Registration has closed with 392 entrants and the prize pool information has been released.
The event has a prize pool of $58,700 with 36 places paid and $25,000 up top for the eventual champion.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 |
| 2 | $10,000 |
| 3 | $5,000 |
| 4 | $2,000 |
| 5-9 | $1,000 |
| 11-18 | $600 |
| 20-27 | $400 |
| 28-36 | $300 |
The small blind was all in against Jeremy Fign in late position.
Small Blind: Q♦Q♥ 
Jeremy Fign: J♠J♥
Fign was pipped, but the flop landed J♣3♥5♦ to give him a set and he only improved on the runout of 5♠10♦ to send the small blind to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
Level: 5
Blinds: 500/1,000
Ante: 1,000
Players have been sent on their first 12-minute break of the day with the clocks showing 391 runners so far.
Kostner Benz-Weber played a heads-up pot from the hijack against the big blind on a board of 5♥J♦9♥6♥.
The big blind bet 2,500 on the turn and Benz-Weber raised all in for around 25,000. His opponent laid it down.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
35,000 |
In a heads-up pot on a board of p9c6hjd8stc], Marcia Dawson moved all in and her opponent called.
Dawson showed J♥J♠ for a set of jacks and it was good to win the pot. Dawson had her opponent covered by a few hundred chips and he was sent to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
50,000 |
Joel Smith was in bad spirits after making yesterday's 2026 Free Poker Network (FPN) Vegas National Championship final table but failing to win a third title. But the two-time FPN champion came ready to play with his wife Nikki Smith today as the duo took down the Tag Team Championship to win $1,000 and the championship belts.
In addition to the cash and belts, Mr. and Mrs. Smith (as they were called on stream), as well as the others at the final table, won chips for Sunday's Clash of Kings & Queens National Championship Main Event.
Those at the final table of the Tag Team event, which drew 142 teams, included fellow couple Steve Dale and Donna Dale (6th - $200), Xeng Lor and James Nethery (5th - $200) and the runner-up team of Jim Morgan and Robin Stene, who belong to the same Billy's Bar & Grill that the Smith's stake claim to.
| Place | Player | Poker Club | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joel Smith - Nikki Smith | Billy's Bar & Grill | $1,000 + Championship Entry |
| 2 | Jim Morgan - Robin Stene | Billy's Bar & Grill | $500 + Championship Entry |
| 3 | Ryan Burr - Hethe Berg | LV Putters | $300 + Championship Entry |
| 4 | Michael Burt - Jasen Witthuhn | N/A | $200 + Championship Entry |
| 5 | Xeng Lor - James Nethery | N/A | $200 + Championship Entry |
| 6 | Steve Dale - Donna Dale | Casselton Vets | $200 + Championship Entry |
| 7 | Russell Neil - Albert Buhr | N/A | $200 + Championship Entry |
| 8 | Arda Ozcan - Benjamin Trehey | Chip Shots, MN | $200 + Championship Entry |
| 9 | Amy Chris - Vaschei Waszyk | Shorewood | $200 + Championship Entry |
Level: 4
Blinds: 400/800
Ante: 800
FPN has thousands of players and dozens of leagues across the country, most prominently in the north and Midwest.
There are FPN leagues in Arizona, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But the most FPN players reside in five states: Minnesota, Illinois, North Dakota, Texas, and Nebraska.
The North Star state boasts 3,974 players and is home to Billy's Bar & Grill, which has four FPN championship titles to its name. It's home to the likes of two-time FPN champion Joel Smith, reigning champ Marion Massmann, who won last year's Desert Dash-For-Cash Championship for $25,000, and last night's Royal Court National Championship winner Steve Belland.
Meanwhile, there are 2,937 FPN grinders in Illinois and 2,505 in North Dakota. Texas and Nebraska round out the top five with 1,668 and 1,324 players, respectively.
| Rank | State | Players | Venues | Leagues |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | 3,974 | 23 | 28 |
| 2 | Illinois | 2,937 | 22 | 30 |
| 3 | North Dakota | 2,505 | 29 | 31 |
| 4 | Texas | 1,668 | 9 | 14 |
| 5 | Nebraska | 1,324 | 12 | 15 |
The cutoff raised to 3,300 and Dexter Hansen three-bet jammed in the big blind. His opponent called with a stack of around 15,000.
Cutoff: 8♣8♥
Dexter Hansen: J♣7♥
The board ran out 10♣Q♣7♣K♣3♥ as Hansen made a flush to send his opponent to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
60,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
