The $7,500 buy-in Main Event of the Season XV of WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star was brought to an end over the weekend, with Sam Panzica emerging as winner from the competition.
The event, which has always been one of the most attractive by players on a global scale. This year’s edition has attracted a record number of participants, forming a total player field of 806 entries and generated a guaranteed prize pool amounting to over $5.7 million. In comparison, the players who joined the event in 2016 accounted for 753 entries.
Despite the fact that all of them were aimed at taking down the massive first-place prize, it was Sam Panzica who entered a heads-up battle with Anthony Spinela, leaving the latter in second place. On the other hand, this is the second WPT title won by the young Michigan player in five months only.
At the time Sam Panzica entered the final table, he was third in chips with Chino Rheem holding the chip lead with over 44% of the chips. For Rheem, this was the fourth WPT final table he has ever reached, with the three previous ones being won by him. However, its was the 24-year-old Panzica who put an end on Rheem’s plans for a fourth WPT title by taking down the event right in front his mother Amelia, who arrived just before the start of the final table.
Later, when there were only four players left, Rheem was still holding the chip lead, with Spinella being second, followed by Panzica. With the elimination of Paul Volpe in fourth place, the first and second in chips exchanged the chip lead several times, but Panzica was lurking to finally face Anthony Spinella in a heads-up battle for the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event’s title.
The heads-up play started with Panzica holding a total of 18,475 million in chips and Spinella holding 5,725. Five hands were what it took to Panzica to emerge victorious of the new WPT champion.
With Sam Panzica emerging as winner of the $7,500 buy-in Main Event taking home a massive first-place prize of $1,373,000, it was Anthony Spinella who occupied the runner-up position in the competition, scooping a guaranteed prize pool portion of $786,610. The third position in the ranking was taken by Chino Rheem for the prize of $521,660.
Paul Volpe remained fourth, followed by Dennis Stevermer. The two of them were granted with guaranteed prize pool portions of $349,610 and $243,090, respectively. The last, sixth position in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star’s Main Event was taken by Rainer Kemper for $188,460.
- Author
Harry Evans
