Mr. & Mrs. Smith Dominate FPN Tag Team Championship in Las Vegas
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.
Tag Team Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Poker Club | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joel Smith - Nikki Smith | Billy's Bar & Grill | $1,000 |
| 2 | Jim Morgan - Robin Stene | Billy's Bar & Grill | $500 |
| 3 | Ryan Burr - Hethe Berg | LV Putters | $300 |
| 4 | Michael Burt - Jasen Witthuhn | N/A | $200 |
| 5 | Xeng Lor - James Nethery | N/A | $200 |
| 6 | Steve Dale - Donna Dale | Casselton Vets | $200 |
| 7 | Russell Neil - Albert Buhr | N/A | $200 |
| 8 | Arda Ozcan - Benjamin Trehey | Chip Shots, MN | $200 |
| 9 | Amy Chris - Vaschei Waszyk | Shorewood | $200 |
"The Nicest Couple in Poker"
Move over, Alex and Kristen Foxen. After Joel and Nikki's victory, they shared a passionate kiss and FPN's Dana Castaneda proclaimed that they were "the nicest couple in poker."
The two were all smiles as they collected their belts and posed for photos, with Nikki being visibly giddy and calling the victory "surreal." They even playfully bickered about Joel's Team Team victory five years ago, where he played with someone else since Nikki was still in the Main Event.
They also had a deep run in the 2023 Tag Team Championship, where they finished third. But they tasted victory this time around, thanks in no small part to a good run of cards, hitting river cards and picking up pocket kings in the first and only hand of heads-up play.
"It was just lucky," Smith said in a winner's interview. "I mean it was amazing luck, and you need it at the end of the tournament. You need to hit some cards when you're behind ... So that's what it really comes down to."
Tag Team Action
There were plenty of highlights early on in the Tag Team Championship, but that was in between screaming over the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears game being played in the Nugget Ballroom.
Some highlights include Tom Tezak getting his opponent to ask "what the f***" after making an epic call with ace-high, Stacie Saunders cracking kings with quad jacks and Joe Manno making flopping quad deuces on a double-ace board made for bad beat jackpots.
The final table formed as Travis and NIck were eliminated by the team of Russell Neil and Albert Buhr, who would be sent out themselves soon after in eighth place at the hands of Ryan Burr and Hethe Berg.
The eliminations were quick from there as everything seems to be going the way of the Smiths. That includes a hand where they spiked a jack on the river to send Michael Burt and Jasen Witthuhn packing in fourth place.
Burr and Berg then went out in third place before just one hand of heads-up play against Jim Morgan, whose seven-six never tood a chance against Joel's black pocket kings.
That wraps up PokerNews' coverage of the Tag Team Championship here at the Golden Nugget. Stay tuned for coverage of the Clash of Kings & Queens National Championship Main Event tomorrow, and check out the live reporting portal in the meantime.