.5M USD in live tournament earnings and with 11 victories on the circuit, Le is by far the most experienced pro coming into final table play at the Bay 101.

The only problem? Le is low in chips, very low. He will need to use his experience to put himself back into contention early, or we may be seeing Le leave the Bay 101 earlier than expected.

Mukul Pahuja (GPI#56), however, has the most chips heading into final table play … plus, he’s on the hottest players on tour! Pahuja has been deadly the past few months but despite the fact that he’s been able to add over 1.3M USD to his bank account since August, he hasn’t been able to secure a victory in that time. Today may very well be the day for Pahuja.

Pahuja finished second at WPT Montreal in November, that experience will certainly serve him well at the Bay 101.

SULLER, WILKERSON LOOKING TO CLOSE

Like Pahuja, two other players at the final table will be looking to close the deal after recent brushes with greatness on the World Poker Tour.

Shaun Suller (GPI#719) would bag the second six-figure score of his career on the live tournament circuit at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas in December. Suller, who qualified for final table play on the WSOP Circuit and the Heartland Poker Tour in 2013, would finish third as 2012 GPI Player of the Year Dan Smith (GPI#5) picked up his first title on the WPT.

For Dylan Wilkerson (GPI#319), it’s a second final table appearance on the WPT in less than a month. Wilkerson was runner-up to Matthew Lapossie (GPI#1893) at the WPT Fallsview Poker Classic in Niagara Falls just a few short weeks ago.

Wilkerson starts the day second in chips as is the only player, other than Pahuja, who brings a stack of at least 100 BB’s to the final table.

Let’s take a closer look at our final table participants:

[table id=955 /]

›› SEAT 1  |  NAM LE  

• 2006 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Champion ($1,198,300)
• Recently finished 10th in LAPC Playboy event ($13,470)
• Final tabled NLH 3K event this past summer at the 44th WSOP ($70,120)
• Won APPT Macau High Roller event in 2008 ($3,700,000 HKD)
• Over 6.5M USD in career earnings on the live tournament circuit
• WPT Career: 1 win, 5 final tables, 14 cashes, $3,113,098 USD
• GPI Ranking: Current: #506  |  Career Peak: #203 (Jun 2013)

›› SEAT 2  |  GARRETT GREER  

• Recently finished 38th at WPT L.A. Poker Classic ($26,660)
• Finished 7th at WPT L.A. Poker Classic in 2013 ($161,300)
• Finished 8th at 2013 WPT Legends of Poker ($48,615)
• Finished 43rd at WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star in 2013 ($19,120)
• WPT Career: 4 cashes, $255,695 USD
• GPI Ranking: Current: #469  |  Career Peak: #455 (Dec 2013)

›› SEAT 3  |  SHAUN SULLER  

• Finished 4th at WPT Five Diamond in December ($303,793)
• Finished 4th at HPT Las Vegas in November ($34,722)
• Earned a 3rd place finish at WSOP Circuit Las Vegas in 2013 ($101,444)
• WPT Career: 1 final table, 2 cashes, $311,888 USD
• GPI Ranking: Current: #719  |  Career Peak: #462 (Jan 2014)

›› SEAT 4  |  DYLAN WILKERSON  

• Recently finished 2nd at WPT Fallsview Classic ($254,238 CAD)
• Finished 37th at WPT Montreal in November ($13,682 CAD)
• Earned six cashes at the 44th WSOP last summer in Las Vegas
• WPT Career: 1 final table, 4 cashes, $254,780 USD
• GPI Ranking: Current: #319  |  Career Peak: #170 (Jan 2012)

›› SEAT 5  |  JAMES CARROLL  

• Recently finished 21st in 1K prelim at the Borgata Winter Open ($2,533)
• Won HPT Las Vegas in 2012 ($104,253)
• Won 5K prelim at 2012 WPT World Championship ($53,350)
• WPT Career: 4 cashes, $134,020 USD
• GPI Ranking: Current: #1279  |  Career Peak: #252 (Jul 2011)

›› SEAT 6  |  MUKUL PAHUJA  

• Final table chip leader
• Recently finished 30th at WPT L.A. Poker Classic ($36,400)
• Recently finished 8th at WPT Lucky Hearts Open ($36,147)
• Finished 2nd at WPT Montreal in November ($362,430 CAD)
• Finished 3rd at Hard Rock Poker Open last August ($872,625)
• WPT Career: 1 final table, 5 cashes, $457,274 USD
• GPI Ranking: Current: #56  |  Career Peak: #56 (Now)