Congratulation to our first Gold Rush 2 National Championship qualifier Ann Thorsen from Hoyt Lakes, MN! Ann took down a starting field of 78 players this past Sunday, July 25th, during the July Gold Rush 2 Online Qualifer to win the first seat in our $20,000 national championship freeroll, which will take place this December at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. In addition to a seat in the Gold Rush 2 National Championship, Ann also wins an airfare package and a four day/three-night stay in the city of sin! "I am very excited about winning a trip to Las Vegas and a chance to play in the Gold Rush 2 game," Ann recently told FPN. "I didn't think I would win but I knew it was possible. I played with patientence and got lucky a few times when I really needed to. I'd like to thank FPN for the opportunity to play online tournaments with great prizes."

The June Online Championship has been rescheduled for this coming Sunday, July 18th at 7 pm CST, and the July Online Championship will be held the following Sunday, July 25th. Be sure to watch out for two-time online winner Josh Barnes as he looks to take home yet another win because the winner of both these events will win a three-night stay on the Las Vegas Strip, airfare allowance and a seat in our $20,000 cash freeroll National Championship at the Golden Nugget in December! Best of luck! We're looking forward to seeing who will be our first big winners in the Gold Rush 2 promotion!

Five players cashed for a combined total of $14,494 in this year's WSOP! Thomas Fandrich from the Brick City Bar & Grill was the last league player to bust (85th place) in Event 54, where 5 out 21 league players scored cold hard cash. This was a remarkable feat, considering the size of the field (3,844 players). Statistically, you might expect ONE cash, so FIVE was a huge accomplishment...Congrats to Jim Buchite, Troy Sattler, Art Ziemann, Thomas Fandrich, and Brandon Dosch!  Photos will be uploaded to Facebook. 

Great news from the Rio! Poker leaguers are representing very well in WSOP Event #54. Six players have survived day 1, the action picks up today at 2:30 PST. Jim Buchite (pictured right), medallion winner from Fifty Lakes Bar (north of Brainerd, MN) leads the pack (currently 18th overall in chips out of 3,844 participants. 586 players are left and the payouts begin at 396th place. Josh Barnes (39k), Brandon Dosch (12.5k), Tom Fandrich (10k), Troy Sattler (7k), and Art Ziemann (7k) will continue their quest for a bracelet and the cash! Mitch Schock is also playing this event and has 23.5k...Will one or more of these players get a share of the $3+ million prize pool? Stay tuned..