Last Updated on October 7, 2026 by Bala Kumar
If you landed here looking for the 2026 NAPT schedule, here’s the honest answer first: as of October 2026, PokerStars has not announced a 2026 North American Poker Tour, and industry site Pokerfuse reports there won’t be one this year. The tour’s last stop was the 2025 NAPT Las Vegas at Resorts World, which ran 3–12 November 2025 and paid out just over $12.1 million across 50 events.
That’s a surprising gap for a series that had settled into a reliable November slot. Below you’ll find what the NAPT is, every Main Event champion we could verify, how the numbers have moved year to year, and what North American players can realistically target instead while the tour sits idle.
What is the NAPT?
The NAPT is PokerStars’ live tournament tour for North America — the sibling of the European Poker Tour (EPT) and the Asia-Pacific Poker Tour (APPT). If you’ve ever watched an EPT stream, the format will feel familiar: a festival lasting around ten days, a flagship Main Event, high rollers at the top end, and plenty of affordable side events at the bottom.
Its history comes in two chapters.
• The original tour (2010–2011). The first season had four stops: the Bahamas, the Venetian in Las Vegas, Mohegan Sun and Los Angeles. A second season was cut short in April 2011, when US authorities seized PokerStars.com on what the poker world calls Black Friday. Live PokerStars tours effectively disappeared from the US for over a decade.
• The revival (2023–2025). PokerStars brought the brand back in November 2023 as a single annual festival at Resorts World Las Vegas. It returned to the same venue in 2024 and 2025, each time in November.
For beginners, the important point is this: the NAPT isn’t a season-long points race like some tours. In its modern form it’s one big festival a year. When that festival doesn’t run, there’s no NAPT at all.
NAPT schedule: what a typical festival looks like
Because there’s no 2026 schedule, the best guide to “what to expect if it returns” is the 2025 lineup. According to Pokerfuse’s breakdown of the official schedule, 2025 was built like this:
| Item | 2025 NAPT Las Vegas |
| Dates | 3–12 November 2025 |
| Venue | Resorts World Las Vegas |
| Events | 48 on the published schedule (50 counted at the end, including 14 satellites) |
| Buy-in range | $360 to $50,000 |
| NAPT Main Event | $5,300 buy-in, $3,000,000 guarantee |
| PokerStars Open Main Event | $1,100 buy-in, $500,000 guarantee |
| Top event | $50,000 Super High Roller |
| Formats | Hold’em, PLO, mixed games, knockouts, mystery bounties, women’s and seniors’ events |
A practical tip if you’re planning around a future edition: the Main Event and the PokerStars Open Main Event typically overlap with lower-buy-in events, so you can build a sensible trip at almost any bankroll. A $5,300 Main Event plus two or three 550–1,100 side events is a very different budget from chasing the high rollers.
NAPT Main Event results and champions
Here’s every NAPT Main Event result we could confirm from PokerNews live reporting. Note that the 2023 relaunch used a $1,650 Main Event; the buy-in moved up to $5,300 from 2024.
| Year | Champion | Buy-in | Entries | Prize pool | First prize |
| 2025 | Gal Yifrach | $5,300 | 738 | $3,579,300 | $543,025 |
| 2024 | Nick Marchington (UK) | $5,300 | 895 | $4,340,750 | $765,200 |
| 2023 | Sami Bechahed (France) | $1,650 | 1,095 | $1,609,650 | $268,945 |
| 2011 | Vanessa Selbst | — | 387 | — | $450,000 |
| 2010 | Vanessa Selbst | — | 715 | — | $750,000 |
A few things stand out once you look past the names.
Vanessa Selbst owns the tour’s history. Winning back-to-back NAPT titles in 2010 and 2011 is the kind of record that may never be matched, especially now the tour runs only one Main Event a year.
2024 was the peak. Nick Marchington’s $765,200 is the largest NAPT first prize of the modern era. The 26-year-old British pro started the final table with a huge chip lead and never let go, beating Joel Micka heads-up on the very first hand with a straight over a smaller straight. Former WSOP Player of the Year Jeff Madsen finished third.
2025 shrank. Field size fell from 895 to 738 — about 17.5% fewer entries — and the prize pool fell by the same margin. It still beat its $3 million guarantee comfortably, so this wasn’t a failure, but it’s the first year-on-year drop since the revival. That context matters when you read about a 2026 pause.
Sami Bechahed keeps coming back. The 2023 champion, a Frenchman nicknamed “The Dealer”, won a second NAPT title in 2024 by taking the $550 8-Game event. He’s a good reminder that NAPT side events are genuinely winnable for non-superstars.
Biggest side event winners
The Main Event gets the headlines, but the high rollers and big-field side events are where a lot of the money moves. Here are the notable results from the last two festivals.
| Year | Event | Winner | Prize |
| 2025 | $50,000 Super High Roller | Stephen Chidwick | $557,930 |
| 2025 | $10,300 High Roller | Vitalijs Zavorotnijs | $358,400 |
| 2025 | $10,300 Mystery Bounty | Cherish Andrews | $331,300 |
| 2025 | $20,000 Super High Roller Warm Up | Nick Petrangelo | $309,030 |
| 2025 | $5,300 High Roller 2nd Chance | Maria Konnikova | $66,350 |
| 2025 | $550 Seniors | David “ODB” Baker | $18,930 |
| 2024 | $25,500 Super High Roller | Stephen Song | $439,400 |
| 2024 | $10,300 High Roller | Sam Soverel | $385,750 |
| 2024 | $550 NAPT Cup | Erez Klein | $82,100 |
| 2024 | $550 Mystery Bounty | Gregor Sverko | $46,800 + $19,500 in bounties |
Look at the 2024 numbers for the cheaper events: the $550 Mystery Bounty drew 1,201 entries and the $550 NAPT Cup 1,009. That’s the real value of a festival like this for most players. You don’t need a $5,300 bankroll to play in a 1,000-runner field with a five-figure first prize.
Why isn’t there an NAPT in 2026?
PokerStars hasn’t given a public explanation, so anything here is informed reading rather than fact. Two theories come up most often in coverage, including a PokerListings analysis updated in July 2026.
• Cost versus return. A festival needs tables, dealers, staging, streaming gear and a large staff. The rake has to cover all of it. With the 2025 field down on 2024, the maths may simply have stopped working for a single annual stop.
• A shift toward recreational players. PokerStars has spent recent years trimming its pro roster and focusing on casual players. In the US, it now runs live events under the PokerStars Open banner in states where it’s licensed, such as Pennsylvania and Maryland, rather than as NAPT stops.
Our take: the NAPT brand is more likely paused than dead. PokerStars has kept the EPT going strong in Europe, and a single Las Vegas festival that reliably clears $3–4 million in its Main Event is a valuable thing to have. But until there’s an official announcement, plan as if it isn’t coming back this year.
What to play instead
If you were saving up for NAPT 2026, here’s how to redirect that bankroll sensibly.
1. PokerStars Open events. The closest thing to an NAPT in the US right now, with the same operator and a similar mix of main events and side events.
2. The EPT. If you can travel, the European Poker Tour is PokerStars’ flagship and runs several stops a year. Main Event buy-ins are usually around €5,300, similar to the NAPT.
3. Other Las Vegas series. Las Vegas hosts large festivals year-round, so a November trip doesn’t need to be cancelled. Check live schedules before booking.
One practical warning for international readers: if you used to qualify for the NAPT through PokerStars’ online satellites, check what your local PokerStars site currently offers. Satellite routes vary by country and change often.
Is it worth following the NAPT?
Yes, if you care about where big live poker in North America is heading. In three years, the revived NAPT produced champions from France, the UK and the US, and Main Event prize pools between $1.6 million and $4.3 million. It also gave mid-stakes players some of the best-value fields in Las Vegas.
Bookmark this page. We’ll update it with official dates, the schedule and results as soon as PokerStars confirms the tour’s next edition.
FAQs
Is there an NAPT in 2026?
As of October 2026, PokerStars has not announced a 2026 NAPT, and Pokerfuse reports that none will take place this year. The most recent edition was NAPT Las Vegas, 3–12 November 2025.
Where is the NAPT held?
Since the 2023 revival, every NAPT has been held at Resorts World Las Vegas in November. The original 2010–2011 tour visited the Bahamas, the Venetian, Mohegan Sun and Los Angeles.
Who won the 2025 NAPT Main Event?
Gal Yifrach won the 2025 $5,300 NAPT Main Event for $543,025 from 738 entries and a $3,579,300 prize pool.
What is the biggest NAPT Main Event prize?
Nick Marchington’s $765,200 in 2024 is the largest NAPT Main Event first prize, just ahead of Vanessa Selbst’s $750,000 in 2010.
How much is the NAPT Main Event buy-in?
The 2024 and 2025 NAPT Main Events cost $5,300. The 2023 relaunch used a $1,650 Main Event.
Who has won the most NAPT titles?
Vanessa Selbst is the only player to win two NAPT Main Events, in 2010 and 2011. Sami Bechahed has two NAPT titles overall: the 2023 Main Event and a 2024 side event.
What can I play instead of the NAPT?
PokerStars Open events in licensed US states are the closest replacement. The EPT is the flagship PokerStars tour for players who can travel.
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