LOOSE CANNON AUDITION QUALIFIERS ANNOUNCED

There’s a lot to be excited about at the North America Poker Tour’s return to Las Vegas in November. The Main Event. The High Rollers. The Mixed Game Festival. The [insert your favourite late-night activity here]. This is Vegas, after all. Anything is possible.

But one aspect of the festival in particular has got players we’ve spoken to hyped up more than anything else. 

It involves going to an audition. It involves wearing a bit of make-up. And it involves performing under the bright lights of television. 

But this isn’t an acting gig. We’re talking about the Big Game On Tour’s search for the next Loose Cannon – a far more thrilling proposition.

After all, there aren’t many acting gigs that will give a first-timer $50,000 right off the bat.

The best part? Anyone of you attending NAPT Las Vegas could land the role of the Loose Cannon – a qualifier who is staked by PokerStars to play in the legendary TV cash game against a top lineup. The Loose Cannon has nothing to lose but gets to take home any profit they make in the game.

Gold Pass winners automatically get an audition to be the Loose Cannon – yet another perk of playing the Power Path – but for everyone else, there are three qualifying events you need to know about.

PokerStars has now released the schedule of these qualifiers, so get these dates and times down as there’s a cap on registration.

BIG GAME ON TOUR 2024 LIVE QUALIFIER SCHEDULE

All qualifiers take place at Resorts World Las Vegas, the home of NAPT Las Vegas.

Wednesday, Oct 30th (Big Game Audition Qualifier – Flight #A) – Cap 80

• 1pm  Registration opens for all flights. Registration at the Resorts World poker room.
• 4pm  Registration Closes
• 4pm  Location – Resorts World poker room. 10 x 8-max tables.

 Thursday, Oct 31^st (Big Game Audition Qualifier – Flight #B) – Cap 80

• 9am   Registration opens for all flights. Registration at the Resorts World poker room.
• 11am Registration Closes
• 11am Location – Resorts World poker room. 10 x 8-max tables.

Mon, Nov 4^th (Big Game Audition Qualifier – Flight #C) – Cap 120

• 9am   Registration opens for flight #C if the cap has not already been reached. Registration at the Resorts World poker room.
• 10am Registration Closes
• 10am Location – Lily Ballroom. 15 x 8-max tables

These are ‘win your seat’ satellites, so 1 in 5 (20%) of the field are considered winners.

The qualifiers are 8-max with 10-minute levels and a starting stack 10,000 chips. Players will make it through when they reach a 50,000 stack.

October 30 – 10 tables – up to 80 players – up to 16 qualifiers
October 31 – 10 tables – up to 80 players – up to 16 qualifiers
November 4 – 15 tables – up to 120 players – up to 24 qualifiers 

The winners will go through to the auditions on November 4-5. 

RULES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• All audition qualifier players must have a PokerStars Live account. This can be done by downloading the ‘PokerStars Live’ app on the Google and Apple stores.
• Freezeout – only one entry is allowed over flights A/B and C.

• We expect to reach capacity early, so we recommend players register early to avoid disappointment (registration open and close times below).
• Your starting stack will be in play from the start of the tournament.
• Players must arrive in the first level.
• Players not arriving in the first level will be unregistered and a reserve player will be registered.

WHAT IS THE BIG GAME ON TOUR?

The Big Game is a high-stakes cash game TV show that became a firm fan favourite, both for its colourful cast of characters and its unique format.

The show – which debuted on US TV more than a decade ago – sees a casted qualifier (‘The Loose Cannon’) staked to play 150 hands of no limit hold’em against a top line-up of pros, businesspeople and celebrities. The Loose Cannon gets to take home any profit they make over and above their starting stack. 

The 2023 season of ‘The Big Game on Tour’ saw Loose Cannons Nikki Limo and Lily Newhouse compete against some of the biggest names in poker, including Phil Hellmuth, Maria Ho, Phil Laak and Alan Keating, plus Hollywood stars Jennifer Tilly, Arden Cho and Michael Ian Black. 

For the second year in a row, there will be multiple line-ups. Whilst the full line-ups are still to be confirmed, both four-time Super Bowl Champion Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski and sports media personality Nick Wright have already been announced.

WANT TO BE THE NEXT LOOSE CANNON?

Every player in Vegas who is attending courtesy of a NAPT Las Vegas Gold Pass will be invited to audition for the show. 

So the NAP Las Vegas Gold Pass doesn’t just provide an incredible poker vacation experience, it also acts as a gateway to potential Big Game stardom. Think of it like a speedy boarding pass at the airport or a skip-the-queue pass at an amusement park; while everyone else is slogging it out for an audition, you’ll breeze right in.

The remaining players at Resorts World will have the opportunity to enter a free qualifying tournament during the event, with the winners going through to the auditions on November 4-5. 

A panel of judges, led by ‘Big Game on Tour’ hosts James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton, will interview the candidates, put them through their paces, and ultimately decide who gets to be a Loose Cannon and staked $50,000 to play against their heroes.

The TV shows will air in 2025. But poker fans will be able to enjoy live action from NAPT Las Vegas, with cards up coverage of the $5,300 Main Event streamed on the PokerStars Twitch and YouTube channels.

NAPT HEADING BACK TO VEGAS

The North American Poker Tour (NAPT) is making its triumphant return to Las Vegas and the luxurious Resorts World in November 2024, but it’s not the only thing coming back.

First off, PokerStars players should be thrilled to learn that special NAPT Las Vegas Gold Passes are back for Power Path players, offering tournament entry, a week’s accommodation, and Sin City spending money. You can win the passes online and trust us when we say they will be highly sought-after – especially as they’re linked to the next announcement…

The Big Game on Tour – which was revived in 2023 after a 12-year hiatus – will also be back for a brand new season, and that means it’s time to find some new Loose Cannons. 

There will be qualifiers running throughout the NAPT, and the winners will make it through to the audition process.

But Las Vegas Gold Pass winners? They’re guaranteed an audition, so try your best to win one.

WHAT IS AN NAPT LAS VEGAS GOLD PASS?

PokerStars is giving dotcom players a unique opportunity to secure a $10,000 NAPT Las Vegas Gold Pass with Power Path. 

Worth a total of $10,000, each prize package consists of:

Entry to the $5,300 NAPT Las Vegas Main Event (November 5-10, 2924)
7 nights’ accommodation for the player and a guest at Resorts World Las Vegas
$1,800 in expenses

HOW TO QUALIFY FOR NAPT LAS VEGAS

Available on PokerStars from August 12, 2024, Power Path represents players’ pathway to this year’s stop in Sin City. Players simply need to log in and play one real money hand to receive one Step 1 ticket valued at $0.50 per day, which can be parlayed all the way up to a coveted $10,000 NAPT Las Vegas Gold Package.

Launched last year, Power Path is PokerStars’ recreationally-friendly program that allows players to compete on some of poker’s biggest stages, live and online, for less, by powering their way through the innovative 4-step system.

A comprehensive dotcom satellite schedule is set to complement PokerStars NAPT Las Vegas Power Path campaign from August 11, 2024, with qualifiers from as little as $5.50 awarding packages to the showpiece event worth $10,000. 

To learn more about NAPT Las Vegas, see here.

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