Schaefers & Belland Win $12K Main Event Packages in FPN Royal Court National Championship

There have been two Free Poker Community (FPN) champions on the Royal Court docket Nationwide Championship Predominant Occasion closing desk, nevertheless it was two new winners who emerged on the Golden Nugget Las Vegas as South Dakota’s Glenn Schaefers and Minnesota’s Steve Belland each received trophies and $12,000 packages to the World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) Predominant Occasion.

The pair navigated a closing desk that included champion Wendy Adamczyk D’Andrea (4th – $1,200) and two-time FPN winner Joel Smith (seventh – $800), in addition to third-place finisher Larry Sundberg ($2,500) trying to convey Billy’s Bar & Grill a fifth title.

There have been 333 qualifiers who made their approach to Las Vegas for the $50 buy-in Royal Court docket Nationwide Championship Predominant Occasion, which had a prize pool of $50,700 and $10,000 in thriller bounties.

Royal Court docket Nationwide Championship Predominant Occasion Closing Desk Outcomes

“20 Years of Onerous Work”

Schaefers, who PokerNews profiled earlier within the event, was the one participant within the subject who has performed FPN since its inception 20 years in the past.

“In 2009, it was at Harrah’s,” he informed PokerNews. “There was solely 25 gamers on the Nationwide. It’s like three tables. And now take a look at it.”

It was a candy, candy victory for Schaefers, who recalled nights strolling miles to The Thirsty Duck in Sioux Falls to play 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. tournaments.

“That is 20 years of arduous work!” Schaefers cheered after the victory.

Belland, who informed PokerNews he performs at bars all through Fargo, was additionally sentimental after the victory, suspending a winner’s photograph till somebody may convey his canine.

Royal Court docket Motion

Regardless of the quick construction, the cash bubble took its time to burst and solely did when Darren Weise open-jammed with a suited ace-king to be flipping in opposition to the pocket threes of D’Andrea. Weise flopped two playing cards of his swimsuit and picked up Broadway outs on the flip, however he whiffed all of it to be despatched dwelling exterior of the cash.

Motion picked up shortly after that among the many 27 remaining gamers and earlier than lengthy the occasion was all the way down to its final two tables. Carole Dole was the primary to exit on the final two tables by the hands of Smith, who adopted the knockout by eliminating Vince Holloway.

The elimination of Garth Courtney in tenth place introduced on the ultimate desk, which took almost an hour to lose a single participant. However the eliminations finally picked up, beginning with Suzzanne Barsaloux and Bonnie Bona.

Two-time champ Smith was subsequent to go as he fell in seventh place by the hands of Schaefers to be denied a 3rd title. The final remaining champion, D’Andrea, bowed out in fourth and was shortly adopted by Sundberg, who jammed queen-nine solely to be dominated by Belland’s ace-nine to disclaim back-to-back titles for Billy’s Bar & Grill.

That wraps up PokerNews’ protection of Royal Court docket Nationwide Championship Predominant Occasion. We can be again tomorrow with extra protection of the FPN festivities in Las Vegas.

2026 FPN Vegas Nationwide Championship Schedule

*Photographs courtesy Free Poker Community (FPN)

Connor Richards is a Senior Editor U.S. for PokerNews and host of the Life Exterior Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for 3 World Poker Awards for his writing.