On the 99th hand of final table play, Joyce Whitmore from Hope, ND capped off a surprising upset to become the first ever lady-champion in Dakota Poker League!  Joyce battled back from being shortstacked in the beginning of headsup play with Ross Ladwig (Slammers-Fargo) and at times  looked to be inevitable that she would take 2nd place...

"I can't believe it!" she said, completely shell-shocked and surprised at herself for going all the way against the record-setting field of players.

The tournament was free to play, and with her accomplishment, Joyce won a $10,000 entry to the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio in Las Vegas in July plus travel accommodations.  Runner up Ross Ladwig (who turned 21 in February) also won a trip to Las Vegas to play in a $1,500 buy in event at the World Series of Poker.  The 2007 WSOP is televised by ESPN and is by far the world's richest poker tournament.  Last year's winner earned $12 million for first place.  

The Dakota Poker League Championship tournament was the culmination of 12 weeks of free poker tournaments hosted at 88 participating bars across North & South Dakota.  To qualify for the tournament, players had to win their local championship or place in the top 20% to move on to a regional playoff qualifier.  

The end of the tournament completed a whirlwind of a day for Joyce and the rest of the players and spectators who gathered around to witness the incredible finish.  The final hand occurred at 12:30am.

Joyce played at the Pit Stop in Clifford, ND, a nice bar in a tiny town about 40 miles northwest of Fargo that averaged a good 36 players for the 12-week season.  She "scraped in" to qualify for the playoffs, just making the points on the final week of play to give her a 3 point advantage for the final qualifying spot from the Pit Stop.  She took advantage of her playoff opportunity by placing 5th at the Grand Forks regional to earn her seat in the main event.  Her good fortunes continued and she said she "never could imagine" winning the whole thing just before the beginning of final table play.

Ross Ladwig is excited about earning a trip to play in the WSOP but had his heart set on claiming the championship title and top prize.  He came about as close as you possibly can, having a commanding chip lead going into heads-up play.  The seesaw headsup battle concluded with Joyce having a commanding chip lead on the final hand.

The tournament started with 151 players from all over North & South Dakota and was hosted by Playmakers-The Venue, which offered a superb atmosphere for the event. 

2007 WSOP LEAGUE FINAL TABLE RESULTS
1st Place	Joyce Whitmore	Pit Stop	Clifford, ND
2nd	Ross Ladwig	Slammers	Fargo, ND
3rd	Scott Thompson	Hagge's	Mapleton, ND
4th	Ed Shypkoski	Champs	Dickinson, ND
5th	Thomas Eaglestaff	Midway Lanes	Mandan, ND
6th	Fred Ewoniuk	Champs	Dickinson, ND
7th	Leo Stein	Baby Boomers	Aberdeen, SD
8th	Ralph Matthews	Cando Bar	Cando, ND
9th	Tom Dallman	Alibi's	Beulah, ND
10th	Levi Haugenoe	Moose Lodge	Crosby, ND

The final table included two players (first cousins) from the same bar, Ed Shypkoski and Fred Ewoniuk who played at Champs in Dickinson.  The 2006 fall champion also hailed from Dickinson, Mike Schneider.

For Scott Thompson, it was his 4th championship appearance in the league.

For the live blog and play by play action, visit freepokernetwork.com.