Dive in. Stack Chips. Surface a Legend.
Get ready for SWIM with the SHARKS! Think you've got what it takes to Swim With The Sharks? Players will compete in FPN's National Championship Series for a chance to win a $12,000 POKER CRUISE PACKAGE GRAND PRIZE -or- VEGAS POKER PACKAGE!
PLUS! FALL & WINTER SEASON CHAMPIONSHIPS - where the Top 15% players compete for even MORE cash & prizes!
Every hand counts. Every tournament matters. Will you rise to the top and make your mark in FPN history?
WHERE TO PLAY
Join in on free-to-play competitive poker league action at participating locations across the Free Poker Network. Play in weekly games to earn points and prizes. It's easier than ever to qualify for a seat in the National Championship Series. If you do not have a game in your area, start one up! Contact dana@fpngaming.com to get started.
HOW TO QUALIFY
The first step in earning a seat in the SWIM with the SHARKS National Championship Series is to PLAY FREE POKER at a participating location near you.
New players: Step 1 is to register -> JOIN/LOGIN now! It's 100% free, and your contact information will NEVER be shared. Registration is REQUIRED to earn points, invites, and rewards. And don't forget to add your mailing address and T-shirt size to receive physical prizes from FPN!
Climb the Leaderboard
- Top 3 Players in EVERY GAME receive an invite/ticket to play in the Weekly Nat'l Qualifier
- Top 20% Players in the Monthly leaderboard receive an invite/ticket to play in the Monthly Nat'l Qualifier
- Top 10% Season players earn a seat in the SWIM with the SHARKS Nat'l Championship Series
- Top 15% Season players earn a seat in the Season Championship (Fall & Winter) for a chance to win grand prize poker packages.
- Winners of regular-season tournaments earn a seat in the local venue's Tournament of Champions (multi-table format leagues only) - at the end of the promotion (April/May 2026). The winner earns the TOC Medallion, and a seat in the National Championship Series, and a $200 Travel Rebate.
- Scratch Poker - regular season winners in each game earn a Scratch Poker card for a chance to win INSTANTLY!
Earn the League Champ & TOC Medallions + Travel Rebates
OVERALL POINTS Leaders for the SEASON at each location earn the League Champ Medallion and a seat in the SWIM with the SHARKS Nat'l Championship Series for a chance to compete for the $12,000 POKER CRUISE -or- VEGAS POKER PACKAGE GRAND PRIZE. Qualify multiple times to run up your stack!
Winners throughout the promotion earn seats to each league's in-house Tournament of Champions (TOC). The TOC is a special bonus tournament that runs at the end of the final regular season of the promotion (expect these tournaments to run in April/May 2026). No matter how far out you might be in the season standings, you've always got a chance to come through the TOC right up to the final week of the last season! The TOC winner at each location earns the coveted TOC Medallion, a seat in the Swim With the Sharks National Championship Series, and a $200 Travel REBATE, which can be redeemed at Nationals! (multi-table format participating leagues only)
Weekly & Monthly National Qualifiers
- WEEKLY - Top 3 players in each game earn an invite/ticket to the Weekly Nat'l Qualifier hosted on PlayFPN.online every Sunday 4 pm CST. The overall winner earns a Seat in the Swim With the Sharks Nat'l Championship Series plus $200 Travel Rebate. Top 10 players all advance to the Monthly qualifier as well.
- MONTHLY—The top 20% of players on the Monthly Leaderboards earn an invite/ticket to the Monthly National Qualifier, where the top 5 finishers earn seats in the Swim With the Sharks Nat'l Championship Series, plus $1,100 worth of Travel Rebates.
PLUS! The Top 15% players in each leaderboard (each season, Fall & Winter) earn an invitation to play in the SEASON Championship, for a chance to win Poker Cruise Packages -or- Vegas Poker Packages (TBA).
NAT'L QUALIFIER SCHEDULE:
Note: Invites can be used for any corresponding tournament during the promotion. All invites expire at the end of the promotion.
Weekly National Qualifier Series starting Sunday, October 19th at 4 pm CST and every Sunday thereafter, with the last tournament in the series on April 12, 2026. The winner earns a Seat in the National Championship Series plus a $200 Travel Rebate.
Monthly Nat'l Qualifier Series - Sundays at Noon CST - Top 5 earn Seats, plus $1,100 in Travel Rebates
- Sunday, November 23, 2025, 12 pm CST
- Sunday, December 21, 2025, 12 pm CST
- Sunday, January 25, 2026, 12 pm CST
- Sunday, February 22, 2026, 12 pm CST
- Sunday, March 29, 2026,12 pm CST
- Sunday, April 26, 2026, 12 pm CST
SEASON CHAMPIONSHIPS
Fall and Winter Championships give players a chance to win Poker Cruise -or- Vegas Poker Packages on PlayFPN.online.
The top 15% players from the League Leaderboards earn a direct invitation!
FALL CHAMPIONSHIP
- WHEN: Sunday, February 8, 2026, at 12:00 PM CST (Noon)
WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP
- WHEN: Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 12:00 PM CST (Noon)
WHERE: PlayFPN.online
Prizes:
1st Place: Poker Cruise Package -or- Vegas Poker Package *TBA*
Runner Up: $500 Travel Rebate
3rd Place: $300 Travel Rebate
4th Place: $200 Travel Rebate
5th – 9th Place: $100 Travel Rebate each
Poker Cruise -or- Vegas Poker Packages are non-transferable. Restrictions may apply. For booking assistance, contact FPN at Dana@fpngaming.com.
How to play qualifiers? How to Use ticket codes to play FPN qualifiers | Play FPN.online FAQ
PlayFPN.Online Leagues - League Play Online! *Free to Play*
- Friday Night Free-for-All League (2 tournaments - no membership required)
- Website: PlayFPN.Online (note: separate registration/login)
- VIP Members: access to weekly leagues, including the Sunday Night VIP League, which awards $200 Travel Rebate
- Seasonal Tournament of Champions combines all online leagues
- Online Leaderboards -> PlayFPN.Online Leaderboards
Scratch Poker cards & Bonus Drawings
Even if you're not a regular, you can still earn seats to the National Championship by getting LUCKY!
Scratch Poker cards - Winners of each game earn a Scratch Poker card for a chance to win instantly! Scratch off 7 cards from the 52 available, if you scratch a Four-of-a-kind or better you instantly win a seat in the Clash of Kings & Queens Nat'l Championship Main Event!
Perfect Attendance Drawings - every month we draw a random player from the database for a Seat in the National Championship! To qualify, the player must have perfect attendance (live play only) during the previous month (played all games available at any particular venue).
2-Pair-or-Better Drawings - Scratch Poker cards that reveal 2-pair-or-better are eligible for monthly drawing (send to: FPN Inc 4151 38th St S, Ste C, Fargo ND 58104). If you get SUPER lucky and scratch off a straight flush or royal flush, win an additional $200 or $1,000 CASH!
Bonus Events
FPN sponsors various bonus opportunities at charitable poker tournaments, including the Dakota Poker Tour and Rough Rider Poker Tour events. If charitable tournaments are regulated in your area, feel free to inquire!
Qualify AGAIN and AGAIN to Earn More Chips!
Once you qualify for the FPN Nat'l Championship, you're going to want to continue playing! Each time you qualify, you'll receive BONUS starting chips in the final (up to 4x max pre-Vegas). Keep crushing to give yourself the best chance for success in Vegas!
YouTube - Live Stream Events
FPN'S SWIM with the SHARKS Nat'l Championship Main Event will be broadcast on LIVE STREAM on the Free Poker Network Youtube channel which now has over 1,000 subscribers! Please "like" & "subscribe"!!
Attention Hosts!
Posters, table tents, a player info flyer, and Scratch Poker cards have been mailed out. Links to all documents, graphics, and print-ready files are now available in the shared Google Drive within the League Manager backend.
For questions, please submit a Support Ticket, and we’ll be happy to guide you to your next step.
PlayFPN.online - Frequently Asked Questions
Your playfpn.online account is different and separate from your FPN account. You must create a new account on the playfpn.online website
Q: I Don't See an FPN Tab in the Lobby?
Answer: usually the reason a player will not see the FPN tab is due to the original registration on the site being from a different referrer (or perhaps directly on NLOP.com). The fix is to email support@nlop.com and request that you your account be linked to FPN as the referrer. NLOP support is generally very good at responding to these requests.
Q: Where do I find my Invite/Ticket/Code?
Answer: Players receive ticket/codes directly by internal notification on the freepokernetwork.com website. In order to see these notifications, you must be logged in to the site. After logging and you still don't see any invite/codes, it's possible that your original player account was created by your host without properly verification. To resolve issues with your login/account, please submit a support ticket.
Q: Where do I enter my code?
Answer: Enter code received (ALL CAPS) in the "Redeem a Promo Code" 
Q: How do I play the Weekly/ Monthly tournaments?
Answer: To register for the tournament, first log into your FreePokerNetwork.com account. Once you're logged in, click on the notification bell icon to view any updates or codes. Copy the code provided in the notifications. Next, go to playfpn.online in a new browser tab. Paste the copied code into the redeem promo code section, then click on the FPN tab to access the tournament registration page. Finally, complete the registration by clicking the registration button. This process will ensure you're signed up for the tournament.
Q: I'm using an Apple device and can't find where to enter my code?
Answer: “Redeem Promo Code” is not available on the Apple mobile application. The solution is to sign in to our mobile friendly site at this link: https://poker.nlop.com/login
Q: Why did my code disappear?
Answer: This usually means you have claimed the code and just need to register for the desired tournament
Q: Why was I kicked out of the tournament after registering, and why can't I get back in? I received an error message stating "already registered, check-in failure."
Answer: To get back to the game, the player must sign back into the poker application then click on the "Active Games" link at the top of the page. A list will appear with all active games in which they are currently participating, then select the game from there and keep on.
Q: How can I play the Sunday VIP and Weekly games if it says "registration failure" and "Oops! You aren't eligible for this tourney"?
Answer: To Play these games, you need a membership. You can purchase a membership by clicking on the shop tab and selecting the desired membership.
Weekly & Monthly National Qualifiers
- WEEKLY - Top 3 players in each game earn an invite/ticket to the Weekly Nat'l Qualifier hosted on PlayFPN.online every Sunday 4 pm CST. The overall winner earns a Seat in the Swim With the Sharks Nat'l Championship Main Event plus $200 Travel Rebate. The top 10 players all advance to the Monthly qualifier.
- MONTHLY—The top 20% of players on the Monthly Leaderboards earn an invite/ticket to the Monthly National Qualifier, where the top 5 finishers earn seats in the Swim With the Sharks Nat'l Championship Main Event, plus $1,100 worth of Travel Rebates.
PLUS! The Top 15% players in each leaderboard (each season, Fall & Winter) earn an invitation to play in the SEASON Championship, for a chance to win Exclusive Poker Packages.
NAT'L QUALIFIER SCHEDULE:
Note: Invites can be used for any corresponding tournament during the promotion period. All invites expire at the end of the promotion.
Weekly - Sundays at 4 pm CST - Winner earns Seat in Nat'l Championship PLUS $200 Travel Rebate
Monthly - Sundays at Noon CST -
- Sunday November 12pm CST
- Sunday December 12pm CST
- Sunday January, 12pm CST
- Sunday February, 2025 12pm CST
- Sunday March 21, 2025 12pm CST
- Sunday April 12pm CST
(Top 5 earn Seats, plus $1,100 in Travel Rebates)
SEASON CHAMPIONSHIPS
Fall and Winter Championships give players a chance to win Exclusive Poker Packages on PlayFPN.online.
The top 15% players from the League Leaderboards earn an invitation!
FALL CHAMPIONSHIP
- WHEN: Sunday,Jan/ February 12:00 PM CST (Noon)
WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP
- WHEN: Sunday, April/May 12:00 PM CST (Noon)
Prizes:
1st Place: Poker Package
Runner Up: $500 Travel Rebate
3rd Place: $300 Travel Rebate
4th Place: $200 Travel Rebate
5th – 9th Place: $100 Travel Rebate each
Poker Packages are non-transferable. Restrictions may apply. For booking assistance, contact FPN at Dana@fpngaming.com.
How to play qualifiers? How to Use ticket codes to play FPN qualifiers | Play FPN.online FAQ
PlayFPN Online Leagues - Free to Play
Note: codes for Weekly or Monthly can be used for any corresponding tournament in the promotion. Codes expire at the end of the promotion (see schedule).
For more details with screenshots: How to Use ticket codes to play FPN qualifiers
Did you know? FPN hosts online leagues 6 days a week, with all the benefits of regular league play (Medallions, Invites, etc). The online leagues have a combined league format for TOC on a seasonal basis. Membership on playfpn.online is required to play the online leagues (with the exception of the Friday Free-For-All League).
- Friday Night Free-for-All League (2 tournaments - no membership required)
- Website: PlayFPN.Online (note: separate registration/login)
- VIP Members: access to weekly leagues, including the Sunday Night VIP League, which awards $200 Travel Rebate
- Seasonal Tournament of Champions combines all online leagues
- Online Leaderboards -> PlayFPN.Online Leaderboards