The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Tournament Hates Women

Two years ago, J.J. Liu, a woman, almost became the first woman to win a WPT open tournament by almost capturing the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star event. Then last year, Jennifer Harman, a woman, almost became the first woman to win a WPT title by almost capturing the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star event.

This year, it was Kathy Liebert, a woman's turn.

Liebert was chip leader with only three remaining. But after a grueling heads-up match (eventually breaking the record for most hands played all-time at a WPT final table), Liebert, one of the all-time greatest female players, succumbed to middle-of-the-road pro Steve Brecher. Draw your own conclusions about it all if you'd [ here ].

For the win, Brecher banked $1,025,500. Liebert took $550,000 for second.

Get full payouts here.

Kathy Liebert, A Woman, Goes For First WPT Title (For The Sixth Time)

Unless someone at the final table is blind and only got there through sympathy votes and we're not aware of it, the only real storyline we're following at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star now is if Kathy Liebert, a woman, can win her first WPT title and become the first woman to ever capture a World Poker Tour title.*

This is Liebert's sixth WPT final table. Phil Ivey got the monkey off his back last year at the LAPC, will Kathy do the same this year?

She'll be third in chips entering play, stacked at 1,180,000. She trails overall big stack Tony Behari (2,046,000) and Steve Brecher (2,016,000) who is making his second WPT final table and we guess some people consider a "name" pro but let's face it, who gives a shit.

Get full chip counts here.

* For all of you dorks who keep pointing out non-open WPT events, we're talking about open WPT events.

In wildly unrelated news, below scientiests discover the world's first sexual predator.

Paleontologists Discover Skeleton Of Nature’s First Sexual Predator

A Bunch of Non-Stars Lead WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars

They're in the money at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars, with a friends and family^TM leader board going into Day 3 play. Only four so-called "shooting stars" remain.

Michael Kamran has the chip lead, stacked at 570,500. He's followed by Tony Behari (553,000) and Chris Moore (539,500).

Notables still alive include Kathy Liebert (385,000), Paul Wasicka (297,000), Steve Brecher (151,500), Hoyt Corkins (124,500), the hotter than a really spicy dish of Indian food Vivek Rajkumar (124,000), and Joe Sebok (116,500).

Get full chip counts here.

Aya Fukunaga Micro Bikini Dancing Video Brings You Today's Poker News

Honestly there isn't any real poker news today. Just a few poker-y links below that serve as an excuse to share with you a ridiculously hot video of Japan's Aya Fukunaga dancing around all sexy-like in a tiny bikini and covered in baby oil. There isn't a better 5:40 on the Internet. Pretty NSFW for those who aren't their own bosses but f&#k it, you're probably going to get laid off anyway. WATCH VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP HERE.

:: Zac Efron, the High School Musical kid who makes Dario Minieri look like a man, won some poker tournament in Australia against the likes of Joe Hachem and Kings of Leon. [link]

:: The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars got underway today and the WPT Live Updates crew is throwing down some mad tweets. Okay, there's no way to make Twitter sound cool. [link]

:: Celebrity(?) Apprentice's Annie Duke is hooked on the Twitter. Stalk her @RealAnnieDuke so you can read about how small her and Joe "Pretty Boy" Reitman's bed was last night. Okay, maybe don't. [link]

:: Layne Flack seems to be doing just great a week after getting a DUI in Vegas, chumming around with Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho "on the 50 yard line" of a Sharks hockey game. [link]

:: Amanda Leatherman just got the scoop from the horse's mouth himself (wink, wink...get it? Layne has huge effing horse teeth). Of note, Flack douchery reaches new heights when he reveals he drives a Corvette. [link]

:: Two Canadians brought their "Eh" game to the WSOP Circuit Event in Atlantic Shitty, going one-two. Relatedly, they're still doing WSOP Circuit events? Also relatedly, why? [link]

Jennifer Harman Does Not Win WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star

Last year, J.J. Liu came thisclose to becoming the first woman to win a WPT event that you actually have to pay money to enter, coming in second at the Bay 101 "So-Called" Shooting Star main event.

This year, it was Jennifer Harman's, a woman, turn.

Harman entered final table play as one of the short-stacks. As the last remaining so-called "shooting star" and last remaining woman, she had a lot on the line. In an interview made up in our head right before final table play began, Harman imaginarily told us:

"As the last so-called shooting star and last remaining woman in the tournament, I recognize that there's a lot of the line. You know what I'm saying?"

It wasn't meant to be, however, as Harman bowed out in third place, banking $330,000.

It was meant to be, however, for Brandon Cantu, who pretty much was the chip leader or near the chip lead from Day 1. Cantu was never really threatened during final table play, eventually eliminating Steve Sung for the title.

This is Cantu's first WPT main event win. He also won a WSOP bracelet in 2006.

For the win, Cantu banks $1,000,000 to go along with the year supply of almonds he won earlier in the week as the Blue Diamond Almonds Bold Player of the Day.

Get full final table results and recap from the WPT site here.

* Photo from the good people at Poker Pages.

WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Final Table: Can Jennifer Harman, A Woman, Finish What J.J. Liu, Also a Woman, Started?

Last year a four month pregnant J.J. Liu almost made history by becoming the first women to not nag a man into submission display some everyday common sense drive well not run screaming to the middle of the dance floor when Come On Eileen is played win a major poker tournament.

Liu eventually failed because the female brain is half the size of the male Ted Forrest prevailed in a grueling final table battle. And then a few months later, Annette Obrestad, a woman, won the WSOP Europe Main Event.

But since that didn't happen in U.S. America, it only partly counts.

Which means that top pro and one of the most respected players in the game, Jennifer Harman, a woman, can finish what J.J. Liu so bravely started last year by capturing the WPT Bay 101 Shoot Star final table.

Harman, who also happens to be a so-called "shooting star," will have her work cut out for her though, as she's short-stacked at 541,000. Leading the way is Day 1a chip leader Brandon Cantu with 3,323,000.

In second overall is some guy named Mike Baker with 1,964,000. The rest of the final table chip counts break down as follows: Noah Jefferson (842,000), Steve Sung (474,000), and John "The Razor" Phan* (374,000).

Some big name bust-outs include the spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran (7th), Lee Watkinson (9th), this guy who looks like an escaped convict (10th), Rich Belksy (13th), Clonie Gowen, a woman (14th), and this guy who looks like Perez Hilton and possibly really is (15th).

Get full payouts here.

* Not a real razor.

WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star: Michael Baker Has a Big Lead

Only 36 remain at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star main event, and some guy named Michael Baker has jumped out to a huge chip lead.

Baker, who is from Boston and has a few tournament cashes, is stacked at 952,500. He's followed by some guy named Dan Morris, who has one tournament cash, with 701,000.

Other big names include but are certainly not limited to John Phan (495,000), Clonie Gowen, a woman (326,500), Brandon Cantu (225,000), Blair Hinkle (223,000), and Paul Wasicka (137,000).

The people that the WPT decided to play God with by anointing as so-called "shooting stars" aren't faring as well. Only five of them remain, including the spectacularly breasted J.C. Tran (183,500), Jennifer Harman (164,500), "Salty" Joe Hachem (100,000), Layne Flack (89,000), and last year's champ Ted Forrest (64,500).

And poker agent/paparazzi/Card Player TV host Rich Belsky is still alive with a respectable 154,000.

Get full chip count here.

WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star: Blair Hinkle, Clonie Gowen (a Woman), and Paul Wasicka Lead Day 1B

The so-called "shooting stars" fared much better in Day 1b play at the WPT Bay 101 main event, as 11 survived the action (compared with 5 for Day 1a).

Day 1b ended with Blair Hinkle as chip leader, stacked at 170,800. You may remember Hinkle as the man who briefly led the WPT LAPC last month.

Hinkle is followed by Clonie Gowen, a woman, with 163,300. And following the woman Clonie Gowen is 2007 NBC National Heads-Up Poker champ Paul Wasicka with 140,600.

Of the so-called "shooting stars" that survived Day 1b, last year's WPT Bay 101 champ Ted Forrest leads the way with 118,600. Other so-called "shooting stars" include Isabelle Mercier (61,200), "Salty" Joe Hachem (aka Adnan Ghalib) (52,600), Phil Laak (47,000), Erick Lindgren (42,700), Jennifer Harman (40,800), Barry Greenstein (38,900), Mike "The Mouth" Matusow (33,500), Cyndy Violette, a woman (29,300), Allen Cunningham (19,700), and Scotty Nguyen (7,200).

Also remaining at the WPT Bay 101 is our pick to win it, 2008 Canadian Open Poker Championship champ Huck Seed (28,200).

As of "press time," the Blue Diamond Almonds Bold Player of the Day had not yet been named.

Get full chip counts here.

WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Lost Many of Its Shooting Stars

The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament is a fave among players on the circuit. Many "name" pros have a $5,000 bounty on them, and the tournament leader at the end of each day collects $10,000.

With Day 1a wrapped, 46 players remain from the initial field of 146. A cursory look at those numbers indicate that 100 people were thusly eliminated.

Leading all Day 1a survivors is 2006 WSOP bracelet winner Brandon Cantu with 242,300. Cantu eliminated shooting stars Bill Edler and John Juanda on his way to the chip lead. We'll go out on a limb and also say that Cantu will have a year's supply of Blue Diamond Almonds coming his way as well.

Only five Day 1a shooting stars actually survived. They include the spectacularly breasted J.C. Tran, Men "The Master" Nguyen, Kathy Liebert (a woman), Layne Flack and Miami John Cernuto (who should've ceased qualifying for shooting star status around the Bush 41's administration).

Get full chip counts from the WPT website.