Father-to-Be Chris Bilinksy Headed to NAPT Courtesy of $10,000 Gold Pass

PokerStars and the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) is returning to Resorts World Las Vegas for the third consecutive yr, from November 3–12, 2025, for ten days of thrilling poker motion on the Las Vegas Strip. This yr’s schedule has one thing for each participant, that includes buy-ins beginning at simply $360 alongside huge Excessive Curler occasions and fan-favorite codecs like PLO and Thriller Bounty, all main as much as the extremely anticipated $5,300 Most important Occasion.

For the previous few months, gamers have had the chance to win their method to Las Vegas by way of Silver and Gold Passes; in reality, a $10,000 Gold Cross was given away by way of the PokerNews Podcast. One participant fortunate sufficient to win a Gold Cross earlier this yr was New Jersey’s Chris Bilinsky, who lately chatted with PokerNews Podcast host Chad Holloway concerning the expertise.

Bilinsky, who turned 34 this month, is a college psychologist who graduated from undergrad at Rutgers and grad college at Rider College. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s been working as a college psych for seven years and at the moment lives together with his spouse and a three-year-old French bulldog. Nevertheless, he and his spouse predict their first little one early subsequent yr!

“I’m mainly only a mid-stakes on-line grinder who simply likes enjoying playing cards in his free time,” stated Bilinksy. “I’m proud to say that I’ve by no means had a shedding yr, and for a couple of years, I used to be making more cash enjoying on-line poker than I did as a college psychologist.”

Bilinsky, a die-hard Philly sports activities fan, discovered to play poker across the “Moneymaker Increase.”

Chris Bilinsky and his dog. — Chris Bilinsky and his canine.

“Just a few pals and I loved watching the ESPN episodes and enjoying greenback sit-n-gos, primarily,” he instructed PokerNews. “We undoubtedly thought you possibly can make a straight 2-A-Ok-Q-J, although, so it was simply messing round. I did not play for the longest time, aside from a couple of house video games in highschool, perhaps twice a yr. I’ve all the time beloved enjoying, however I simply by no means actually took the initiative to hunt out video games.”

In his first yr of grad college, Bilinsky went with a buddy to Sugar Home On line casino in Philadelphia and gained $1,000 in a few week enjoying $1/$2 NLH.

“So, clearly, I assumed poker was the good factor on the earth,” he stated with fun. “The following few months proved to me that it wasn’t that straightforward, however I used to be fully hooked as I began to determine among the technique. I did not play throughout Black Friday and was type of clueless to all tha,t however I occurred to get into it proper when regulated poker got here to New Jersey.”

Certainly, Bilinsky began to play on-line every day below screennames like “petewheeler” (BetMGM), “zootsuit101” (PokerStars & WSOP PA), “billypoker” (outdated WSOP NJ), “pablosanchz” (new WSOP & BetMGM PA), “PetCheetah101” (PokerStars PA).

Upon returning house from the World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, Bilinsky gained the PokerStars Summer time Stacks Most important Occasion to win his Gold Cross.

“I hope my spouse feels okay with coming however I am undecided,” Bilinsky instructed PokerNews. “She shall be 7.5 months pregnant with our first little one … I’m proud that I’ve been capable of maintain work/life/poker life. It has by no means been some extent of rivalry between my spouse and I. She has all the time been extremely supportive after I carve out each Sunday night time for on-line poker. Typically poker has to take a again seat when work will get busy. It has been quite a bit to steadiness through the years, however I am blissful that I’ve been capable of maintain my priorities so as.”

For extra on Bilinsky, try the video above or catch him on this episode of the PokerNews Podcast:

VIDEO

2025 NAPT Notable Occasion Schedules

DatesEventGuarantee November 3-6$1,100 PokerStars Open$500,000 November 5-6$2,200 PokerStars Open Excessive Curler November 5-7$50,000 NAPT Tremendous Excessive Curler November 6-12$5,300 NAPT Most important Occasion$3,000,000 November 9-10$330 NAPT Girls’s Occasion$50,000 November 10$1,100 NAPT Girls’s Excessive Curler November 10-12$10,300 NAPT Excessive Curler November 10-12$550 NAPT Thriller Bounty$200,000