Gold Pass Winner Sam Osborne Heading to NAPT for First Las Vegas Poker Experience
PokerStars and the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) has returned to Resorts World Las Vegas for the third consecutive year.
The 10-day festival kicked off on Monday and will run through November 12. This year’s schedule has something for every player, featuring buy-ins starting at just $360 alongside massive High Roller events and fan-favorite formats like PLO and Mystery Bounty, all leading up to the highly anticipated $5,300 Main Event.
For the past few months, players have had the opportunity to win their way to Las Vegas via Silver and Gold Passes; in fact, a $10,000 Gold Pass was given away via the PokerNews Podcast.
One player lucky enough to win a Gold Pass earlier this year was Ontario's Sam Osborne, 24, who graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University this past summer with a Bachelor's in English.
“I learned how to play poker watching movies and playing with my family,” said Osborne, who comes from a big family with three sisters and three brothers. “But I really started learning poker in 2020 during Covid, particularly tournament poker, which was introduced to me by a friend at school. I’ve only played online tournaments, so this will be a new and exciting experience for me getting to play in Las Vegas.”
Osborne’s Gold Pass win came back in July, playing online at PokerStars Ontario.
“I wouldn’t say there was a fun story behind it,” he explained. “I bagged a very average stack going into Day 2. The turning point was in the final 11, where I flopped a boat and busted two players, giving me a chip lead into the final table. I called one of my close buddies, and we were running around screaming at two in the morning.”
For Osborne, it’ll mark his first trip to Las Vegas while of gaming age (he was there eight years ago when he was just 16). As for who he is bringing?
“I’m bringing my sister with me, who’s never been, and I'm really happy I have some other family coming in to support,” Osborne told PokerNews. “I’ve never played in any major poker events, at least nothing that would compare to this. 100% would say winning the Summer Spade and Gold Pass would be my proudest poker accomplishment.”
PokerNews will be on-site at the 2025 NAPT and will look to track Osborne in our live updates, which you’ll be able to follow here.
2025 NAPT Notable Event Schedules
| Dates | Event | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| November 3-6 | $1,100 PokerStars Open | $500,000 |
| November 5-6 | $2,200 PokerStars Open High Roller | |
| November 5-7 | $50,000 NAPT Super High Roller | |
| November 6-12 | $5,300 NAPT Main Event | $3,000,000 |
| November 9-10 | $330 NAPT Women's Event | $50,000 |
| November 10 | $1,100 NAPT Women's High Roller | |
| November 10-12 | $10,300 NAPT High Roller | |
| November 10-12 | $550 NAPT Mystery Bounty | $200,000 |
