Of the 13 previous times the Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event was part of the World Poker Tour schedule, a first-place prize of at least $1 million was awarded 10 times. With the buy-in at $7,500 working very well with the event’s satellite structure, entry numbers soared in Season XI and have been doing great ever since. For Season IV, the buy-in was $10,000, where it remained until Season XI, then the buy-in was dropped slightly to $7,500. The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event began as a $5,200 buy-in event in Season II, but quickly jumped to five figures when it was made a $10,250 buy-in for Season III. For knocking out one of the Shooting Stars, a player would earn a special bounty prize. Each year, a selection of players in the field are “Shooting Stars,” or bounty players. The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event has always been one of poker’s most well-attended tournaments, drawing poker’s biggest names to the felt for one of the more unique formats on the tournament circuit.
Ever since, it has been a favorite part of the WPT schedule leading up to the Season XV event to start on Monday, March 6, 2017. Bay 101 Casino in San Jose, CA joined the World Poker Tour in Season II.
