On Friday, May 29th, 46 rebels reported for duty and marched bravely into battle for our May The Flop Be With You Tournament. The Empire was strong. The alliance was stronger. And in the corner, someone was definitely using the Force to see their opponents’ hole cards. We saw nothing. We said nothing. 👀
For hours, Jedi masters and Sith lords dueled until only eight remained. Who would be the one to bring balance to the force? Let’s find out!
Watch the full recap video below or continue reading to learn how the entire saga unfolded.
Mike Carreon vs. Dylan Brody – “I have a bad feeling about this…”
The opening skirmish didn’t waste any time. Dylan opened from under the gun, followed by Mike shoving all-in from the hijack position. The remaining players folded, and Dylan called. Mike tabled A♥️️T♦️️. Mike was a considerable favorite versus Dylan’s T♣️️9♣️️and poised for a double-up. Dylan, on the other hand, found my lack of faith disturbing.
The flop: 9♦️️5♠️️T♠️️. Top two-pair for Dylan! Looks like the force is strong with this one. The turn 5♦️️and river 8♥️️ would give both players two-pair, but Dylan’s tens and nines remained ahead. Mike “Nacho Plissken” Carreon, one of the most beloved figures in this galaxy, was eliminated in 8th place. The Rebellion pressed on. 🫡 WATCH🎦
Erwin Fraterman vs. Dylan Brody – “It’s a traaaaaap!”
At blinds of 15k-30k, Dylan raised to 90k from under the gun. Erwin, sitting directly behind him and staring at K♥️️K♠️️, did what any self-respecting Jedi would do: he shoved all-in. The rest of the table scattered like Jawas, and Dylan snap-called. Then Dylan revealed his cards… A♠️️A♥️️
Erwin could not believe his eyes. Pocket kings… against pocket aces. It’s like Luke learning the girl of his dreams was his sister all over again. What a bummer.
The board ran 3♣️️7♦️️9♣️️4♣️️J♥️️ — clean as a Stormtrooper’s aim is not — and Erwin “Dutchy” Fraterman was sent to the dark side in 7th place. WATCH🎦
Adam Saunders vs. Nick Stanton vs. Andrew Hill Newman – Can The Reigning Champ Defend His Title?
At blinds of 15k-30k, our March 2026 champion, Adam Saunders, found himself automatically all-in from the small blind for his remaining 7k with Q♠️️6♠️️. Nick Stanton limped the button with J♥️️9♠️️, Andrew Hill Newman checked his option in the big blind, and the two of them silently agreed to check it down and see what happened.
What happened was a board of 8♦️️6♦️️4♦️️4♠️️9♣️️ — a dangerous, diamond-heavy runway that ultimately paired Nick’s nine to give him a higher two pair, nines and fours, just edging out Adam’s sixes and fours. There would be no return for this Jedi. Adam “KGB” Saunders, our freshly-crowned champion, was dethroned in 6th place. WATCH🎦
Nick Stanton vs. Dylan Brody – These Are Not the Outs You’re Looking For
At blinds of 20k-40k, Nick Stanton moved all-in from the under the gun with A♥️️J♣️️ — a perfectly respectable hand, right up until Dylan looked down at A♣️️K♦️️ in the big blind and called faster than the Millennium Falcon doing the Kessel Run.
Unfortunately for Nick, the board ran 7♠️️6♠️️2♣️️Q♣️️9♦️️ — five cards that would stall anyone’s hyper drive from a miraculous escape. And thus, Nick was eliminated in 5th place, frozen in carbonite, and shipped to Jabba to repay his debts. WATCH🎦
Aelred Boyle vs. Andrew Hill Newman – “It’s over, Aelred. I have the high ground.”
At blinds of 30k-60k, Aelred shoved her last 75k from the cutoff with J♥️️8♥️️. Dylan and Eric folded faster than the Galactic Senate under Palpatine, leaving Andrew in the big blind to make an easy call with A♠️️J♠️️.
The flop of 9♠️️A♦️️3♦️️ put Andrew lightyears ahead with top pair. The turn of 8♦️️gave Aelred a glimmer of “A New Hope,” but the 7♥️️ on the river cemented her fate, eliminating her in 4th place. Not bad for a new recruit! Thanks for playing and we look forward to seeing you at the next battle! WATCH🎦
Eric Champnella vs. Andrew Hill Newman – The River Strikes Back
Three-handed now, and Eric Champnella came out firing from the button at 30k-60k, moving all-in with K♠️️T♦️️. Andrew called from the big blind with J♣️️T♣️️ — dominated, sure, but to quote Han Solo, “Never tell me the odds!”
The flop: 9♣️️Q♥️️4♠️️. Open-ended straight draw for Andrew! Suddenly, it was anyone’s game.
The turn: 5♥️️. No change. Only an eight or king could eliminate Eric. But what’s this? Andrew called in reinforcements!
The river… 8♥️️! Andrew’s straight was a direct hit to Eric’s chip stack, blowing it to pieces like the Death Star.. or the second Death Star… or Starkiller Base (can we get a new plot around here?!). Eric exits in 3rd place. WATCH🎦
Dylan Brody vs. Andrew Hill Newman – The Rematch of the Galaxy
Not so long ago, in a tournament not so far away… These two played heads-up for the championship. That was September 2025. Dylan won. Andrew plotted his revenge.
Would history repeat itself? Or could Andrew redeem himself? The galaxy waited. 🌌
At blinds of 30k-60k, they got it all-in preflop with Andrew at risk. Andrew tabled A♣️️6♥️️. Dylan flipped over A♥️️9♣️️. With Dylan leading, will this story be the same as before or finally have a new ending?
The flop: T♠️️A♦️️K♥️️. A pair of aces for both players, but Dylan’s nine still had Andrew’s six outkicked. The turn: 5♣️️. No help. Andrew needed a six to win outright, or a king, queen, jack, ten, or five to chop. Andrew summoned all his force powers and called upon every Jedi that came before him. “Help me Obi-wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”
Obi-wan appeared as a force ghost, gazed at Andrew with reassurance, then declared… “You are NOT the chose one.” The river: 8♣️️.
And just like that, Dylan Brody, the winningest player in WGA Poker Group history, broke his own record to become a 4x WGA Poker Group champion! 🏆🏆🏆🏆 Ewoks and droids alike danced the “Yub Nub” as Dylan raised the championship mug in victory once again! Win or win not, there is no try. WATCH🎦
Here is a summary of the tournament results. Congrats to all our finalists! 🎉
1st – Dylan “Tweed” Brody 👑
2nd – Andrew “Fell Off A” Hill Newman
3rd – Eric Champnella
4th – Aelred Boyle
5th – Nick Stanton
6th – Adam “KGB” Saunders
7th – Erwin “Dutchy” Fraterman
8th – Mike “Nacho Plissken” Carreon
9th – Herbert “Herb” Moran
10th – Cheryl “Chery” Guerriero
11th – Mike “Boston Mike” Schaub
A massive thank you to my wife, Nichole, for helping run the tournament at 35 weeks pregnant. If that’s not Jedi-level dedication, nothing is. You are a superstar. 🙏⭐
Also, thank you to Jay Moriarty and the Burbank Moose Lodge for their continued support and hospitality, and to our incredible dealers who kept the galaxy running smoothly all night: Grant Taylor, Andrew Hill Newman, Miller Tai, Ross Lazar, and Adam Cole. This is the way. 🤠
Please stay tuned for updates via Facebook and the e-newsletter, and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
The next WGA Poker Group saga is set for Friday, July 24th. Until then, enjoy these photos and may the force be with you!
P.S. The bonus question from the RSVP form that asked ‘Would you rather make out with Jabba the Hutt? Or spend a long and cold night inside the rotting corpse of a tauntaun for shelter?’ was overwhelmingly in favor of tauntaun – 25 votes to 11. Poor Jabba, I guess he’ll never find love…
