I played in extravagant PokerStars tournament in Las Vegas with Barca legend and four-time Super Bowl winner

LAS VEGAS – the Holy Grail of betting and gaming and an opportunity to rub shoulders with the stars.

Fortunately, I managed to do both when lucky enough to experience the city and play poker alongside some very famous VIPs last week.

Our good friends at PokerStars kindly invited me out while they had taken over the sublime Conrad Resorts World for their NAPT – North American Poker Tour – though admittedly I was no poker guru.

But the glamour that surrounded it and invitation to take part in a real, live poker tournament in the punting capital of the world was an opportunity I had to grab with both hands.

Among the stars I would rub shoulders with were Barcelona hero Gerard Pique, four-time Super Bowl winner Rob Gronkowski and poker legend Phil Hellmuth, who all took part in the latest ‘The Big Game on Tour’.

PokerStars are as renowned for their off felt activities as they are for their poker prowess – and that was certainly the case this time around.

Gold Pass & Power Path

Before detailing the trip to North America, it’s important to point out how YOU could do the same.

Amongst the thousands of players taking part in NAPT were Gold Pass winners – players who’d won the right via various channels to compete for big, big money. Without paying a buy-in fee, too.

Their package was worth a cool £10,000, with buy-in to the Main Event ($5300), flights and some more big expenses all covered.

With Power Path being rolled out across Europe, this is a huge incentive for PokerStars players this side of the Atlantic.

Simply by working your way through Power Path events, recreational poker players can win their way to some of the most epic events in the PokerStars calendar, all for very low buy-ins and stakes.

The best part is that every PokerStars player will get a free shot at the Power Path every time they play a real-money game.

What happened in Vegas…

Before looking ahead to my tournament, a chance to look at the week as a whole.

As mentioned, the experience off the felt means just as much to PokerStars as the action on it.

Arriving late on Sunday night, I grabbed food and checked into my Strip View (Las Vegas Strip, that is…) room on floor 53 of the Conrad Resorts World Hotel.

It’s not as well-known as the usual Vegas hotspots but it’s the most expensively built complex in the city and you can see why, with over 50 restaurants and bars, serving food and drink from across the world.

It has everything you could possibly need from a resort here with pools, casino floors, poker rooms, bars and, most importantly, TWO Starbucks.

I spent daytime of Monday exploring the resort and Las Vegas, taking a walk down the Strip and having a wander up to the famous ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign and then through the likes of Caesar’s Palace, the Bellagio and up to Excalibur, where my wife and I stayed over a decade ago.

A total of 34,000 steps and over 20km later, my body was battered from tiredness and jet lag making my way to the first PokerStars event of the week, a welcome drinks and comedy show.

Inside Jalisco Underground, PokerStars ambassador, commentator and stand-up comedian, Joe Stapleton was joined by fellow funny man Morgan Jay to entertain fellow PokerStars employees and Gold Pass winners in an exclusive – and hilarious – evening.

Tuesday was spent taking in the action from PokerStars’ women’s event, with the winner set to win a package to attend the Women’s Winter Festival in London later this month. While the Big Game on Tour was also being played, with Gerard Pique, Rob Gronkowski and Phil Hellmuth among the start turning out this year.

The evening was a quiet one with the Presidential election on and the sheer uncertainty of what that meant. However I managed to get a shot of the new VR experience ‘Vegas Infinite’ – which is available on a variety of devices, PC, mobile, and console.

I would thoroughly recommend downloading it, particularly for VR. You can play a host of authentic table casino table games in a virtual setting, with poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, and slots all available in a stunning lay-out, with the ability to play alongside friends, too. Plus, it’s absolutely FREE to do so.

So it was onto Wednesday and the best day of the week. It started with a poker tutorial from PokerStars Team Pro, Nick Walsh – more on him to come. The tournament followed before a terrific visit to The Sphere – something I immediately thought of when the invite came through.

It was everything I’d hoped it would be having been a massive fan of it from afar and the team took us to the U2 experience at night which was a proper treat.

Thursday was Press Day where two new ambassadors were announced alongside their plans for 2025 before heading home. There are so many little bits that happened through the week that I’ve left out as this could be a long, long read if leaving in.

But it was magical.

My tournament experience

So I’m not a regular poker guy. Therefore it’s safe to say my nerves were completely shredded heading for the tournament hall.

Luckily, PokerStars had lined up Team Pro member, commentator and all-round good guy Nick Walsh for an hour’s tutorial beforehand.

It was invaluable and when finishing up I asked his one piece of advice for a rookie, which he said: “Just enjoy the experience, you can’t affect what cards you’re dealt so why worry?”

There were other golden nuggets of advice along the way but I won’t share those in case we ever meet on a table.

Ironically, that’s exactly what happened here as I collected my buy-in slip and headed for table four of the $360 buy-in, to see Nick sat across the table from me. A wry smile across his face.

I was handed 30,000 in chips and I was in the game. My main memory is constantly asking ‘is it me?’ as I struggled to keep pace with the game and having a slow understanding of when the action reached me.

I just wanted to make the first break, which was two hours after the tournament opened. A couple of beads of sweat and few hands played later, I checked the clock to see only half an hour had passed.

But I’d won a few hands and I’d bluffed a few wins too. Nothing too high or crazy but enough to show the others I was in the game.

And reaching the first break, I checked PokerStars Live to see I was currently 20th of 79 entries with a chip stack of 40,500 which was a real buzz. I’d won a few hands and had more chips than I started with.

It didn’t go to plan after the break though I was still in the hunt with 21,000 and in the game after four hours of play.

Shortly after, with the blinds creeping up, I shoved all-in with 17,500 in my arsenal and pocket 4s, only to be called with A 5. An ace came on the turn to end my hopes.

A finishing position of 34th from 93 players in the end was almost respectable in my first outing, certainly on this grand a scale. But it won’t be my last outing.

2025 EPT Schedule

European players are already turning their attentions to the European Poker Tour schedule – EPT to you and me – for next year.

And PokerStars have this week announced the first three dates for the diary.

All three are returning favourites, with the number of attendees growing each year at all.

Poker returns to the city of love when Paris hosts again between February 12-23.

And there’s the elegance and class of Monte Carlo to look forward to, coming at the end of April and into May.

While the tail-end of summer sees Barcelona host again in August between the 18th and 31st.

Live Events Senior Business Development Manager, Julien Liarte said: “We’re excited to announce the first part of the calendar with the return of EPT Paris, Monte-Carlo, and Barcelona for 2025”.

“These iconic stops have become cornerstones of the European Poker Tour, each offering unique experiences and unparalleled competition. We can’t wait to welcome players back for another incredible year of live poker.”

• EPT Paris – February 12-23, 2025
• EPT Monte Carlo – April 30 – May 10, 2025
• EPT Barcelona – August 18-31, 2025

New ambassadors announced

On the Thursday Press Day, two new Team Pro members were welcomed to the PokerStars family.

Poker icon, Jason Koon – largely seen as one of (if not the) best player in the world – was joined by Best Short-Form Content Creator at poker awards, Caitlin Comeskey as the two new recruits for North America and globally.

On their announcement, Jason said: “I started my poker journey playing at PokerStars and it’s always had a special place in my heart.

“I’m looking forward to bringing the PokerStars experience to players here in the US and across the world.”

While Caitlin added: “I strongly believe that fun is the beating heart of our poker economy.

“PokerStars is committed to producing fun, quality poker entertainment – such as the Big Game on Tour – and it’s humbling and thrilling to join the squad.

“I feel like I’m a part of something special and I can’t wait to share more of what we do with our community.”

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk