The PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) is returning after a 12-year hiatus, and where better to get the show on the road than fabulous Las Vegas? November 4-12 are the dates to highlight in your diaries because that is when NAPT Las Vegas heads to Resorts World in “Sin City.”
The 2023 NAPT Las Vegas takes place just one week before the most anticipated Formula 1 Grand Prix in history, which takes place through the streets of Las Vegas. PokerStars will be there, Oracle Red Bull Racing will be there, will you?
Although primarily aimed at the North American market, the NAPT is open to all, and PokerNews expects players to travel from far and wide to get involved in this historic rebirth. A $1,650 buy-in NAPT Las Vegas Main Event runs from November 6-11, and a $550 PokerStars Cup is scheduled for November 9-12, with a $5,300 High Roller attracting the biggest names between November 10-12. The full 2023 NAPT Las Vegas schedule will be released in due course.
Steve Preiss, Vice President for PokerStars North America, cannot wait for the first NAPT in 12 years to shuffle up and deal at Resorts World.
“We are delighted to announce the return of this iconic series and once again hold the NAPT for poker players in North America. We’re working hard to ensure this is a spectacular series and can’t wait to head to Las Vegas to get the show on the road.”
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Leon Wheeler, Director of Poker Operations at Resorts World Las Vegas, is delighted to join forces with PokerStars and the NAPT.
“We are thrilled to partner with PokerStars as we celebrate the return of the North American Poker Tour with the first stop at Resorts World Las Vegas. NAPT Las Vegas is sure to bring players in from all over the globe, and we look forward to hosting them once again at our world-class property.”
Expect online satellites and various qualification routes galore for PokerStars customers in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and on PokerStars’ worldwide platform. Las Vegas is the Mecca for poker players, so NAPT Las Vegas, coupled with the Grand Prix Las Vegas, is sure to be a massive hit with everyone.
The NAPT: A Short But Spectacular Affair
The inaugural PokerStars NAPT event was the $10,300 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event in January 2010, where Harrison Gimbel came out on top of a 1,529-strong crowd to bank a cool $2,200,000.
Only eight more events took place before Black Friday struck and ultimately ended the original NAPT. Indeed, the $5,000 buy-in Main Event at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut in April 2011, won by former Team PokerStars member Vanessa Selbst for $450,000, concluded two days before Black Friday, which saw leading online poker sites withdraw from the United States, rendering the NAPT unnecessary.
The online poker landscape in the United States is much different these days, with PokerStars operating in several states. American players can currently play real money poker online at PokerStars in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, so expect these sites to be busting with satellites and other ways to qualify for the NAPT Las Vegas festival.