Twelve years is a very long time in any business, not to mention in poker.
However after greater than a decade, 2023 noticed the return of the North American Poker Tour (NAPT). Introduced by PokerStars in August this yr it marked the triumphant return of the PokerStars reside model to the USA.
Positive there had been Highway to PSPC in 2019, and the PokerStars Summer season Sequence held in Philadelphia earlier this yr, however the NAPT felt like far more of an announcement.
However was it successful? That is what we requested VP of PokerStars North America Steve Preiss
“You may by no means predict how these items will go,” he advised PokerNews. “Was it successful? Sure. [But] we had been relaunching a model that had been dormant for round 12 years. Nonetheless, we ended up hitting each GTD and proudly re-introduced NAPT, and to a level PokerStars as properly, again to the thriving reside occasion market.”
NAPT Las Vegas Recap
In partnership with Resorts World Las Vegas, the NAPT slipped seamlessly again into the North American poker panorama and topped its first champion in over a decade.
Ultimately, Sami Bechahed took down NAPT Las Vegas, beating a discipline of 1,095 gamers to win $268,945. The poker seller topped a stacked last desk that featured Sergio Aido, Nick Schulman and David Coleman earlier than defeating Jonathan Borenstein heads-up to win the title.
“(It took) lots of endurance. I don’t know what to say, I’m severely so shaken,” Bechahed advised PokerNews after the win. “It’s surreal to me. I got here out on high. It’s surreal.”
“I got here in because the chip chief, so I didn’t need to be intimidated by anyone,” he added. “I’ve lots of mad respect for all of them, however I’m right here to play poker. I’m largely enjoying poker to have enjoyable however I take it very severely. So, I got here right here to have enjoyable, play my finest sport, and bought actually fortunate.”
NAPT Las Vegas Occasion Winners
Along with Bechahed, there have been loads of notable winners from the NAPT Las Vegas competition. Jesse Lonis triumphed within the $10,300 NAPT Las Vegas Tremendous Excessive Curler, Samuel Laskowitz gained the $5,300 NAPT Las Vegas Excessive Curler and Timothy Rutherford walked away with the Thriller Bounty title.
In the meantime, Corridor of Famer Eli Elezra took down the $5,300 8-Sport and Kyna England gained the Girls’s Occasion.
| Occasion | Entries | Prizepool | Winner | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,100 No Restrict Maintain’em – Deepstack | 144 | $138,240 | Kfir Nahum | $23,735 |
| $10,300 NAPT Tremendous Excessive Curler | 59 | $572,300 | Jesse Lonis | $174,550 |
| $360 Girls’s Occasion | 94 | $28,200 | Kyna England | $7,520 |
| $1,650 NAPT Las Vegas Predominant Occasion | 1,095 | $1,609,650 | Sami Bechahed | $268,945 |
| $550 Seniors Occasion | 87 | $41,760 | Soren Lundgren | $8,257 |
| $550 Pot Restrict Omaha | 60 | $28,800 | Anthony Askey | $8,000 |
| $5,300 Pot Restrict Omaha | 41 | $198,850 | Caleb Furth | $68,605 |
| $250 No Restrict Maintain’em | 159 | $32,595 | Benjamin Teston | $6,193 |
| $550 8-Sport | 65 | $31,200 | Andrew Yeh | $9,355 |
| $550 PokerStars Cup | 692 | $332,160 | Cody Raymond | $44,743 |
| $5,300 8-Sport | 32 | $155,200 | Eli Elezra | $53,540 |
| $5,300 NAPT Excessive Curler | 150 | $727,500 | Samuel Laskowitz | $180,850 |
| $1,100 Thriller Bounty | 265 | $121,900 | Timothy Rutherford | $24,650 |
| $550 Restrict Omaha Eight or Higher | 46 | $22,080 | Vincent Calicchia | $6,295 |
| $250 No Restrict Maintain’em | 106 | $21,730 | Tyler Montoya | $5,058 |
| $360 No Restrict Maintain’em | 63 | $20,000 | Scott Hill | $5,328 |
| $1,100 Tremendous Hyper Turbo | 41 | $50,000 | Griffin Benger | $17,250 |
Participant Expertise Nonetheless Key
Forward of the NAPT, Preiss was eager so stress simply how a lot significance was being placed on participant expertise, and emulating the PokerStars Stay ambiance that gamers everywhere in the world had come to like.
“The general participant expertise our Stay Occasions crew creates is exclusive within the US market,” says Preiss. “From a number of offsite leisure occasions, to the participant celebration, to the general journey, reception and suggestions was overwhelmingly constructive.
“What I didn’t anticipate although was how sturdy of an affinity gamers have for the NAPT and PokerStars manufacturers. The quantity of goodwill in direction of each was superb. Makes you’re feeling proud to put on the logos.”
Way forward for the NAPT
So the place does the model go from right here? Preiss says that PokerStars is at all times striving to be taught and do higher, particularly heading into 2024.
“The US reside poker market is booming. Gamers have lots of nice choices and I like having that competitors. It raises the bar for everybody and in the end it is the gamers that profit when everyone seems to be elevating their sport.
“So what did we be taught? Simply because the suggestions we obtained was constructive, that doesn’t imply we simply roll out the identical providing subsequent yr. We are going to proceed to seek out methods, even when it’s minor additions or changes, to provide our clients a compelling worth proposition to play the NAPT.”
Does this imply poker gamers can begin reserving in dates for a number of NAPT stops in 2024?
“We’re nonetheless finalizing the precise dates and areas so I can’t verify something simply but. However you’ll be able to safely assume we’ll be again in Las Vegas. I wish to see us up in Ontario subsequent yr as properly. And I wouldn’t be stunned in the event you noticed PokerStars holding an occasion or two in states we function in.”
European Govt Editor
Will Shillibier is the European Govt Editor for PokerNews and primarily based in the UK. He began working for PokerNews as a contract reside reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time employees in 2019. He graduated from the College of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He additionally holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports activities Journalism.
