A few days ago we released our preview of the 2024 NAPT Las Vegas. In addition to the enhanced schedule of tournaments and Mixed Game Festival IX, which will be running in parallel to the series, plans call for Season 2 of the Big Game on Tour to be filmed. Obviously a lot of planning and logistics go into properly preparing to put on an event series and production of that scale. With that in mind, we reached out to PokerStars with a slate of questions about how all of it comes together.
Many thanks to NAPT Tour Manager Robert Levin as well as to Francine Watson, the company’s Associate Director of Branded Content, for kindly answering those questions. As you read what they have to say below, I’m sure it’ll give you a deeper appreciation of all the effort and hard work that they and their teams have put in to making sure that the NAPT and Big Game on Tour Season 2 will be memorable, indeed!
The 2024 NAPT: Diving Deeper
Last year’s return of the NAPT was warmly received after a lengthy hiatus. It’s understandable that the live event series was brought back in “limited format” so as to test the waters that PokerStars hadn’t sailed for over a decade. What are some of the main takeaways your team learned from being back on US soil?
The return of NAPT was very well received. Players were extremely enthusiastic before the event and all the feedback on site reflected everything that goes into PokerStars Live Events to give players the best experience possible on and off the felt. Aside from the great reactions from players who attended NAPT, the demand from our online players in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and Ontario to play satellites and qualify for NAPT showed us we are definitely on the right track.
Any poker player who has attended an EPT stop will notice some obvious parallels in what they’ll see at an NAPT stop. In what ways would you say PokerStars is aiming to make the NAPT distinct and special?
Our EPT events are the pinnacle of poker festivals in Europe, and we have that same aim in North America. From seeing the grand entrance, to the branding on the walls, to our top-notch dealers and floor staff, every player who participates in one of our events gets the full PokerStars experience that is unlike any other.
There are plenty more tournaments on this year’s NAPT schedule vs. last year’s schedule. When planning ahead for this year’s stop in Las Vegas, what were the important “metrics” you wanted to hit with your expansions?
Putting us on par with our EPT counterparts, the biggest change you’ll see is the $5,300 Main Event. The 2024 NAPT Las Vegas Main Event will be a can’t miss event on the poker tournament calendar and this year with a $3,000,000 guarantee, the stakes will be high.
We wanted to ensure that although we raised the buy-in, the event was still accessible and so we set out to award over 100 Gold Passes that include a Main Event buy-in, hotel stay and travel expenses. These Gold Passes are available online and through many of different partners in the US and Canada. Aside from the Main Event, there are side events with buy-ins from $250 all the way up to $25,000 including another $1,000,000 in guarantees and several mixed game events.
Resorts World has truly become PokerStars’ “home” in Las Vegas. It’s not only the hosting venue for the NAPT, but the company has also held some other smaller events on-site, such as a private tournament experience with Arlie Shaban for PokerStars Ontario online qualifiers, etc. Obviously that requires close coordination with Resorts World Director of Poker Operations Leon Wheeler and his team. Can you expound a bit on the nature of your ongoing collaborations and how closely you work together?
Resorts World has been a great partner since the first time we hosted an event there in 2022. Leon and his team have made Resorts World one of the premier poker destinations in Las Vegas and have made it very easy for us to work together planning this enormous festival. Las Vegas is the poker capital of the world; it was extremely important for us to find a home for NAPT, and Resorts World has fit the bill.
With PokerStars accessible to players online in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, those states seem like logical potential destinations for future live events. While the Las Vegas tour stop is back in expanded form this year, it is nonetheless the sole NAPT stop for 2024. Are there plans for additional expansion of the NAPT beyond Las Vegas for 2025?
Of course. We are working on our 2025 calendar as we speak. This summer we had some very successful and popular sponsored events in Maryland and Pennsylvania, which made it closer to home for online players to qualify and participate in our events. Keep an eye out as we hope to announce our 2025 plans in the near future.
Finally, for months now a primary driver for bringing players to compete in Las Vegas at the 2024 NAPT has been the awarding of Gold Pass prize packages. Moreover, it has been announced that all Gold Pass winners will get auditioned for the chance to play in the Big Game on Tour. How many Gold Passes will have been given out by the time the NAPT commences? What other experiences can Gold Pass winners look forward to?
Our initial goal was to award 100 Gold Passes when NAPT Las Vegas was announced back in May. Since then we’ve exceed expectations and I wouldn’t be surprised to see 120 Gold Pass winners in Las Vegas. Aside from the great tournament schedule and filming of the Big Game on Tour, we have our off the felt activities that have become synonymous with all PokerStars events.
Gold Pass winners are exclusively invited to a welcome party on Monday November 4, that will feature food and drinks and a comedy show with Joe Stapleton and comedian Morgan Jay. That’s not the only party of the week, as all NAPT players are invited to our Player’s Party on Thursday November 7. This will take place at Zouk Nightclub once again from 8pm to 11pm. For other activities, such as show tickets, karaoke nights, and go-karting, players are encouraged to visit the PokerStars Travel desk to reserve their experiences.
The Big Game on Tour: What’s on Tap?
Let’s pivot to The Big Game on Tour. The show was filmed during last year’s NAPT Las Vegas stop and brought back to great fanfare last year with two new Loose Cannons featured over 10 episodes. What are this season’s production plans?
We’ve added a day to the Big Game shooting schedule this year, so there’s an additional Loose Cannon opportunity and five more shows in the upcoming series. With all Gold Pass winners getting to audition plus additional live qualifiers running at Resorts we’re excited to meet all the Loose Cannon hopefuls and fill the three positions.
You’ve notably brought in a couple of big names from outside of poker – Nick Wright and Rob Gronkowski – to play on this upcoming season of The Big Game on Tour. Wright’s love for poker is well documented. How did the idea to reach out to Gronkowski come about?
The Big Game has a legacy of compelling line ups with plenty of star power, and who better to bring into the mix for the new series than Super Bowl legend, Gronk. A larger-than-life character, he and Nick go way back so we’re hoping that brings a fresh new dynamic to the table. There’s some serious star power on the poker side too, so expect fireworks.
The show’s title changed from having originally just been “The Big Game” back in 2010. Regarding the “On Tour” part, is PokerStars hoping to do additional casting calls and film more episodes in 2025 at other locations outside of Las Vegas?
The Big Game remains a critical part of the NAPT schedule, hence ‘On Tour’. We’re essentially an open set with shooting taking place in the main tournament room at Resorts World. We’re always looking at ways to push the show forward, and expanding out the casting opportunities is a big part of that. Plans for next year are still in works, but we’d love to shoot the Big Game on Tour in other states… and even other countries! It’s all on the table.
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