Mike and Mike Headline Shooting Star Final Table

With Ty Reiman’s elimination in 7th place, Day 3 of play draws to a close and all eyes are focused squarely on tomorrow’s final table, which has already made its mark on WPT history.

For the first time in nine seasons, WPT host Mike Sexton will be appearing at the final table not in the commentators’ booth in an open event, but seated at the table as a competitor.  Sexton has only been playing in WPT events the past couple of seasons, but he is already leaving quite a mark in the WPT record books, picking up his first cash earlier this season at the Borgata Poker Open and now making a final table appearance here at Bay 101.

Sexton is also one of two Shooting Stars at the final table.  He is joined by Shooting Star Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, who is calling his shot right now, proclaiming, "It’s my time boys and girls" after eliminating Reiman on the final table bubble.

These poker superstars are not the only big names at the final table though.  Vivek Rajkumar already has a WPT title to his credit, having won the Borgata Poker Open in Season VII, and he is fresh off a runner-up finish at the LA Poker Classic a couple of weeks ago.

Rajkumar joins an elite list of players that have made back-to-back final tables that includes John Juanda, Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari, Danny Wong, and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, who has accomplished the feat twice.

Joining these three at the final table are local grinder Casey McCarrel, the big stack Alan Sternberg, and the young and aggressive chip leader, WSOP bracelet winner Steven Kelly.

The final table is set to get underway at 4PM tomorrow.  Here are the chip counts and seat assignments.  When play resumes, blinds will be at 10,000-20,000 ante 3,000:

Seat 1: Mike Matusow – 2,173,000 (109 BBs)
Seat 2: Mike Sexton – 363,000 (18 BBs)
Seat 3: Alan Sternberg – 3,701,000 (185 BBs)
Seat 4: Vivek Rajkumar – 1,616,000 (81 BBs)
Seat 5: Steven Kelly – 4,169,000 (209 BBs)
Seat 6: Casey McCarrel – 430,000 (22 BBs)