$5,300 NAPT Main Event | 2025 PokerStars NAPT Las Vegas

11-12-2025 13:19 UTC-8

Boivin Scoops Back-to-Back

Adam Lamers

Level 29 : Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante

The action folded around to Thomas Boivin in the small blind who made it 325,000 with A♠J♣. Jen Shahade was in the big blind with 10♥7♣ and was forced to ditch her cards into the muck.

On the next hand, Boivin raised to 200,000 on the button with Q♥6♥ and Gal Yifrach defended from the big blind with A♦10♣. The flop came 9♣7♠4♣ and Yifrach checked to Boivin who continued with a bet of 300,000.

Yifrach just let the best hand go into the muck and Boivin collected back-to-back hands.

Player	Chips	Progress
Thomas Boivin	12,900,000 355,000	355,000

Jen Shahade	3,020,000 5,000	5,000

$Profile photo of Gal Yifrach$ Gal Yifrach	2,490,000 100,000	100,000

Tags: Thomas Boivin Jen Shahade Gal Yifrach

11-12-2025 13:12 UTC-8

Yifrach Turns a Wheel, Can't Get Action From Mugar

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

Level 29 : Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante

Michael Berk raised to 600,000 in the hijack with A♦4♦ the first hand but found no callers and took down the blinds and ante.

Gal Yifrach then raised to 205,000 on the button with A♦2♦, and Peter Mugar called in the big blind.

Both players checked the 8♣5♦4♥ flop. The 3♣ turn gave Yifrach a straight, and he bet 200,000. Mugar quickly folded J♦9♥.

Player	Chips	Progress
$Profile photo of Gal Yifrach$ Gal Yifrach	2,590,000 310,000	310,000

Michael Berk	1,240,000 255,000	255,000
Peter Mugar	410,000 305,000	305,000

Tags: Gal Yifrach Michael Berk Peter Mugar

11-12-2025 13:06 UTC-8

Shuffle Up and Deal

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Adam Lamers

Level 29 : Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante

The cards are now in the air for Day 6, the final day of this event with just 14 hands remaining in this level.

Level: 29

Blinds: 50,000/100,000

Ante: 100,000

11-12-2025 10:52 UTC-8

Who Will Capture the Title at the 2025 PokerStars NAPT Main Event?

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Adam Lamers

The final day has arrived at the 2025 PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Las Vegas and only a few questions remain to be answered. Will Thomas Boivin blow away his competition for the first major title of his poker career? Can Jen Shahade make history and stand alone at the top as a PokerStars Team Pro? Or, do any of the short stacks have a fairytale ending to overcome the largest of deficits?

All of those questions will become answers in the coming hours of the $5,300 NAPT Main Event being held at Resorts World Las Vegas. Just six players will return to the felt with a shot at hoisting the PokerStars Golden Shard trophy and taking home the first-place prize of $653,050.

As it currently stands, Boivin will enter Day 6 of this event as an overwhelming favorite. Not only does he have the most experience among the remaining players, but he also holds over half of the chips in play, more than 9,000,000 chips more than the rest of his competition. The Belgian poker pro will return to a stack of 12,545,000 chips, good for over 120 big blinds.

His nearest competition lies in the form of PokerStars Team Pro and grandmaster chess player Shahade. The "lady in red," as some call her, enters the day with a stack of 3,015,000 chips and in second place. Despite a couple of rollercoaster days on the felt, Shahade has landed herself at the final table and with a real shot at becoming just the third woman to win a PokerStars Main Event title.

NAPT Main Event Final Six Chip Counts

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Thomas Boivin	Belgium	12,545,000	125
2	Jen Shahade	United States	3,015,000	30
3	Ekrem Bozkurt	United States	2,570,000	26
4	Gal Yifrach	United States	2,280,000	23
5	Michael Berk	United States	985,000	10
6	Peter Mugar	United States	715,000	7

Not to say that the rest of the field doesn't have a shot at the title, but an uphill battle would be an understatement. Ekrem Bozkurt (2,570,000) and Gal Yifrach (2,280,000) will still have some playability in their stacks with over 20 big blinds apiece, but will be forced to play pretty snug if they are looking for any pay jumps. The two shortest stacks, Michael Berk (985,000) and Peter Mugar (715,000), will need to catch some early double-ups in order to make some magic happen.

The cards are scheduled to go in the air at 12:30 p.m. local time with just 14 hands remaining in level 29. The blinds will resume at 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 big blind ante. Every level thereafter will have a total of 30 hands per level before the blinds get jacked up again.

The PokerNews live reporting team will be reporting on a 30-minute delay to remain in sync with the PokerStars live stream. Follow along for all of the updates throughout the final day of this event en route to crowning a champion at the NAPT Las Vegas Main Event.

Tags: Ekrem Bozkurt Gal Yifrach Jen Shahade Michael Berk Peter Mugar Thomas Boivin

11-12-2025 09:09 UTC-8

Seat 1: Jen Shahade, 44, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (3,015,000)

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

PokerStars Ambassador Jennifer Shahade has been one of the leading forces to help women get into poker. Shahade has a strong mind-games background, having competed at the highest level of chess. She won the US Women’s Champion title twice.

But Shahade was also used to competing against men from her teenage years and demonstrated that by becoming the first female U.S. Junior Open winner.

As a NYU comparative literature graduate, Shahade has also professed her skills as an author. She wrote or co-wrote several books and numerous articles, mostly about chess.

It’s common for chess players to transition to poker and Shahade exemplifies that. Since 2014, she’s partnered with PokerStars and continued to work on opening the door for more players.

Her own poker achievements include cashes worth north of $500,000, with the best result coming 11 years ago in an Open Face Chinese Pineapple event in Prague. That victory earned Shahade and even €100,000, but the NAPT run will allow her to celebrate a new career high.

Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 108,500 (39/107, 1b)
Day 2: 190,000 (54/84)
Day 3: 928,000 (7/40)
Day 4: 553,000 (13/16)
Day 5: 3,015,000 (2/6)

Career statistics

Career earnings: $523,181
EPT/NAPT cashes: 1
Best result: 31st, 2014 PCA

Key hands

Shahade was down to just five big blinds at one point on Day 5 as she was all in with king-seven against Abdullah Akbarpoor's king-nine. Shahade was dominated and at risk, but she ended up making a runner-runner flush to double up.

Shahade then picked up two tens to double against Michael Berk's fours. Once the final table was reached, Matthew Beinner committed most of his stack preflop and Shahade called. Beinner then called all in on the flop with a straight draw, but Shahade had woken up with kings to bust Beinner in ninth place.

Tags: Jen Shahade

11-12-2025 09:09 UTC-8

Seat 2: Gal Yifrach, 39, Los Angeles, California (2,280,000)

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

Gal Yifrach hails from Israel but lives in Los Angeles. His poker pedigree features an impressive $2.3 million in live tournament cashes, which he’s been racking up since 2011.

Yifrach has two victories to his name, including one from the 2018 WSOP $3,000 6-Max bracelet event for $461,798. Three years later, he would top that payout with a $495,305 score for third in a WSOP $50,000 High Roller.

On Day 5, Yifrach was near the bottom of the leaderboard, but he bounced back with a double through Ekrem Bozkurt, hitting a king on the river to extend his quest for the NAPT title.

While playing well over a decade, Yifrach has been visiting almost exclusively events in North America. He made an exception in 2019 when he showed up in Monte Carlo. A modest €9,360 cash from an EPT side event remains his only notch in a PokerStars-sponsored live tournament, but that’s about to change.

Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 206,500 (8/107, 1b)
Day 2: 200,000 (51/84)
Day 3: 269,000 (32/40)
Day 4: 900,000 (8/16)
Day 5: 2,280,000 (4/6)

Career statistics

Career earnings: $2,390,620
EPT/NAPT cashes: None
Best result: None

Key hands

Yifrach was nursing a short stack much of Day 5, but two well-timed double ups secured him a place among the final six.

Yifrach first shoved for 430,000 with king-four and Ekrem Bozkurt called with ace-five. Bozkurt was ahead with his ace-high and picked up a flush draw going to the river, taking away some of Yifrach's outs, but Yifrach still hit a king to double up.

Yifrach then called for 1,165,000 from the big blind after Jen Shahade shoved from the small blind. He was ahead with king-ten, and the board ran out safe to earn him yet another double up.

Tags: Gal Yifrach

11-12-2025 09:08 UTC-8

Seat 3: Ekrem Bozkurt, 50, from Turkey, lives in Las Vegas, Nevada (2,570,000)

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

Ekrem Bozkurt used to own a restaurant in Texas, but he decided to take a shot as a poker pro in 2017. So he left the business with his brother and moved to Las Vegas.

So far, Bozkurt has been mostly thriving in low- to mid-stakes tournaments. Last month, here at Resorts World Las Vegas, he notched his first outright victory in reported live events, albeit in a small $200 nightly tournament.

The professional poker path has so far worked out for the 50-year-old. He has amassed just under $1 million in live cashes and will eclipse that mark here at NAPT Las Vegas, where he is closing on his career-best result.
Bozkurt’s previous biggest cash came in 2018 when he took $218,170 for second place in the WinStar River Poker Series Main Event. He would top that with a top-three finish here.

While aware of this potential milestone, Bozkurt doesn’t feel any pressure. “I’ve been running very lucky in this tournament,” he admitted with a big smile on his face, adding he is taking it easy.

Originally from Izmir, Turkey, Bozkurt is an avid soccer fan. He supports Galatasaray and, despite being thousands of miles away, he still wakes in the morning to watch the games.

Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 17,500 (107/107, 1b)
Day 2: 178,000 (58/84)
Day 3: 979,000 (6/40)
Day 4: 2,375,000 (4/16)
Day 5: 2,570,000 (3/6)

Career statistics

Career earnings: $986,593
EPT/NAPT cashes: None
Best result: None

Key hands

Back on Day 3, Bozkurt was all in for 158,000 with two sixes, but Jeremy Ausmus had woken up with pocket kings. Bozkurt, though, flopped a full house to take the lead and earn a fortunate double up.

Bozkurt then became an aces magnet. Jacob Mendelsohn was his first victim on Day 3 when Mendelsohn found himself coolered holding ace-king. Katherine Porrello also ran her ace-king into Bozkurt's aces to bust in 16th, while Bozkurt picked up aces yet again after Carl Shaw shoved for 520,000 sending the UK pro out in 13th place.

Tags: Ekrem Bozkurt

11-12-2025 09:08 UTC-8

Seat 4: Peter Mugar, 53, from Boston, lives in Las Vegas, Nevada (715,000)

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

Peter Mugar comes from the East Coast, but he has moved to Las Vegas, where he plays as many tournaments as he can. The 53-year-old has racked up more than $1.1 million in live cashes, but doesn’t necessarily call himself a pro.

Until 2018, he used to coach basketball in Massachusetts. While he is not mentoring college athletes on the court anymore, he claims to “still have a lot of things going on, investment-wise.”

On the poker felt, he belongs to an exclusive group of six players who reached paid places in all three NAPT Las Vegas Main Events since the tour’s reinstatement. He was 35th in 2023, then 27th in 2024, and now will once again improve his year-on-year stat sheet.

“I always liked the EPTs, they’re well-run and well-structured tournaments,” Mugar said, revealing what brings him back every season. He speaks from first-hand experience, having cashed in the EPT Barcelona Main Event back in August.

His best results come from elsewhere, though. Mugar’s best score was $498,177 for fourth place in the 2023 Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship. It was also the best position he’s ever reached in a reported live poker tournament. That may change soon. If he continues his NAPT consistency, it seems the first podium finish might come very soon.

Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 153,500 (13/66, 1a)
Day 2: 924,000 (1/84)
Day 3: 728,000 (11/40)
Day 4: 1,625,000 (7/16)
Day 5: 715,000 (6/6)

Career statistics

Career earnings: $1,126,808
EPT/NAPT cashes: 3
Best result: 27th, 2024 NAPT

Key hands

Mugar first vaulted into the tournament chip lead back on Day 2 when his flopped set of aces beat David Chen's two pair.

On the final table bubble, Baurzhan Akimov moved all in for 1,340,000 on the turn and Mugar called with two kings. Akimov, though, had flopped trips and was poised for the double up until Mugar spiked a two-outer on the river to make a full house and bust Akimov in 10th place.

Tags: Peter Mugar

11-12-2025 09:08 UTC-8

Seat 5: Michael Berk, 30, Las Vegas, Nevada (985,000)

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

Michael Berk was well-known in the Midwest poker circles before he moved to Las Vegas, just as did some of his opponents at this final table. Berk used to work in IT, but he turned poker pro a few years ago.

2023 was a breakout year for the then 28-year-old. That year, Berk went on to win the MSPT Riverside for $143,467 and then claimed a $229,000 payout slip for a 42nd place in the WSOP Main Event.

The next year was a little underwhelming for the grinder, but Berk bounced back with a strong start to 2025, becoming a regular in PokerGO’s five-figure buy-in events. His live cashes to date combine for an impressive $2.3 million, and he’s going to bolster that tally here at NAPT Main Event.

Third time seems to be the charm for Berk, who competed in the PokerStars-sponsored Main Event at Resorts World Las Vegas all three years since NAPT’s reintroduction. He missed out on paid places on his debut but took home $12,950 last fall. This time, he will walk away with a six-figure prize, which could prove a big step towards emulating the career of his favorite player: Michael Addamo.

Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 273,000 (2/66, 1a)
Day 2: 522,000 (7/84)
Day 3: 887,000 (8/40)
Day 4: 1,785,000 (5/16)
Day 5: 985,000 (5/6)

Career statistics

Career earnings: $2,312,986
EPT/NAPT cashes: 1
Best result: 66th, 2024 NAPT

Key hands

With the final table approaching, Jesse Yaginuma committed most of his stack with a raise of 700,000 and Berk shoved all in. Yaginuma called with ace-five, while Berk showed two tens. Any suspense was completely evaporated when the flop gave Berk quads, sending Yaginuma to the rail in 11th place.

Berk then eliminated Richard Green in eighth place when his ace-queen won a race against Green's tens.

Tags: Michael Berk