We're excited to announce that Fifty Lakes resident and MPL player Jim Buchite placed 113 out of 3,844 entrants in the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #54, cashing out for $3,182!

 Buchite had a one in 24 chance to turn his $1,000 buy-in into a $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat during our National Championship on Thursday, July 1st at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, but it wasn’t in the cards for him that day. However, he did manage to make the most of his FREE $1,000 buy-in to Event #54 by placing in the money and walking away a winner.

“Buchite’s run during the first day of Event #54 was like watching a rollercoaster,” said Pete Bushey FPN’s administrator who attended the event. “His chip stack went up and down, but as the end of Day 1 neared he was one of the chip leaders, which helped him to eventually place in 113th. He’s a sharp player, and we were very excited to see him walk away with a nice stack of cash.” Congratulations, Jim!

This past weekend at the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, MN, six Minnesota Poker League players won their way to the 2010 World Series of Poker!  Each one will play in Event #54 while also competing in the FPN National Championship where the winner will be crowned the new National Champion and play in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event! The lucky winners (pictured front row left to right) were Tomi Hamilton from Trackside in Wadena, Nels Peterson from Ultimate Sports Bar in Waite Park, Jon Stern from 50 Lakes Bar in Emily, (back row left to right) Bill Long from Courtney's Comedy Club & JC's Corral in Moorhead and Dilworth, Jim Buchite from 50 Lakes Bar in Emily, and Kevin Rouser from the Whistle Stop Tavern in Lonsdale.