Weikai Chang Wins Season XI WPT Shooting Star Main Event

Monday March 11,2013 : MILLION-DOLLAR POKER PAY DAY FOR WEIKAI
 
Relatively unknown local player takes down the WPT Bay 101 for $1,138,350
 
Bay-area poker player Weikai ‘Kai' Chang survived a record field of 642 other players to win the $7,500 buy-in Season XI World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star NLHE main event in San Jose, California over the weekend, claiming the trophy and a $1,138,350 pay-day that includes a $25,500 entry into the WPT World Championship. It was his first major live championship win.
 
By the time the final table formed after four tough days of poker Kai was down among the low stacks, but he showed grit and talent in building on what he had as the game slowly progressed (it took 49 hands just to get to the first elimination).
 
The final table included some hefty opposition: Joe Nguyen, Paul Volpe (chip leader at the start), Erik Seidel, Chris Johnson and Joe Kuether, but Chang threaded his way skilfully through them all to end up with a 2 to 1 chip advantage in the heads up against Joe Nguyen.
 
Chang was unrelenting in keeping the pressure on his opponent, and the final contest ended after just six more hands, leaving Nguyen with a second placing prize of $666,750.
 
Volpe finished third for $435,610.