By james art 
In the fall of 2023, Resorts World Las Vegas hosted the first stop on the PokerStars North American Poker Tour in over a decade. Reborn’s debut series NAPT attracted just 3,200 entries across 17 events, with $4,264,665 in total prize money paid out along the way.
The well-received suspension invited a return in 2024 with 10 tournament days between November 1 and 10.
“Resorts World Las Vegas was thrilled to announce the long-awaited return of PokerStars and NAPT this November. After last year’s tremendous success, we are eager to build on this momentum and host an even more spectacular festival in 2024,” said Leon Wheeler, Director of Poker Operations for Resorts World Las Vegas.
Last fall’s Main Event featured a $1,650 buy-in that attracted a total of 1,095 entries, surpassing the $1.5 million guarantee to create a final prize pool of $1,609,650. Poker dealer-turned-pro Sammy Bechahead came out on top, securing the trophy and the $268,945 top prize.
This year on NAPT the main event will feature a larger buy-in of $5,300, with a whopping $3 million guarantee. Players can earn their spot with multiple qualifiers in the week leading up to the Main Event, including a unique satellite format that awards a tournament ticket once a player reaches 100,000 chips.
There will be three starting fields for the main event starting at 11am on November 5th, 6th and 7th. Players will start with 30,000 chips and enjoy 60-minute levels. Players are entitled to one re-entry per flight and can even register until the start of Day 2 on November 8th. A shot clock will be implemented on Day 3, along with time banks, and play will continue until a winner is crowned on November 10.
Tournaments on the schedule include a $550 buy-in, a $300,000 guaranteed mystery bounty kick-off, a $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em event with a $400,000 guarantee, and a $300,000 guaranteed no-limit freezeout. There is also a $330 women’s event and a $550 senior event.
For those who like other games, there’s a $5,300 eight-game mix, a $550 HEROS event, and two pot-limit Omaha events with buy-ins of $1,100 and $5,300. Total entry fees during the series range from $250 to $25,000.
“Last year, NAPT broke all expectations, so this year we’re going even bigger. With a premier partner like Resorts World Las Vegas, we’re stepping up our game: bigger tournaments, buy-ins and player-focused events,” said Steve Price, Vice President of PokerStars North America.
About Resorts World
Resorts World added major energy to the north end of the Las Vegas Strip when the $4.3 billion property debuted in 2021. It marked the Strip’s first new resort in more than a decade, being developed on the site of the Stardust, which was demolished in 2007 .
The property features a 117,000-square-foot casino and a 59-story hotel with three separate hotels. The Las Vegas Hilton, Conrad Las Vegas and Crockfords Las Vegas combine for nearly 3,500 rooms. The casino floor includes 1,400 slot machines, 117 table games and, of course, the poker room.
The Resorts World Poker Room features 29 tables, including a glass-enclosed area that hosts regular high-stakes mixed games. With an easy-to-use game tracking system from PokerAtlas, a robust daily tournament schedule, and some of the most comfortable chairs in town, it’s no wonder why the poker room has become a favorite destination for players.
In addition to gaming, the hotel offers many other world-class entertainment options, including the 5,000-seat Resorts World Theater, Zouk Nightclub and Ayu Beach House. There are also more than 50 dining and drinking establishments on site.
For more information about Resorts World Las Vegas, check out the official website.
Director of Poker Operations Leon Wheeler
Card Player: What feedback have you received about the upcoming PokerStars series?
Leon Wheeler: We’re hearing a lot of excitement about the event – our high-stakes players are asking about the bigger mixed events. And we’re giving away packages, so the buzz is big.
CP: How have things changed since the first year?
L.W.: The Main Event has increased to $5,300 this year, and with that comes higher expectations. We also added some partners like RunGood and CardPlayer Lifestyle to organize some events.
My favorite is the $550 PokerStars NAPT A cup. This is an affordable event that many of our regulars will be attending. In addition, the increase in the main event gives some prestige to the festival and is in line with the high NAPT and EPT standards.
CP: What kind of experience can players expect?
L.W.: Players can expect big crowds and a smooth transition from player registration to registration, as well as a fun pro event that we’ve come to expect from PokerStars.
CP: What was it like partnering with one of the biggest online poker operators in the world?
L.W.: I can’t express enough how proud I am to play my part in bringing PokerStars back to the Las Vegas Strip. They are a great partner and I know them very well as I have worked at PokerStars events around the world for many years, so it was the perfect fit. It turned out to be such a fun event and we look forward to seeing it grow for many years to come, along with our partnership with PokerStars.
