Main Event
Day 1 Completed
2024 FPN Step In The Ring National Championship
Main Event
Day: 1
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 22
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
The Free Poker Network Step Into the Ring National Championship has come to an end and John Mizeur, Wendy Adamczyk-D'Andrea, and Craig Ashley have claimed the FPN trophies and a $12,500 Main Event prize package.
These three champions outlasted a field of 324 to score this prize, which they are encouraged to use in the big tournament later this summer.
“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, as this is her biggest cash.
It is actually all three winners' biggest cash, and they were definitely excited about using the money to fire in more tournaments.
FPN 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 |
Players 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 that did not qualify throughout the year still had the chance to come to Las Vegas to play in five different qualifiers that were offered throughout the weekend.
Among those that ran deep but couldn't make the final table were National Champion Joel Smith along with his wife Nikki Smith, and last night's Tag Team Champions Noel Batres and Paul Hamann.
Final Table Action
Coming into the final table with the chiplead was Craig Ashley, with Keith Wahl and Randy Onstad trailing behind.
The first to draw blood was Jim Carroll when he knocked out Jennifer Bezhig in 9th when she was forced all in from the blinds and failed to find a double.
Next to go was Roy Winkelman, who had been running hot all day but found himself short and all in preflop against Ashley and Mizeur. Mizeur then shoved on the flop of king-queen-five to force a fold from Ashley, and that's when Winkelman rolled over king-five for two-pair, thinking his luck was back. Unfortunately, Mizeur showed him the bad news when he tabled king-queen for a superior two-pair, and that spelled the end for Winkelman.
Skyler Sands’ elimination in 7th wasn't quite as dramatic, as he got it in multiway preflop with king-nine but an ace appeared on the board to give Mizeur top pair to send him packing.
Tonight’s sixth place finish belonged to Jim Carroll when he lost a big flip with ace-queen against the pocket jacks to Ashley, and fifth place was Keith Wahl who also lost with ace-queen, but it was especially brutal as it was to Adamczyk-D'Andrea holding ace-seven.
The final person to hit the rail tonight was Randy Onstad, who got it in with nine-ten suited against the king-jack of Ashley, but Ashley hit trip kings on the turn to spell the end for Onstad, and he was sent out on the champion’s bubble.
With his elimination, play was stopped and Ashley, Adamczyk-D'Andrea, and Mizeur were then crowned the champions and awarded the trophies and grand prize of $12,500 each.
That wraps up coverage of the Free Poker Network Step into the Ring National Championship at Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas. Be sure to keep it with the PokerNews team for live updates for the rest of the summer!
Level 22
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Randy Onstad moved all in preflop and was called by Craig Ashley to put him at risk on the big payout bubble.
Randy Onstad: 9♦10♦
Craig Ashley: K♠J♥
Onstad would need to improve to stay alive but the flop of K♥4♣5♠ gave Ashley a big lead with top pair of kings. The players and the rail went wild when the K♣ smacked down on the turn to lock up the hand for Ashley, solidifying the final three champions. The board completed with the meaningless 8♣ and Onstad was sent to the rail in fourth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,400,000
-200,000
|
-200,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 22
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Wendy Adamczyk-D'Andrea opened to 600,000 and Keith Wahl moved in for 700,000 total. Adamczyk-D'Andrea made the call when action folded to her and the cards were on their backs.
Keith Wahl: A♣Q♥
Wendy Adamczyk-D'Andrea: A♥7♠
Wahl was ahead with his queen-kicker, but the flop of 5♥7♥4♣ was not his friend as Adamczyk-D'Andrea made a pair of sevens to take the lead. Wahl would need a queen or a running straight to chop, but the runout of K♦4♦ did him no favors and he was eliminated in fifth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,900,000
2,865,000
|
2,865,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level 22
: 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
After a preflop betting war, Jim Carroll and Craig Ashley got all of their chips into the middle, with Carroll at risk.
Jim Carroll: A♠Q♣
Craig Ashley: J♦J♣
Carroll would need to improve to stay alive, but the runout of 4♦6♠10♣9♠10♥ did no such thing and he was eliminated in sixth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,600,000
715,000
|
715,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 22
Blinds: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 200,000
Level 21
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
After doubling up Randy Onstad in a brutal bad beat, short-stacked Skyler Sands got the rest of his chips into the middle against John Mizeur and Wendy Adamczyk-D'Andrea. The two heads-up players then checked through the runout of A♠J♦3♥7♣J♠ and the cards were tabled.
Skyler Sands: K♠9♠
Wendy Adamczyk-D'Andrea: K♥Q♦
John Mizeur: A♣9♥
Mizeur's pair of aces was good to take the pot, which sent Sands to the payout desk in 7th place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,800,000
550,000
|
550,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level 21
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
Roy Winkelman moved all in preflop for 365,000 and was called by both John Mizeur and Craig Ashley to put him at risk.
On the flop 5♣K♣Q♦, Mizeur moved all in and forced a fold from Ashley. Winkelman then flipped over K♠5♠ for two pair, but his stomach dropped when Mizeur rolled over K♥Q♣ for a superior two pair.
The runout of 4♣10♣ only improved Mizeur to a queen-high flush to take the pot and Winkelman was eliminated in 8th place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,250,000
830,000
|
830,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level: 21
Blinds: 75,000/150,000
Ante: 150,000
Level 20
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
The complete action was missed on the hand, but after being g left with less than a big blind, Jennifer Bezhig got it all in preflop and was called by Jim Carroll to put her at risk. Unfortunately, she could not find a double and exited in 9th place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
775,000
-185,000
|
-185,000 |
|
|
Busted |