NAPT Las Vegas is Live: First Trophies Handed Out as Main Event Action Heats Up

It has been 12 years since PokerStars last ran an official North American Poker Tour event on US soil, and now the Tour is finally back, with the first NAPT Main Event of the new season live at Resorts World Las Vegas.

NAPT Las Vegas kicked off on Saturday, November 4, with a handful of live satellites for the Main Event, followed by the launch of first side events on Sunday, and the first Day 1 flights of the Main Event on Monday, November 6.

Hundreds of players from across the US and abroad have flocked to Resorts World Las Vegas to join the festivities, with the $1,650 NAPT Main Event drawing the biggest numbers thus far.

However, there was plenty of action already on the sidelines as well, with the $10,300 Super High Roller and $360 Women’s Event attracting significant numbers to Las Vegas’ newest casino resort.

As we take a look at the results and highlights of the NAPT events that started thus far, don’t forget to sign up for you free account with PokerStars and check out all the satellites for upcoming live tournament venues, including future NAPT stops whose announcement we are eagerly waiting for.

NAPT Main Event in Full Swing

It was an exciting Monday for poker players across America, as the return of PokerStars NAPT was finally made official with the first cards dealt in the $1,650 NAPT Las Vegas Main event.

Two Day 1 flights were thrown on the first day of Main Event action, with 180 entries made into Day 1A and another 33 who joined for the late Day 1B. A total of 41 players survived Day 1 action on Monday, with Canadian Dongwoo Ko sitting at the top of the counts with 434,500 in chips.

As is usually the case with PokerStars live events, NAPT Las Vegas Main Event had players start with 50,000 in chips and a very slow structure that provided plenty of play for the buy-in and many opportunities for the players to show off their skills.

It's neither a bird, nor a plane…
It's the Poker Brat! 🤩

An icon of the game is in town. #NAPTLasVegas @phil_hellmuth pic.twitter.com/f4XyNvwGZJ

— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) November 8, 2023

The event attracted quite a few well-known names in the poker industry, including the likes of David “ODB” Baker, Landon Tice, Dan Shak, Nick Schulman, Scott Ball, Kitty Kuo, Anthony Zinno, and others.

Landon Tice did the best out of the big name pros, bagging the third biggest chip stack out of the two starting days, as he enters Day 2 action with 300,500 in chips.

Main Event Day 2 is scheduled to start on Thursday, November 9, following another four starting flights that should see an even bigger turnout and potentially the shattering of the $1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool.

First NAPT Trophies Given Out

It was an exciting day on Monday for all players returning for the $1,100 NLH Deepstack and $360 Women’s Event final days, as they were set to play down to a champion in each of the events.

It was Israeli player Kfir Nahum who overcame a field of 144 players to capture the PokerStars trophy in the first side event, taking home $34,375 in cash for his troubles.

napt las vegas deepstack winner

Images courtesy of PokerStars

Despite the NLH Deepstack event having a bigger turnout and buy-in, it was the Women’s Event that had more eyes on the final table, as some of the top ladies in the business battled for a trophy that comes with extra prestige at a time when so much is being done to get more women into the game.

In the end, Kyna England and Lindsey Kludt were left playing heads up for the title, as the two friends were seen cheering each other on and hyping the match up on social media.

It was England who eventually took down the trophy and the $7,520 first place prize, but the entire female poker community had plenty to be happy about as the event saw a total of 94 entries and created a truly electric atmosphere.

A quick single day $550 PLO event was also played on the sidelines, with a total of 60 entries and American Anthony Askey demonstrating his skills in the Great Game to win his first trophy of the festival.

Super High Roller Attracts the Sharks

The $10,300 NAPT Super High Roller was one of the first events to kick off on Sunday. Despite the hefty buy-in, the event saw 59 entries, with quite a few players joining the action ahead of Day 2 action on Monday.

It was American David Stamm who entered the final table as the chip leader after two days of grueling high stakes action, with the final six players set to return to action on Tuesday following the departures of Shannon Shorr in eighth and John Morgan in seventh place.

Jim Collopy and Sam Soverel, both holders of multiple WSOP bracelets, were the first to fall when final table action commenced, while Richard Green busted in fourth place.

Spanish professional Sergio Aido left the final table in third place, leaving David Stamm who kept the chip lead for most of the final day action heads up against two-time WSOP bracelet holder Jesse Lonis.

Despite the chip deficit, Jesse was able to overcome the less experienced Stamm and gradually overtake the chip lead before sealing the deal and capturing the NAPT Super High Roller trophy, adding $174,550 to his tournament profits, which have now soared over $6 million.

GG Jesse Lonis. 👏

The American pro Super High-Rolled his way through a field of 59 and overcame a gruelling three-hour heads-up battle to get his hands on the title and $174,550 first prize. 🏆💪 #NAPTLasVegas @ResortsWorldLV pic.twitter.com/iHyk7LYOHr

— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) November 8, 2023

Stamm, who put up a heroic performance in his own right, was left with a consolation prize of $114,460, still profiting over $100k on the day and bringing his total tournament profits close to $1.5 million.

Watch the Main Action on Live Stream This Weekend

NAPT Las Vegas is only just getting heated up, with four more Day 1 flights of the Main Event and plenty of exciting side events still to come, including the $5,300 PLO, $5,300 High Roller, and the massive $550 PokerStars Cup.

Starting Friday, you will get a chance to watch all the most key action on PokerStars YouTube and Twitch channels, as the PokerStars dream team will bring you live action from both the final days of the Main Event and the final table of the High Roller.

You will get a chance to see the events unfold with commentary from Joe Stapelton and James Hartigan, with pro poker players like Maria Ho calling the action and helping you understand what’s going on at the tables.

Make sure not to miss out the streams and all the giveaways that come with them, and remember to create a PokerStars account in time if you don’t yet have one to get a chance to claim any rewards that will be given away during the three-day of nonstop streaming action on PokerStars media channels.