"What Happens in Vegas, Starts in Vergas!"

What an unforgettable weekend at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas! From January 9th-12th, players from across the country gathered to compete in the Desert DASH-for-CASH $100K National Championship, which saw over $130,000 in cash and prizes be awarded to those who attended. The event included six (6) entertaining qualifiers, including Mystery Bounty events, WPT $5k Passport, Bar Championship & Tag Team Championship. Three of the events were live-streamed on the FPN YouTube channel.

The highlight of the weekend was the $100K Main Event, which saw a record-breaking 404 qualifiers compete for $100,000 in cash and prizes, including $10,000 in Mystery Bounties. To start the Main Event, Lester Hauglid (pictured right) was recognized as the overall chip leader with 100k starting stack, and for this accomplishment was awarded the title of Dash Master and $500 cash.

In the end, Marion Massmann from Billy’s Corner Bar and Grill in Minnesota triumphed, taking home $25,000 Cash and the prestigious FPN National Championship Trophy. Marion’s win marked the third year in a row that a Billy’s Corner Bar player has claimed an FPN National Championship trophy – truly an incredible streak!

Marion's victory was made even more special by the unwavering support of her poker group from Billy's Corner Bar & Grill. Their cheers filled the Golden Nugget ballroom, proudly wearing matching shirts that read, "What Happens in Vegas, Starts in Vergas." And it proved to be true as Marion clinched the championship! Marion is also a regular player at The Salty Pickle, The Dougout Bar & Grill.

In the winner's interview, Marion shared that her kids were watching via Live Stream and cheering her on. Despite being down to under 1,700 chips at one point, she staged an incredible comeback, ultimately securing the top spot with over 10 million chips in play.

Marion earned multiple stacks for the Desert DASH-for-CASH National Championship Event, including a $200 travel voucher throughout the Spring and Summer seasons of the contest. This win adds to her impressive poker resume, as she also took home the top prize at the commemorative 20th Anniversary Poker Raid at Granite Bowl back in October.

Final Table:
1st – Marion Massmann (MN) – $25,000
2nd – Skyler Sand (ND) – $15,000
3rd – Fred Morales (IN) – $8,100
4th – Elisabeth Walker (MN) – $5,000
5th – John Ford (PA) – $4,300
6th – Suzzanne Barsaloux (IL) – $3,400
7th – Joe Manno (IL) – $2,600
8th – Wendy Adamczyk-D'Aandrea (IL) – $2,170
9th – Sue Liskunas (IL) – $1,7501

All Payouts:
10th – Linda Amarant (KY) – $1,000
11th – Eduardo Torres (IL) – $1,000
12th – Jim Green (NE) – $1,000
13th – Hillary Lincourt (NY) – $1,000
14th –Edgar Leyva (ND) – $1,000
15th – Jessica Peca (TX) – $1,000
16th – Dale Schuman (NV) – $1,000
17th – Michael Smith (IL) – $1,000
18th – Clyde Johnson (MN) – $1,000
19th –Cole Stone (IL) – $800
20th – Phil Davis (NV) –$800
21th – Stacey Rivera (TX) – $800
22th – Jon Christensen (ND) – $800
23th – Josh Dahlstrom (ND) – $800
24th –Mark Blackwood (NV) – $800
25th –Cynthia Alcarez (IL) – $800
26th –Justin Page (MN) – $800
27th – Steve Bufflap (DE) – $800 (DE)
28th –Christopher Graves (MN) – $720
29th – Lester Hauglid (MN) – $720
30 – Luciano Ciaranca (DE) – $720
31 – Donald Henry (IL) – $720
32 – Christopher Waszczyk (IL) – $720
33 – Gary Lance (DE) – $720
34 – Loren Kmett (MN) – $720
35 – Darren Wiese (MN) – $720
36 – Lysandray Ybarra (CO) – $720
+ $10,000 in Mystery Bounties

Top Mystery Bounties
Randy Hutton (MN) – $1500
Chip Rumshas (IL) – $1000

Live report on Pokernews.com -> https://www.pokernews.com/tours/fpn/2025-fpn-desert-dash-for-cash/main-event/

Event Breakdown:

Thursday, Jan 9: Qualifier #1 with $1500 in bounties, Top 15% advanced & Qualifier #2 won a WPT $5000 Passport. Final table qualified for the main event with $1800 cash.
Friday, Jan 10: Qualifier #3 with $1500 in bounties, Top 15% advanced & Bar Trophy Event Qualifier #4. Final table advanced with championship Tag Team Trophy Belts and $3,000 cash prizes.
Saturday, Jan 11: Mega Qualifier #5, Top 25% advanced & Tag Team Championship Qualifier #6, final table advanced with $3,000 in cash prizes.
Sunday, Jan 12: Main Event – where qualifiers brought their hard-earned chipstacks to compete for the top cash prize and FPN trophy. $100,000 cash prizes awarded to top 36 players, including $10,000 in Mystery Bounties throughout the tournament.

It was an incredible weekend of poker, camaraderie, and competition, and we couldn’t have done it without all of you. Congratulations once again to Marion Massmann and all of our top finishers! A big thank you to everyone who participated, cheered us on, and made this event truly special. We look forward to seeing you all at the FPN 20th Anniversary Royal Court Championship in January – stay tuned for more information from the Free Poker Network!

Live Stream:Replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-u1F_w-Fl0 (Special thank you to all that clicked Like and Subscribe! We are getting closer to our goal of 1,000 subscribers - now over 700!)

Interview with Marion Massman: https://www.youtube.com/live/L-u1F_w-Fl0?feature=shared&t=22617

Marion Massman from Billy's Corner Bar Wins National Championship and $25,000 Cash