Nikki Smith from Henning MN Wins the Weekly National Qualifier

By Dana Castaneda | Jun 29, 2026 4:15 PM
NA

Ms. Smith has done it again! Nikki Smith, your reigning 2026 Nationals Tag Team Champion, outlasted a massive field of 148 players to capture the Weekly National Qualifier title on Sunday, June 28, 2026.

Hailing from Henning, MN, Nikki is not only an incredible player but also a true "hostess with the mostest." When she isn't busy dominating the felt, you can find her hosting or playing at Billy's Corner Bar & Grill, Bell's Resort Bar & Grill, The Salty Pickle, The Dougout Bar & Grill

To secure the WIN, Nikki had to defeat her own husband, two-time National Champion Joel Smith. While Nikki has a deep passion and love for the game, we secretly think beating her husband might just be her favorite guilty pleasure!

With this win, Nikki adds to her Captain's Table National Championship stack. Nikki also secured a maximum 40,000 chip stack heading into the upcoming Swim with the Sharks National Championship.

Weekly Qualifier Top 9 Finalists

Congratulations to the rest of the final table, who also put on a spectacular performance:

2nd: Tabatha Fulk (Tabitha24) – Rushville, IN
3rd: Tom Anderson (TA-6) – Norfolk, NE
4th: Neftali Ocasio (Nefster) – Justice, IL
5th: Joshua Dahlstrom (All_In_Josh) – West Fargo, ND
6th: Ogechukwu Okoye (11Sweeper19) – Aurora, CO
7th: Chad Slager (Slag20) – Dent, MN
8th: Jeffrey Kochersperger (Killeralf) – Louisville, KY
9th: Ronald Sims (ronhound56) – Scottsbluff, NE

How to Qualify

Want your shot at glory? The top three players from EVERY regular-season game earn a free entry into the Weekly National Qualifier. Players receive an automatic notification to their profile account on freepokernetwork.com as soon as the tournament host finalizes and locks the results. This notification includes your official entry ticket/code.

Note: To receive all eligible benefits and prize notifications, your host must enter your verified player account into tournaments. If your host created your account for you, it is likely unverified, meaning you could be missing out on crucial FPN notifications and prizes. For any account issues, please submit a Support Ticket so we can get it resolved for you!