PokerStars' North American Poker Tour returns this November for the first time in twelve years, with an opening stop in Las Vegas, Nevada. Resorts World Las Vegas will play host to the slate of events from November 4-12, and there are lots of ways to qualify, with PokerStars pulling out the stops to provide value, wherever you are.
The NAPT began back in 2010, with Season One consisting of seven stops across North America. Season Two of the tour made it through three stops in early 2011, but ceased operations in the wake of poker's Black Friday. Now, it's back, and the first stop promises to be an essential one for players of all levels, with a $1,650 Main Event, a $5,300 High Roller, and a $10,300 Super High Roller.
That's not all, though. The F1 returns to Las Vegas the following week, for the first time since 1982. The world will be watching as PokerStars' partner Oracle Red Bull Racing will be looking to cement their dominance with a 1-2 for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
We reached out to Cedric Billot, Associate Director Live Events at PokerStars, to get a sense of just how significant the return of the NAPT is.
"I’m incredibly excited for PokerStars to go back to the USA," Billot said. "It's an amazing market, the largest worldwide poker market by far. I’ve been with PokerStars for the last 15 years. As you know, after Black Friday, the whole landscape changed in the US. We had to stop the NAPT, we had to stop pretty much everything there."
Billot admitted that it's a different landscape now and that "coming back to the US 10 years later is a challenge."
"We will try to please players with what we believe is our core live event product," Billot continued. "The NAPT has to be brilliantly organised, with top staff. We want to create a professional and fun environment, for everyone to enjoy the event."
This sentiment has been shared among the wider player community, with Faraz Jaka tweeting, "I'm pretty pumped about the NAPT returning... I don't think many realize how big of a deal this is... Anyone who's attended Stars events in Europe/Bahamas knows their events are on another level."
Find the value and play your way to Vegas
Wherever you are, there are plenty of ways to play yourself into the NAPT's triumphant return to Las Vegas.
In North America, you can play for $5k packages that include a $1,650 Main Event seat, seven nights at Resorts World, and $720 for expenses.
There are 30 packages guaranteed on Sunday, October 22: 10 in Pennsylvania, 10 in Michigan/New Jersey, and 10 in Ontario. Direct satellites are $300 in the US, with feeder satellites at $3 (Spin and Gos), $15, and $30. Ontario feeders are $20, $30, and $50 CAD.
If you're in the shared liquidity .com market, there are five $5k packages up for grabs in $215 mega satellites on October 22 and 29. Feeders start at $5.50 and move up through $11, $16.50, and $22.
Shared liquidity players can also qualify through the Power Path route, which starts at just $0.50 and lets you redeem a $10,300 package (Main Event, NAPT Cup, and Mystery Bounty seats, plus accommodation at Resorts World and expenses), starting from just $0.50 Spin & Gos. PokerStars has been giving away these $0.50 tickets daily, which has led to a lot of recreational players spinning their way up.
NAPT & F1 dream package
That's not all, though. PokerStars is also offering Vegas Gold Passes that combine the best of the NAPT action with the Oracle Red Bull Racing Fan Experience.
These $20,300 packages include a seat in the $5,300 NAPT High Roller (November 10-12), three-day passes for two for the Oracle Red Bull Racing Fan Experience, ten nights for two at Resorts World (November 9-19) and $4,000 towards expenses.
Starting with $0.50 Spin & Gos, the Vegas Gold Passes give you an extra $10k in value on top of the $10,300 Gold Pass. The good news is that five more of these have just been announced and will be available from Monday on a first-come, first-served basis.
You can also win a Vegas Gold Pass for free on Vegas Infinite, with freerolls running on October 21, 23, and 26. Win one of these, and you'll get a seat at the eight-handed Grand Final on October 28, where it's winner-take-all for the package.
Giveaways galore
Not enough? There are plenty of giveaways happening on Twitter, with big-name players, industry figures, and PokerStars ambassadors giving seats away to the NAPT through a number of different mechanics. These are still running, but you need to be quick.
NAPT Las Vegas highlights
- NAPT Main Event: November 6-11 - $1,650
- NAPT NLH Super High Roller: November 5-6 – $10,300
- NAPT NLH Cup: November 9-12 – $550
- NAPT NLH High Roller: November 10-12 – $5,300
- NAPT NLH Mystery Bounty: November 11-12 – $1,100
