Eli Elezra Wins NAPT $5,300 8-Game Griffin Benger & Andrew Yeh Claim Side Events
PokerNews was on-site for the duration of the 2023 PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT), and while we offered live updates from events like the $1,650 NAPT Main Event and the $10,300 Super High Roller, there are also a slew of side events playing out at Resorts World Las Vegas.
We already recapped wins by Kyna England and Kfir Nahum, but down the stretch there were some other noteworthy winners. For instance, Cody Raymond topped a 692-entry field to win the $550 PokerStars Cup for $44,743, while Timothy Rutherford bested a 265-entry field to win the $1,100 Mystery Bounty for $27,650.
Keep on scrolling to see more winners from the 2023 PokerStars NAPT.
2023 PokerStars NAPT Winners
| Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $360 NAPT Women's Event | 94 | $28,200 | Kyna England | $7,520 |
| $1,100 NLH Deepstack | 144 | $125,000 | Kfir Nahum | $23,735 |
| $550 PLO | 60 | $28,800 | Anthony Askey | $8,000 |
| $10,300 NAPT Super High Roller | 59 | $572,300 | Jesse Lonis | $174,550 |
| $350 Seniors 50+ | 87 | $41,760 | Soren Lundgren | $8,257 |
| $250 NLH Re-Entry | 159 | $32,595 | Ryne "Pizza" Teston | $6,193 |
| $550 8-Game | 65 | $31,200 | Andrew Yeh | $9,355 |
| $5,300 PLO | 41 | $198,850 | Caleb Furth | $68,605 |
| $1,650 Main Event | 1,095 | $1,609,650 | Sami Bechahed | $268,945 |
| $550 PokerStars Cup | 692 | $332,160 | Cody Raymond | $44,743 |
| $5,300 8-Game | 32 | $155,200 | Eli Elezra | $53,540 |
| $5,300 High Roller | 150 | $727,500 | Samuel Laskowitz | $180,850 |
| $1,100 NLH Mystery Bounty | 265 | $254,400 | Timothy Rutherford | $27,650 |
| $550 Omaha 8 or Better | 46 | $22,080 | Vincent Calicchia | $6,295 |
| $250 NLH Re-Entry | 106 | $21,730 | Tyler Montoya | $5,058 |
| $360 NLH Re-Entry | 63 | $20,000 | Scott Hill | $5,328 |
| $1,100 NLH Last Chance Super Hyper Turbo | 41 | $50,000 | Griffin Benger | $17,250 |
Check out our 2023 NAPT hub here!
Poker Hall of Famer Wins $5,300 8-Game
Event #23: $5,300 8-Game attracted a field of 32 runners, which included some of the best mixed game players in the world including Phil Hellmuth and Mori Eskandani.
The $160,000 prize pool was paid out to the top six finishers, and after two days of play, it was Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra defeating Michael Martinelli in heads-up play to claim the Spadie trophy and a $53,540 top prize.
2023 NAPT $5,300 8-Game Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eli Elezra | USA | $53,540 |
| 2 | Michael Martinelli | USA | $34,920 |
| 3 | Julien Martini | France | $24,055 |
| 4 | David Funkhouser | USA | $17,850 |
| 5 | Erik Sagstrom | Sweden | $13,970 |
| 6 | David “ODB” Baker | USA | $10,865 |
Griffin Benger Claims Last Title of Series
The last tournament of the 2023 NAPT was Event #32: $1,100 NLH Last Chance Super Hyper Turbo, which attracted 41 runners. That failed to meet the guarantee, so a $50,000 prize pool was up for grabs to the top six finishers.
One player in the field was Griffin Benger, who jumped into action after finishing commentary duties during the NAPT Main Event. It proved a wise decision as Benger shipped the tournament for $17,250.
2023 NAPT $1,100 Last Chance Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Griffin Benger | Canada | $17,250 |
| 2 | Huigang Zhang | USA | $11,250 |
| 3 | Jedrzej Smaruj | Poland | $7,750 |
| 4 | Joel Isla | Spain | $5,750 |
| 5 | David Levy | USA | $4,500 |
| 6 | Dongwoo Ko | Canada | $3,500 |
Caleb Furth Victorious in 2023 NAPT $5,300 PLO
One of the bigger buy-in tournaments of the 2023 NAPT was the $5,300 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO), which offered a single re-entry. The tournament attracted 41 runners which meant a $198,850 prize pool was up for grabs to the top six finishers.
The field was filled with four-card crushers, but only a half dozen were fortunate enough to cash including Matthew Wantman (6th - $13,920), David Coleman (5th - $17,895), and Dan Shak (4th - $22,870).
After Spencer Simpson bowed out in third place for $30,820, the title came down to Caleb Furth and Neffa Pire. Eventually, the former prevailed to claim the title and $68,605 top prize.
2023 NAPT $5,300 PLO Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caleb Furth | $68,605 |
| 2 | Neffa Pire | $44,740 |
| 3 | Spencer Simpson | $30,820 |
| 4 | Dan Shak | $22,870 |
| 5 | David Coleman | $17,895 |
| 6 | Matthew Wantman | $13,920 |
Soren Lundgren Wins NAPT Seniors Event
The 2023 NAPT $550 Seniors (50+) Event more than doubled its $20K GTD as 87 runners generated a prize pool of $41,760. That was paid out to the top 11 finishers, two of which fell short of the final table in David Gutfreund (10th - $1,045) and Melvin Hicks (11th - $1,045).
Lena Evans of Poker League of Nations (PLON) was at her second final table of the series after finishing sixth in the Women’s Event, and this time she took eighth place for $1,630. Also at the final table were Jason Patton (5th - $3,205) and Nader Hatem (4th - $4,170).
The final three players worked a deal that saw them each take $8,257 in prize money, while Soren Lundgren was crowned the official champion.
2023 NAPT Seniors Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soren Lundgren | $8,257* |
| 2 | Mimi Roeder | $8,257* |
| 3 | Jack Sloan | $8,256* |
| 4 | Nader Hatem | $4,170 |
| 5 | Jason Patton | $3,205 |
| 6 | Mari Martinez | $2,550 |
| 7 | Kenji Ypshimura | $2,040 |
| 8 | Lena Evans | $1,630 |
| 9 | Nina Hazdovac | $1,305 |
*Denotes three-way deal.
Andrew Yeh Takes Down $550 8-Game
On Wednesday, the $550 buy-in, $20K GTD 8-Game attracted 65 runners and generated a prize pool of $31,200, which was reserved for the top nine finishers including Ari Engel (7th - $1,515), Nathan Gamble (5th - $2,560), and Bob Chow (4th - $3,325).
The tournament concluded when Andrew Yeh defeated Benjamin Miner in heads-up play to claim the Spadie trophy and accompanying $9,355 first-place prize.
2023 NAPT 8-Game Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Yeh | $9,355 |
| 2 | Benjamin Miner | $6,085 |
| 3 | Oliver Vereschagin | $4,320 |
| 4 | Bob Chow | $3,325 |
| 5 | Nathan Gamble | $2,560 |
| 6 | Kao Saechao | $1,965 |
| 7 | Ari Engel | $1,515 |
| 8 | Daniel Anton | $1,170 |
| 9 | Vincent Calicchia | $905 |
*Images courtesy of PokerStars.
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