West Virginia Firefighter Wins Rob Gronkowski NAPT Gold Pass Giveaway for First Trip to Vegas
Matt Petry thought he was being scammed when he got a message on FanDuel about being a finalist for Rob "Gronk" Gronkowski's Gold Pass giveaway on the sports betting platform.
But the 30-year-old firefighter from West Virginia's skepticism faded when he learned that he had in fact won a $10,300 Gold Pass Package to PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Las Vegas.
PokerNews caught up with Petry to talk about his poker background and how he plans to make the most of his first-ever trip to Sin City.
Read About Gronkowski on The Big Game on Tour!
Poker Roots
Petry has been around poker since the Moneymaker Boom when his dad's firefighter buddies "got into poker heavy."
"They would have home games and I started playing with them," Petry said. "They'd let me play. So that kind of got me into it."
Petry remembers playing on PokerStars for play money as a teenager before his interest dwindled. He stopped playing poker for years before seeing some intriguing YouTube content during the pandemic that reignited his passion for the game.
"And then started grinding after that and actually learned how to play."
Nowadays, Petry plays online poker regularly and occasionally makes the two-hour drive to Maryland to play live poker.
"I play quite a good bit online," he said. "Probably just like an average buy-in of $11. I play a lot of MTTs. I've probably played like 800 this year."
Read About the PokerNews Podcast Gold Pass Giveaway!
First Time in Vegas
Petry was at his local VA fire station when he learned that he had won Gronkowski's Gold Pass giveaway.
"I was at work that day," he said. "And I'm telling all the guys at work that I just won a Gold Pass to Vegas."
Not only is the $5,300 buy-in NAPT Main Event "50 times bigger than anything I've ever played," it will mark the southerner's first trip to Las Vegas.
"It's exciting. I'm excited to get out there and try it. I've never been to Vegas, so this will be a first for me, too."
Petry added that he was excited to audition for The Big Game on Tour, one of many perks of the $10,300 Gold Pass package.
"It seems like a ton of stuff for a Gold Pass. Like, I'm getting emails daily about different things and activities."
There have been other notable Gold Pass giveaways, including one through the PokerNews Podcast and Life Outside Poker that saw Luis Rivera winning a seat into his second-ever live tournament.
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
- 28 Hands of the Week: Two Hands — a Bad Beat and a Cooler — Quickly End NAPT Main Event