While some tournaments on the WPT schedule are more coveted, there are probably none that are more fun than the Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament.

What makes this tournament so exciting is the "shooting star" bounties. A certain number of players, ranging from old time poker pros, to WSOP champions to Hollywood celebrities, are designated bounties. Knocking one out wins you $5000 and a T-shirt with that player's likeness, indicating that you knocked them out of the tournament.

WPT 2009 in Retrospect: Bay 101 Shooting Star

It's a fun, festive atmosphere, and it's not surprising that 391 players put up the $10,000 or won a satellite to play in it. This created a prize pool of nearly three and a half million dollars, and by the time the T.V. cameras rolled, only six were left to vie for the top prize.

The most recognizable of these was Kathy Liebert, the first ever female million dollar tournament winner. She was facing the short stacked Chau Vu, Tony Behari, Steve Brecher, Thao Le and Chris Moore for the title.

Shooting Star Kathy Liebert Takes Command

It wasn't long before Chau Vu made his exit. He moved in under the gun with A8 and disastrously ran into Behari's pocket eights. No ace or miracle straight arrived to save Vu and he was done. Shortly afterward it would be Thao Le to fall as he had the misfortune of having his pocket queens run into pocket aces.

On a board of 5 2 2 6, Le had every reason to believe his overpair was good, and he shipped his chips in to Liebert.

At first, Liebert began to give those chips back but she suddenly went on a tear, catching aces again to double up against Moore's tens, then flopping a boat with pocket fives and trapping Behari for another double up.

Behari was knocked out by Liebert soon after. When Moore moved in with AK on a board of 9h 5d 4d, he was called by Brecher's flush draw, which hit, leaving Brecher heads up with Liebert.

Liebert Falls Just Short in Her Bid for Another Title

Liebert lost her opportunity to collect another championship title when she moved in with QT suited and was called by Brecher's A9.

The ace high held up and Brecher was the Bay 101 Shooting Star WPT champion.