The inaugural North American Poker Tour (NAPT) event on U.S. soil will include a special $25,000 buy-in High Roller Bounty Shootout, according to the PokerStars Blog. The world’s largest online poker site serves as the sponsor of the NAPT series.
The name of the game in the High Roller Bounty Shootout will be No Limit Texas Hold’em. However, a variety of unique aspects to the tournament may make it one for the ages. First, a bevy of poker pros, whether associated with PokerStars or not, are expected to head to the Venetian for the NAPT event in Las Vegas. In the backyard of many of poker’s elite names, the NAPT Venetian Main Event serves as the finale of the casino’s Deep Stack Extravaganza and will take place from February 20th to 24th.
The High Roller tournament kicks off on February 23rd and will conclude two days later. Players must win their tables in order to move on to the next round, as is typical in a shootout, and each contestant has a $5,000 bounty on their head. Text found on the PokerStars Blog adds another exciting feature: “Oh, and just to make things a little more interesting… PokerStars is adding $100,000 to pay off whoever scores the most bounties.”
On the new addition to the NAPT Venetian schedule, PokerStars Head of Global Events Jeffrey Haas commented, “We want to try new things, different formats, and unique events that make our players happy. This is sure to be a hit with both our players and the people who watch on television.” As of the end of last week, the only player confirmed for the Bounty Shootout was Daniel Negreanu, a card-carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro and main face of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Cash Game,” which aired on Fox during the 2009 NFL season. In addition to Negreanu, PokerStars is expecting “dozens of big-name players” to throw their hats into the ring.
Each player who reaches the final table of the NAPT Venetian Bounty Shootout will double their money and pocket $50,000. After the final table is paid off, the remaining prize pool, less the bounties, will be awarded entirely to the winner. Just like the NAPT Venetian Main Event, the Bounty Shootout will air on a yet-to-be-named network in the United States. It can also be seen online on PokerStars.tv.
The 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event marked the inaugural stop for the NAPT. Harrison Gimbel came out on top in the January poker tournament and earned $2.2 million. A total of 1,529 players turned out for the PCA Main Event, which was also a stop on the PokerStars-backed European Poker Tour (EPT) and Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT).
Following the NAPT’s debut at the Venetian, the tournament series will travel east to Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. NAPT Mohegan Sun takes place between April 7th and 11th and features a $5,000 buy-in, the same price tag as the Venetian Main Event. Other stops on the kickoff NAPT season will be announced in the future.
As of February 3rd, a total of 235 PokerStars players had qualified for the NAPT Venetian Main Event. The tournament area will likely be packed to the brim with poker players shuffling their chips, dishing out bad beats, and vying for a life-changing top prize. NAPT Hostess Joanna Krupa will be the face of the tour after making an appearance on the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” as a celebrity challenger.
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