The WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Championship is down to its final six, and the World Poker Tour has made a notable scheduling choice: the final table will not be played until December 15, 2026, at Wynn Las Vegas. Quoc Mai holds the chip lead entering the finale, with Chahn Jung close behind, and all six survivors have already locked up at least $94,000. The winner will take home $470,500, and the action will be livestreamed from the Wynn during the WPT World Championship festival.
This is a classic WPT setup: a deep field whittled down over a few days in Northern California, then a long pause before the cameras roll. Here is what we know about the field, the chip counts, the payout structure and how the long layoff could shape the finish.
How the Field Got Here
According to PokerNews, the Bay 101 Shooting Star drew 584 entries. Day 2 ended with 55 players, and among them were 12 "Shooting Stars," special players who carry $2,500 bounties. Day 3 then ran down the field until just six players remained, with Jeremy Menard going out in seventh place on the final table bubble.
Shawn Daniels emerged as the last Shooting Star standing. He is also the only member of the WPT Champions Club still in the field, and he brings more than $3.5 million in live tournament cashes into the final table. That makes him the most decorated resume at the table, although the chip counts say he is not the favorite.
Final Table Chip Counts
The six-handed lineup, in seat order, is:
| Seat | Player | Chips | Approx. big blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quoc Mai | 10,165,000 | over 220 |
| 2 | Chahn Jung | 9,075,000 | over 220 |
| 3 | Ziao "Zeo" Guo | 4,095,000 | over 100 |
| 4 | Shawn Daniels | 3,000,000 | not stated |
| 5 | Eric Zheng | 2,065,000 | 52 |
| 6 | William Davis | 700,000 | 18 |
Mai and Jung together hold roughly 19 million of the chips in play, which is well over half the total. Guo is a comfortable third. Daniels sits fourth, while Zheng and Davis are the shorter stacks, with Davis the one who is truly in danger at 18 big blinds.
The Payout Picture
The numbers confirmed so far are straightforward. Everyone left is guaranteed at least $94,000, and first place pays $470,500. That is a substantial gap between the minimum and the top prize, roughly a five-to-one spread, and it matters for how the players behave.
In tournament poker, that spread is what creates ICM pressure. Independent Chip Model logic says a chip you win is worth less than a chip you lose, and the effect is strongest when the pay jumps are large relative to what you already hold. With six players and a minimum of $94,000 already secure, the short stack, William Davis, is not under the same existential stress as a bubble player. But every elimination steps up the payouts, so every pot involving a medium stack carries real equity swings.
Why the Layoff Matters
The final table is scheduled for December 15, which is roughly seven weeks after Day 3 concluded. Long delays like this are a defining feature of televised poker, and they change the game in a few ways:
- Preparation. Players get time to study opponents, review hand histories, and work through short-stack and deep-stack scenarios. Chip leaders Mai and Jung have the luxury of building a plan to pressure the middle stacks.
- Rust and routine. Some players maintain their reps through other events during the gap; others sit idle. Eric Zheng, for example, returns to action in December after a break.
- Format shift. The big stacks have over 220 big blinds, which means they can play fairly deep poker; the shorter stacks will need to find spots quickly.
For fans, the delay means the intrigue builds. For the players, it means the real work happens away from the table.
Dynamics to Watch
Four big stacks, one target. PokerNews noted that four stacks are comfortable, so even Zheng at 52 big blinds has little reason to gamble early. That leaves Davis as the obvious early target. Expect the table to apply pressure with wide opens and see whether the 18-big-blind stack can double through before the blinds eat him alive.
Aggressors and stabilizers. Mai and Jung have the chips to apply pressure, but they also have the most to lose from a bad cooler. If one of them clashes with the other early, the whole table's dynamics change dramatically.
Familiar cameras. Ziao Guo has appeared on Hustler Casino Live nearly 100 times since the show launched in 2021, and he is one of its most active players. Being comfortable in front of cameras and streaming lights is an edge on its own, since many live tournament players find the added attention distracting.
The Champions Club factor. Shawn Daniels is the only WPT Champions Club member left. That matters mostly as experience; he has been in this spot before, and with 3 million chips he has enough to maneuver but not enough to relax.
The Wider Context: WPT World Championship at Wynn
The final table lands inside the WPT World Championship festival, the Tour's season-ending series at Wynn Las Vegas. The three-week festival includes a $3 million guaranteed Super Gold Million tournament and a WPT Prime Championship. That context gives the Bay 101 finale a bigger stage than most single-event finals receive.
If you are following the WPT's fall calendar, see our overview of the WPT's fall 2026 schedule and our guide to watching poker on TV for where to catch broadcasts and streams.
What This Means for Players
Bay 101 is a reminder of several practical tournament lessons:
- Stack depth drives strategy. The difference between 220 big blinds and 18 big blinds is not a matter of degree; it is a completely different game. Learn the push/fold charts for short stacks and the deeper postflop play needed with big stacks.
- Understand pay jumps before you sit down. The bubble gets all the attention, but final-table pay jumps matter just as much. Study the payout structure whenever you reach a final table, and read our ICM explainer if you want to refresh the basics.
- Bankroll for variance. Even excellent players often cash only a small fraction of the time in big-field tournaments. Our bankroll management guide explains how to plan for that.
- Know the difference between live and online fields. Live tournaments like this typically move more slowly and give you more time to observe opponents, which rewards patience. We compare the formats in Online Poker vs Live Poker.
What to Expect on December 15
With the lead split between Mai and Jung, the most likely storyline is that one of the big stacks tries to isolate the shorter stacks while avoiding a confrontation with the other. But poker is rarely that tidy. A single cooler can flip the entire hierarchy, and Daniels's experience and Guo's streaming familiarity make both of them dangerous mid-stack threats.
The $470,500 first prize is the goal for every player, but with at least $94,000 guaranteed to each of them, no one has to hold back from fear of walking away empty-handed. That frees the table to play aggressively, which should make for entertaining television.
Chip counts, payouts and schedule details are based on PokerNews reporting from October 28, 2026. Final-table times and broadcast arrangements may change; check official WPT channels before the event.