By james art 
PokerStars brought back the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) last year, and the online poker giant needed a prime location to host its major series.
Resorts World Las Vegas ended up being the destination of choice, which turned out to be a wise decision. Poker players raved about the venue during NAPT 2023, and we’re already hearing similar sentiments this year. The 2024 North American Poker Tour Las Vegas series kicked off Friday with the $550 Mystery Bounty event, which drew more than 1,100 entrants across five Day 1 starting fields.
A little about Resorts World Las Vegas
Resorts World is one of the newest mega resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, opening in the summer of 2021. The casino features three separate hotels—the Hilton, the Crockfords, and the Conrad—all under one giant roof. There are over 40 restaurants and bars on site, including a solid mix of fine dining and fast food. Quick bites like Mulberry Street Pizza offer delicious slices of traditional New York style pizza.
Poker is also a big part of the mega resort and has been since it opened three years ago. Resorts World is one of the best places to play poker in Las Vegas. The card room has 29 tables, making it one of the largest in the city and also one of the most spacious.
Resorts is also home to some of the most luxurious, clean and comfortable hotel rooms in Las Vegas at the three adjoining properties. Many NAPT players have stayed at the property.
The host of the mixed gaming festival raves about Resorts World
Robby Strazynskifounder of the Cardplayer Lifestyle site, hosts his popular Mixed Game Festival at Resorts World during the NAPT Series. The festival runs from November 3rd to 7th and features a mix of low-stakes cash games and tournaments for the mixed gaming community. PokerStars Ambassador Joe Stapleton and a member of the Poker Hall of Fame Eli Elezra are among the players who attended the first two days.
PokerNews spoke with Strazynski to find out why he likes to host his event at Resorts World and what makes the venue attractive to poker players and tournament operators.
“I think what’s nice as far as NAPT (Resorts World) is that it’s independent. It’s not like the two huge casino families here, so they have to decide what they want to do,” Strazynski said. “Leon Wheeler, who runs the room, has partnered with PokerStars and they’ve known him for many years. So it’s kind of a natural connection that they decided to work together.”
“A large ballroom, plenty of facilities to develop this further as the event expands beyond this year,” he continued.
Strazynski, who is hosting his fifth Mixed Games Festival at Resorts World, has a personal love for the poker room because of a shared passion for mixed games. As he explained, dealers are properly trained to deal mixed games, something that is not the case in most poker rooms around the world.
“This is probably the best place in the world for mixed games as they run mixed games regularly at limits from 4/8, 8/16, all the way up to 80/160 and 300/600,” explained Strazynski.
Resorts World cares about poker players more than most casinos. The place offers all the amenities that traveling poker players desire – comfortable rooms, plenty of food options, sports betting, a good mix of games, etc. – and as Strazynski said, the resort has plenty of room for big events like the North American Poker Tour.
PokerStars and Resorts World Las Vegas have a mutually beneficial relationship that seems to benefit poker players who show up to chase big wins.