Team Wilburn/Sneed Wins FPN Tag Team Championship
The 2024 Free Poker Network Tag Team Championship has come to an end and it was the team of Phil Wilburn and Darren Sneed that took home the championship belts and the top prize of $1,500.
Wilburn and Sneed came into the final table with the second smallest chip stack, and they fell to just one big blind before the team rallied back for the win. They outlasted 162 teams on their way to victory.
The pair are followed in second by Mike Yoder and Marla Smith, who did most of the heavy lifting at the final table before bowing out in second. Jamieson Smith and Becky Ogrodny finished third and the team of Eugene and Boyd Brandsrud ran to fourth place, while John Zellich and Jeff Kochersperger rounded out the top five teams.
FPN Tag Team Championships Final Table Results
| Rank | Team | Poker Club | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Wilburn - Darren Sneed | Mr. G's & Joe's Older Than Dirt (KY) | $1,500 |
| 2 | Mike Yoder - Marla Smith | Palet Bar (NE) | $800 |
| 3 | Jamieson Smith - Becky Ogrodny | DC Cobbs & Mugs n' Manor (IL) | $300 |
| 4 | Eugene Brandsrud - Boyd Brandsrud | Woody's (SD) | $200 |
| 5 | John Zellich - Jeff Kochersperger | Mr. G's (KY) | $200 |
| 6 | Chad Holloway - Connor Richards | PokerNews | $200 |
| 7 | Catherine Stuart - Theresa Carlson | Stillins (IL) | $200 |
| 8 | Sam Jacob - Jim Perugini | 6 Paupers (DE) | $200 |
| 9 | Russ Neil - Al Buhr | Across the Trax (NE) | $200 |
“Phil and I met up a few weeks ago and we got in a heads-up game,” Sneed said in a post-win interview. “So we decided to be tag team partners. We told each other to play our game and that’s what we’ve done.”
Sneed and Wilburn are from Louisville where they grind the local bar poker scene.
“We have a ton of fun playing," Sneed continued. "The community is phenomenal, not just in Louisville, but all over. Everyone’s been great. And I’ve got my wife who has been behind me 100%. She’s my lucky charm."
Final Table Highlights
A bumper crop of 162 teams turned out and played down to the final nine, where Team Brandsrud entered with the chip lead and Connor Richards followed close behind in second, representing Chad Holloway and Team PokerNews.
It didn’t take long to get the first final table elimination when Russ Neil shoved his last 37,000 with pocket sevens on behalf of his partner, Al Buhr. Neil found two callers, Zellich and Yoder, and it was Zellich’s pocket queens that held on to eliminate the pair in ninth place.
When the final eight returned from the first break. Yoder surrendered a double to Sneed when he called a shove with the suited queen-jack. Sneed turned over pocket deuces and found another one on the turn to stay alive on the road to victory.
The team of Sam Jacob and Jim Perugini were next to go in eighth place when Jacob shoved with king-nine and Yoder called with king-ten. Jacob danced for good luck but it wasn’t enough to stay in the tournament when the board ran out with no help.
Catherine Stuart and Theresa Carlson were next to go in seventh place when their king-five was no good against Wilburn’s suited ace-six. A few moments later, PokerNews’ own Richards, a fan favorite, saw his chance with a suited king-deuce and Yoder called his shove with king-queen. Holloway looked on as his partner couldn’t catch up to avoid the sixth-place exit.
Zellich and Kochersperger were next in fifth when their pocket sixes ran into Yoder’s pocket tens. Yoder picked up yet another knockout before Team Brandsrud hit the door in fourth place after their queen-ten couldn’t beat the pocket queens of Smith.
The quick pace continued when Smith and Ogrodny were out in third a short time later after their queen-ten lost to Sneed’s suited ace five. The final two teams sat down for heads-up play and Wilburn/Sneed had a significant advantage.
The heads-up battle was short, and although Yoder fought back briefly, the big moment came when he got it in with king-jack. Sneed called with king-seven and found a seven on the turn to take the championship belts.
All nine duos have qualified for Sunday’s Main Event, which will kick off at 10 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom at Golden Nugget. Be sure to return to PokerNews for live coverage of the event throughout the day.