FPN 'Step In The Ring' National Championship Shines at The Golden Nugget
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Free Poker Network's 'Step in the Ring' National Championship took place during the week at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, shining a light on bar poker league players.
Poker aficionados came from all over the country after winning their seats in local and online tournaments, as well as through instant win opportunities and other drawings. Those who did not qualify throughout the year still had the chance to come to Las Vegas to play in five different qualifiers that were offered.
PokerNews was on-site live, reporting two tournaments: the $2,500 guaranteed Tag Team and the Main Event.
Despite the freebie nature of the series, there was plenty at stake as the top three players in the Main Event would be awarded a World Series of Poker Main Event package plus an additional $2,500 in cold hard cash.
Mizeur, Adamczyk-D'Andrea, and Ashley Win FPN Main Event for $12,500
When the dust settled on the Main Event, John Mizeur, Wendy Adamczyk-D'Andrea, and Craig Ashley were crowned as the champions. The trio outlasted a field of 324 to score this prize and have the opportunity to cross off an item on every poker player's bucket list.
“I knew it was going to happen, I really did,” Mizeur said in his post-win interview, and the two other winners nodded in agreement.
"I'm feeling really shocked...and great...I really don't know how I did it. I just got lucky when I needed to," said the Illinois native Adamczyk-D'Andrea.
It was all three winners' biggest cash, and they were definitely excited about using the money to fire in more tournaments.
The unlucky final person to hit the rail was Randy Onstad, who got it in with ten-nine suited against the king-jack of Ashley. The latter hit trip kings on the turn to spell the end for Onstad, and he was sent out on the champion’s bubble.
FPN Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Qualifying Bar | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craig Ashley | Office Bar, Illinois | $12,500 |
| 2 | Wendy Adamczyk-D'Andrea | Town Bar & Grill, Illinois | $12,500 |
| 3 | John Mizeur | Danny's Dugout, Minnesota | $12,500 |
| 4 | Randy Onstad | Route 65, Minnesota | $1,000 |
| 5 | Keith Wahl | Misfits, Las Vegas | $1,000 |
| 6 | Jim Carroll | DC Cobbs, Illinois | $1,000 |
| 7 | Skyler Sands | Cando Bar, North Dakota | $1,000 |
| 8 | Roy Winkelman | Muddy Low, Minnesota | $1,000 |
| 9 | Jennifer Bezhig | Route 47, Minnesota | $1,000 |
Team Batres-Hamann Take Down Tag Team Event
In the Tag Team event, the team of Noel Batres and Paul Hamann took home the championship belts and the top prize of $1,200.
Batres and Hamann were chip-leading most of the day due to some major pots won by Batres, and they continued into the final table, still in the lead.
The pair were followed in second by Jacob Karnowski and Stephanie Rivera-Tomasello, who did most of the heavy lifting at the final table before bowing out as the runner-up. Jeff Gab and Neil Kokal finished third, and the team of Joel and Nikki Smith ran to fourth place, while Galen Nelson and Mike McConniel rounded out the top five teams.
"I really wasn't feeling it at first... just let Noel take the reins... he was running hot and built up a huge chip stack, which is awesome... he started fading out at the final table, so I stepped in and closed it out..." Hamann told PokerNews.
It also might have helped that Batres and Hamann already knew each other outside of Vegas, as they both play in some of the same games back in Illinois.
Hamann also had some success earlier in the week. He was one of the finalists in the opening Qualifier #1, which secured him 20,000 extra chips in the Main event as well as two mystery bounties totalling $200.
FPN Tag Team Championships Final Table Results
| Place | Team | Qualifying Bar | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noel Batres-Paul Hamann | Pinz Yorkville | $1,200 |
| 2 | Stephanie Rivera Tomasello-Jacob Karnowski | Misfits | $600 |
| 3 | Jeff Gab - Neil Kokal | Champs | $400 |
| 4 | Joel Smith-Nikki Smith | Billy's Corner | $200 |
| 5 | Galen Nelson-Mike McConniel | Woody's | $200 |
| 6 | Darren Wiese-Larry Sundberg | Bills Bar | $200 |
| 7 | Joe Tijerina-Lysandra Ybarra | Seven-Deuce Poker | $200 |
| 8 | John Peden-Kelly Peden | Backstreet Bar/Steel Tips | $200 |
| 9 | Keith Wall-Lance Palmer | Misfits | $200 |
