The North American Poker Tour’s $5,300-entry High Roller saw a huge field, a deserving winner and a final table packed with stars as Sam Laskowitz took the title. Winning over $180,000, Laskowitz beat Shannon Shorr heads-up to take the win, with legends of the felt such as Jesse Lonis and John Riordan also making the final six.
Bumper Field Pays Top 20
There were 150 entries in the $5,300 buy-in North American Poker Tour (NAPT) High Roller and that meant the top 20 players were paid. Sneaking into the money was 20th placed Antonio Rodriguez, who won $9,320. Others to cash but miss the top 10 included Jordan Spurlin (15th for $12,235), Michael Jozoff (12th for $14,170) and TV writer Matt Salsberg (11th for $16,295), who can add a cash in this high-profile tournament to TV credits for writing shows such as Weeds and Kidding, starring Jim Carrey.
Day 3, the final day of the event, saw the final table begin with a wild disparity in chip stacks. The chip leader was Jesse Lonis with 63 big blinds, closely followed by Laskowitz with 56 bigs. Behind those top two, however, sat John Andress (27BB), Shannon Shorr (21BB), John Riordan (13BB) and short stack Alexander Condon (8BB).
The first player to lose their stack on the final day was – perhaps predictably – Condon. He moved all-in for 17 big blinds with 
and not only was he well behind the chip leader Jesse Lonis with 
, but he didn’t even have different suits to chase flushes in. The board of 
send Condon home with a cash of $36,745 as Lonis tightened his stranglehold on the final table.
Breaking into a Sprint
Five became four when John Andress slipped down the leaderboard and lost his stack. Andress had committed his stack with 
but was called by Shannon Shorr with 
. The recent debut WSOP bracelet winner was worried when the flop of 
gave Andress an open straight draw, but Shorr survived as the turn and 
river confirmed his opponent’s exit for a cash of $47,770 in fifth place.
With four players left, Laskowitz had taken the lead with 2.84 million chips, marginally clear of Jesse Lonis with 2.21 million. Shannon Shorr (1.35m) and John Riordan (1.01m) had some catching up to do, but with the average chip stack being just 36 big blinds, time was running out. Everyone knew the pressure behind making the next move but equally with no-one clear at the top, it was anyone’s bracelet.
All four players battled hard for some time without an elimination and when it came it was John Riordan who lost out. Cashing for $62,105 in fourth place, Riordan lost with against the 
of Jesse Lonis when a flop of 
saw Riordan commit his stack with top pair. Lonis quickly made the call with the overpair and after the turn and 
river, Riordan went to the rail.
A Shorr Thing for Laskowitz
“You have to study and work hard. keep at it and you’ll get to the levels you want to go.” ~ Sam Laskowitz, NAPT High Roller champion.
Three-handed, the overnight leader, Jesse Lonis lost out on the heads-up battle when he moved all-in with the shortest stack holding 
. He was ahead with it, but Sam Laskowitz got lucky with 
. The flop of 
set Lonis behind and after the 
turn and river confirmed the overnight leader’s exit, as he cashed for $80,740.
The heads-up battle was a brief one, as Laskowitz held a chip advantage of 5:1 in chips and saw it out in double-quick fashion. All-in with 
, Shannon Shorr needed a miracle when the 
of Laskowitz was turned over, and the board of 
.
“[It’s] very gratifying,” Laskowitz said after the evet. “It makes me feel like I belong, and that I can play at this level and succeed. Obviously, you have to run good, and hit a couple of big tournaments to get a bankroll. You have to study and work hard and keep at it and you’ll get to the levels you want to go.”
The career trajectory of Sam Laskowitz is something akin to a space rocket heading for the moon, and since 2022, his runner-up result in the WSOP Colossus event worth $256,170 has catapulted him into the spotlight. With major wins at the Borgata, the ARIA – in the PokerGO Poker Masters and a runner-up result at the Wynn Fall Classic’s Mystery Bounty event, Laskowitz is clearly on the rise and here to stay. This tournament, he bagged over $180,000 and lifted the trophy.
It won’t be his last, and we wouldn’t bet against winner photos featuring him again later this year.
| North American Poker Tour $5,300 High Roller Final Table Results: | |||
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Samuel Laskowitz | United States | $180,850 |
| 2nd | Shannon Shorr | United States | $113,030 |
| 3rd | Jesse Lonis | United States | $80,740 |
| 4th | John Riordan | United States | $62,105 |
| 5th | John Andress | United States | $47,770 |
| 6th | Alexander Condon | United States | $36,745 |
