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PokerStars Sets NACOOP Schedules and NAPT Live Return

Written by Jennifer Newell
Last updated on

The Northern American contingent of PokerStars has been busy. PokerStars USA had long been working to bring back the live North American Poker Tour (NAPT) and combine the USA and Canada COOP series under one. The slow movement of regulations in these individual markets have kept progress at a snail’s pace, but things are finally starting to move into place.

PokerStars announced that its NAPT will return later this year for a live mid-majors tournament series in Las Vegas.

And PokerStars USA announced NACOOP, the North American Championship of Online Poker, which encompasses the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Michigan markets in the United States and Ontario in Canada.

Remember the NAPT?

Some players will remember the North American Poker Tour, more commonly known as the NAPT. It was one of PokerStars’ plethora of tours that emerged from the poker boom.

PokerStars hosted the first stop on the new tour – NAPT Venetian – in Las Vegas, and brought big names to the tables in February 2010. The Main Event alone attracted 872 entries and a $4M prize pool. Tom Marchese won that event for more than $827K. Next up was NAPT Mohegan Sun – in early spring of 2010. It brought more popular players in poker to the casino, with names like Jason Mercier, Christian Harder, and Joe Kuether winning titles. And Vanessa Selbst won the Main Event, collecting $750K from the $3.2M prize pool.

Toward the end of 2010, the NAPT Los Angeles took players to the Bicycle Casino, where David Peters, Andrew Lichtenberger, and Alexandru Masek won events. Joe Tehan won the Main Event for $725K. When the NAPT hit Mohegan Sun again the following year, the Main Event found a back-to-back winner in Selbst, who took home $450K and the unprecedented second NAPT title.

The only downside to that NAPT series was that Black Friday happened in the middle of it. Players’ money was tied up, seized by the US Department of Justice, and no one knew what was going to happen to online poker, a big part of the entire industry. And series host PokerStars was right at the center of the seizures. That contributed to the second NAPT Mohegan Sun’s Main Event prize pool weighing in at only half the size of the year before.

And that was the end of the NAPT.

NAPT Las Vegas: November 4-12, 2023

But it is back. More than a decade later, PokerStars and the US government have made nice, and PokerStars is operating in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. And it recently announced the return of the North American Poker Tour.

The NAPT Las Vegas will take place at Resorts World, and the series of tournaments will run November 4-12. The full schedule has yet to be released, but there are some highlights already on the books:

  • $10,300 Super High Roller (Nov 5-6)
  • $1,650 NAPT Main Event (Nov 6-11)
  • $550 NAPT Cup (Nov 9-12)
  • $5,300 High Roller (Nov 10-12)
  • $1,100 NLHE Mystery Bounty (Nov 11-12)

Resorts World is excited to showcase the NAPT. Director of Poker Operations Leon Wheeler noted, “at our world-class property” in Las Vegas. PokerStars North America VP Steve Preiss added, “We’re working hard to ensure that this is a spectacular series and can’t wait to head to Las Vegas to get the show on the road.”

Formula 1 Coincidence?

It is not, in fact, a coincidence that the NAPT series will take place just before the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix runs November 16-18.

PokerStars has had a years-long partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing. That car will be participating in the Vegas F1. Considering the massive projected attendance, it will be a historic event. Not only will some PokerStars employees and executives be there with the Oracle Red Bull Racing team, some lucky fans will be there, too.

There are several chances to win a Red Spade Pass, which is the prize package to send players to Las Vegas for the F1 action. The package is valued at $35K and will put the winner and a guest up at Paris Las Vegas, provide transportation, and give them the opportunity to watch the F1 in person via the Oracle Red Bull Racing Fan Experience.

There will be one Red Spade Pass winner from each state in which PokerStars currently operates in the United States – New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. To earn entries, they can sign up for a new account in one of those states (for one entry), make an initial deposit (for 10 entries), and deposit $10 or more into an existing account (for one entry). This contest runs through September 30 with the winners set to be announced on October 4.

But wait…there’s more! Players in the NACOOP will have the chance to win a Vegas Gold Pass worth $20K. That prize package will include a stay at Resorts World Las Vegas during the NAPT and on through the F1 action, as well as $4K in flights and expenses and a seat into the $5,300 buy-in NAPT High Roller. The winner of each Main COOP Main Event – USCOOP for Michigan and New Jersey together, PACOOP for Pennsylvania, and ONCOOP for Ontario – will win this Vegas Gold Pass for that person and a guest.

NACOOP: September 15 to October 2

It is the North American Championship of Online Poker, the first ever combination of several COOP series in North America under one larger entity. The segregated markets necessitated it.

Even so, each COOP has a different name, with the US markets mimicking each other for the most part and Ontario operating quite uniquely. Even so, the entirety of NACOOP will run September 15 to October 2. It will have 315 tournaments, 61 trophies, and approximately $7M in guaranteed prize pools across the board.

PACOOP for players located in Pennsylvania is the only state in America that still operates in its own bubble, as its governor has not signed the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). PokerStars PA operates on its own for now, and it will offer its own PACOOP this fall.

–89 tournaments

–19 trophy events + Main Event trophy

–$300 PACOOP Main Event ($250K GTD)

USCOOP is for players located in Michigan and New Jersey, though it will add any other states that sign on to MSIGA going forward. PokerStars MI and PokerStars NJ share a player pool, creating more liquidity and poker action.

–89 tournaments

–19 trophy events + Main Event trophy

–$300 USCOOP Main Event ($350K GTD)

ONCOOP is for poker players located in Ontario, Canada. Ontario is the only province so far that has segregated its gambling market from the rest of the country, and PokerStars Ontario was one of the first operators to launch there. This series is running:

–137 tournaments

–17 trophy events + Main Event trophy

–$300 ONCOOP Main Event ($150K GTD)

Jennifer Newell

Jennifer Newell

Editor in Chief
View All Posts By Jennifer Newell

Jennifer Newell is the Editor in Chief at LegalUsPokerSites. Jennifer Newell has nearly two decades of experience in the iGaming industry. She is a respected poker media member, contributing to publications like US Today, Playfecta, Cardplayer Lifestyle, and PokerScout. Her knowledge spans gambling legislation and the broader online gaming world. She has spent years advocating for diversity, most notably gender equity in the traditionally male-dominated poker sphere.

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