Sternberg wins Shooting Star WPT Event Over Matusow, Sexton

Alan Sternberg took down the Bay 101 Shooting Star World Poker Tour main event, winning his first major tournament and beating a final table with several notable names in the process. Sternberg won $1,039,000 for his victory.

The final table featured a couple of names that everyone had their eye on. Mike Matusow was perhaps the favorite heading into the final table, as he was the biggest name left in the field. However, he was sure to receive some stiff competition from some lesser-known names that had a history of success, such as Vivek Rajkumar.

But the biggest story of the final table was the presence of Mike Sexton. The long-time broadcaster of the World Poker Tour had played in many WPT events himself, but had never actually managed to make it to a final table – a feat that would allow him to step out of the commentary booth and move to the felt.

However, Sexton came into the final table as the short stack, and his time as a television poker player instead of a commentator did not last long. After just 27 hands, Sexton was knocked out by Mike Matusow. Casey McCarrel was the next to be eliminated just three hands later, losing to Steven Kelly.

With four players left, Sternberg lost a monster pot to Rajkumar, as he held a full house against Vivek’s quads. But he fought back, winning several pots to reclaim the chip lead; he would remain at or near the top of the standings for the rest of the competition.

As the night went on, Rajkumar would be eliminated in fourth place, with Matusow bowing out in third. That left Sternberg and Steven Kelly to finish the battle. The end came when Sternberg moved all-in with T8, only to be called by Kelly’s AQ. Kelly looked to be ahead on a Q87 flop, and his position only got better when the board paired with a 7 on the turn. But a river 8 allowed Sternberg to come from behind and finish off his amazing run.

One of the great and unique aspects of the Shooting Star tournament is that many famous players – the so-named Shooting Stars – have bounties on them. Anyone who eliminates such a player will win $5,000; for instance, at the final table, both Mike Matusow and Mike Sexton were among those designated Shooting Stars.

Here were the final winnings for the entire final table:

1^st: Alan Sternberg ($1,039,000)
2^nd: Steven Kelly ($595,300)
3^rd: Mike Matusow ($369,800)
4^th: Vivek Rajkumar ($295,800)
5^th: Casey McCarrel ($221,800)
6^th: Mike Sexton ($148,000)