{tab=10 WSOP Seats For MN}We are getting close the 14th Minnesota championship this weekend at the Hub in Fargo. It’s going to be a great time with 10 people from the state of Minnesota going to the World Series of Poker. There will be sit-n-go’s and freerolls for players that have busted and any spectators that would like to participate. With the big field there will be plenty of bad beat stories, suck outs, and coin flip situations happening left and right, it’s inevitable, but it makes for a great weekend of poker!! {tab=Former Champs}Two players will be competing to become the first players in Free Poker Network history to win their second championship. Back in 2005 Greg Anderson who qualified from the Stampede Saloon won our Bahamas event playing in a World Poker Tour event and stayed at the fabulous Atlantis Resort. Also Jeremy Heller playing out of Ruttles in 2006 won a seat into the main event at the World Series of Poker. {tab=Other Notable Players}There are some players in the field who have come close with some final table appearances. Jeremy Evans playing from Sanow’s Pub took 10th place in last years WSOP promotion. Denny Carey playing from Flicek’s took 9th place back in 2006 in a WPT 4 week event. Tim Holden from Skyline on Pepin took 9th place in our $10,000 2006 Summer Poker Challenge. Josh Lueck from Front Street Bar & Grill also has a final table appearance in the 2006 WSOP promotion. This will be Denny’s, Tim’s, and Josh’s fourth championship event. Other notables include five time championship qualifiers Clay Lipke with a final table appearance at the Last Chance event taking seventh place. Marcus Holm who is the number one and two point leader this promotion. Six time championship qualifiers Dave Chaput from Z103 who won a HPT seat in the 2006 Summer Poker Challenge, Shaun Steinbach from Z103 who made the Bahamas ’06 final table taking fourth, and Skip Wood out of the Moorhead VFW who is a champion double qualifier taking down both the leagues at the VFW.{tab=Joel Smith}And then there is Joel Smith who is a staple at all of the Minnesota championship events. This will be his ninth, yes ninth championship event. Joel qualified from Billy’s Corner Bar and already has two final table appearances taking 9th place at last years WSOP promotion and 2nd place at the Bahamas ’06 promotion loosing out to winner Bob Holappa when he ran into Bob’s pocket aces. Is this the year that Joel finally breaks the streak? Do we have our first ever two time champion? Or do the 156 people who have never made a championship event until this weekend have something to say about it? We'll find out soon!{/tabs}