Luis Rivera Wins PokerNews Podcast Gold Pass; NAPT His 2nd Live Tournament Ever!
For over a month, a special giveaway was held between the PokerNews Podcast and Life Outside Poker with Connor Richards. Over the course of six episodes, code words were dispersed that spelled out a code phrase – NAPT Ladies Event Champ Kyna Cool – and last weekend listeners had the chance to submit that phrase for a chance to win a $10,000 Gold Pass to the upcoming PokerStars NAPT Las Vegas at Resorts World from Nov. 1-10.
In last week’s episode of the PokerNews Podcast, hosts Mike Holtz, Kyna England, and Chad Holloway randomly selected a winner – 35-year-old Luis Rivera from Houston, Texas.
When asked how he learned about the giveaway, Rivera explained: “I had jumped onto PokerNews to hear more about the Nick Vertucci incident on HCL and noticed a banner that was displaying the giveaway. I thought to myself, ‘Hell, it can't hurt to try.’ Boy, am I glad I did!”
Originally from Oviedo, Florida, and the oldest of three children, he has a sister Ashley (33), and my little brother Joey (30), Rivera has always had a love for computers and ultimately made that his career.
“I got my foot in the door with Best Buy working customer service, transitioned into working at Geek Squad fixing PCs/laptops etc., then used that as a stepping stone to eventually get into a software company,” he explained.
As for poker, Rivera discovered it like so many others – on TV!
“I started watching Poker After Dark way back when. I immediately fell in love with the game from both the social and mental aspects of it and decided, this is what I want to do! I learned by losing over and over and over again playing $0.02/$0.05 on both PokerStars and Full Tilt. I didn't let the losses get to me, as I knew it was part of learning the game so I trucked on through it and over the years have really gotten much better at the game.”
Primarily an online grinder, including on Global Poker, the NAPT Las Vegas will only be Rivera’s second live tournament experience. He doesn’t even have a Hendon Mob profile, not yet anyway!
“Last year I won an online satellite into the Irish Open Main Event. It was incredible. The people were so down-to-earth, the beer was amazing, and the event was run spectacularly! It was the biggest event I had been in (€1,150) and it was quite the experience. I made it into Day 2, which was my goal from the beginning, I didn't cash, unfortunately, but I enjoyed every minute of it. It was the first live poker setting I had ever participated in. This will be the second, and I can't help but think that it helped prepare me for this!”
Outside of poker, Rivera enjoys video editing/content creation.
“Computers are great and all but nothing beats the satisfaction of finally uploading a video I've been working on for weeks. I also really enjoy video games, especially challenging ones like the Dark Souls series.”
He added: “Reading is a big passion of mine as well, as I am always hungry for knowledge. I recently read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. It was incredibly eye-opening and a book I think absolutely everyone can benefit from reading.”
For those wanting to learn more about the PokerNews Podcast NAPT Gold Pass winner, Rivera does have a small comedy-centric YouTube channel called Mixed Nuts. He has also been known to stream poker on his Twitch channel.
PokerNews plans to catch up with Rivera in person after he makes his way to Las Vegas, and you can rest assured we’ll be tracking him in our live updates of the $5,300 NAPT Main Event!
In this Series
- 1 NAPT Las Vegas Schedule Released, $3M GTD Main Event Headlines Series
- 2 PokerNews' Keith Becker Wins PokerStars Silver Pass to NAPT; Gold Pass Next?
- 3 NFL's Rob "Gronk" Gronkowski Giving Away Gold Pass to NAPT Las Vegas
- 4 Women's Event at NAPT Las Vegas Will Feature $30,000 Guarantee
- 5 Player Kicked Out of MUG; Find Out Who Won Our $10,000 NAPT Gold Pass | PokerNews Podcast #861
- 6 North American Poker Tour in Vegas Returns Nov. 1 w/ $4 Million Guaranteed
- 7 Luis Rivera Wins PokerNews Podcast Gold Pass; NAPT His 2nd Live Tournament Ever!
- 8 West Virginia Firefighter Wins Rob Gronkowski NAPT Gold Pass Giveaway for First Trip to Vegas
- 9 PokerStars NAPT Kicks Off in Las Vegas; The Gronk is Coming! | PokerNews Podcast #863
- 10 Infamous 2006 WSOP Trash Talker Eric Molina Coolered to Soft Bubble NAPT Opener
- 11 NAPT Las Vegas Underway; Early Signs Indicate Large Turnout on the Horizon
- 12 Why Resorts World Las Vegas is the Perfect Venue for the North American Poker Tour
- 13 Jeremy Becker's Aces Cracked to Bust Early in $25k Super High Roller
- 14 Gregor Sverko Kicks Off His NAPT in Style With $550 Mystery Bounty Title
- 15 Joe Stapleton & Morgan Jay Bring the Laughs at NAPT Stand-Up Comedy Night
- 16 Will "The Thrill" Failla Accidentally Enters Wrong NAPT Tournament and Wins It!
- 17 NAPT Side Event Winners: Richard Bai Wins RunGood Open, Ryan Hughes Claims PLO Title
- 18 Sheila Stimson Earns Biggest Win of Her Career in NAPT Women's Event
- 19 Another PokerStars Triumph for Stephen Song; EPT Champ Wins NAPT $25K SHR
- 20 PokerStars Introduces Jason Koon, Caitlin Comeskey as Newest Ambassadors
- 21 NAPT Side Event Winners: David Prociak & Maxx Coleman Mixed Game Masters; Tricarico Triumphs
- 22 NAPT Hands of the Week: A Miracle Double, Cooler Flops, and Dream Spots for Song & Winter
- 23 20 Gold Pass Winners Cash 2024 NAPT Main Event; PA's Brian Frasca Lasted the Longest
- 24 Nick Marchington Takes a Commanding Lead Ahead of NAPT Main Event Finale
- 25 Despite Not Cashing Gold Pass Winner Luis Rivera Reflects on Amazing NAPT Experience
- 26 Nick Marchington Runs Over Final Table in NAPT Las Vegas Main Event for $765,200
- 27 Sam Soverel Keeps the Party Going with NAPT $10K High Roller Win
