20 poker league winners took their seat in WSOP event #52, a $1,500 NL Holdem tournament at the Rio in Las Vegas.  The tourney sold out with 2700 players, with first place paying over $700,000!  What a great opportunity...

Fittingly, the FPN National Champ Clay Lipke went the deepest, but unfortunately busted outside of the top 270 players needed to cash.  Ironically Clay was sitting right next to fellow league player Tim Johnson and eventually busted Tim late in the day.  This was a good warm up tournament for Clay, who will also play in the WSOP main event Day 1a on Thursday, July 3rd.  For the rest of the players, I'm sure it was an experience they will never forget. 

Read more for the play-by-play live updates from Pete Bushey, Steve Pris and Jason Drake.

PRIMETIME FOOD & SPIRITS SCORES AGAIN!  Unbelievably, with more than 15,000 players nationwide competing, the final two players left standing in the national championship happened to be from the same bar, Clay Lipke and Ryan Aldrich.  The same bar that produced the Minnesota Poker League runner up in last year's WSOP League contest, Troy Mattson.  Primetime Food & Spirits from Breezy Point, MN has now produced 3 WSOP entrants, including the league's first true National Champion, Clay Lipke. 

Clay came out on top, earning the coveted $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat in ADDITION to the $1,500 buy in seat he already earned. 

Minnesotans dominated the final with the top 3 players.

Read more for the play-by-play live blog from The Orleans Casino.

Mike Grote from the Underground Saloon in Hartford, WI took down the Wisconsin Championship to earn a $2500 package to Las Vegas! 

Doug Boles from the Doll House in Hammond was the runner up.  Doug earned an Ipod Nano and an entry to a $1000 cash freeroll (30 players or less).  

Thanks to all the players and bars who played in the Wisconsin region of the Free Poker Network. 

Photo Gallery Updated

Jeff Miller from Omaha (left in photo) and Stacy Stanford from North Platte survived the championship field to become the latest big winners in the Nebraska Poker League.