Largest Nertz Group In the World!

United States - The following is a statement from the NNA:

"The National Nertz Association is now the largest Nertz group in the world. 900 members may not be saying much but, in this case, it counts for a lot considering the game's obscure conception.

Most Nertz players find playnertz.com but do not join. It is almost impossible to determine recruitment statistics but if we were to estimate it we would say 1 out of 20 Nertz players join the NNA after finding out about them. One thing we know is that Nertz players are out there and the game is spreading.

Nertz players tend to welcome as many people as they can fit into a Nertz game and that is the same mentality the NNA has taken with its membership. The more members we have, the more possibility of excitement and greater level of fun may be had.

Here is a link to some stats on the NNA: http://nertzfan.xanga.com/

It is still our goal to host national in-person Nertz tournaments in cities across the U.S. That goal is solely dependent upon what direction this game's popularity goes.

If you have an idea for the NNA, just let us know. Post a comment below.

Simple Way To Keep Nertz Alive!

Join our main group on Facebook. Invite all of your friends, because you may not even know that they play Nertz. Join the followers list on this blog. Take pictures and videos the next time you play Nertz and post them in our group. Get some Nertz merchandise and display the merchandise with pride. Play in NNA online tournaments. Host you own in-person tournaments and post information about them in our group. Post some of your Nertz stories and experiences on our group's wall or in our forums. Let your friends and family know about Nertz and the National Nertz Association."

Rookie, Katie, Wins Big and Cleans Up!

United States - Aaron Whitcomb, Natasha Rene Stafford, Katie McClain, and champion, Meg Holko, sat down for a title match on Sunday night that lasted nine hands. The list of finalists consisted of three veterans and one rookie and it was the rookie that would earn the title of MEGA-Nertz Open Champion.

NNA005 Final Table Scores>>>
Full Tournament Bracket>>>

To start, the champ, Meg, quickly got down to business winning the first two hands on back-to-back Nertz calls. However, her lead dwindled when she was set in the 3rd hand by a Nertz call from Natasha. Natasha didn't just set Meg, but she also set Aaron and Katie making a full table set.

Katie, currently tied in second place at the start of hand #4, took the lead with a 20-point Nertz call after claiming the 4th. Katie followed that call with another Nertz call, this time acquiring 27 points(a game high) in the 5th . Katie was quickly set in the 6th by the champ, Meg. Then, 13 points off of the leader, Katie, made another Nertz call completing her second back-to-back, which had pulled her 1 point away from the lead.

Katie, sensing the champs pressure, asserted herself in the 8th with a 19-point Nertz. She now had a total of 92 points and only needed 8 points for the victory. Well, in the 9th, Katie more than closed things out with a 19-point full table set that secured her place in Nertz history.

The NNA crowned Katie "The MEGA-Nertz Open Online Champion". But the accolades don't stop there. Katie also received the "Rookie of the Tournament" award. And she also had the hand high for the tournament(37) in which she will receive an "Official Nertz Scoring Pad". Aside from the 2nd and 3rd place prizes, which would be impossible to obtain by winning the tournament, Katie won every prize available in this tournament. Her prize pouch will include an invitation to the "2009 Tournament of Champions", a "Nertz Champion" T-Shirt, and a free copy of the "Nerts High Speed Card Game" software. But that is just for winning the this tournament, there's more! As mentioned before, Katie receives the "Official Nertz Scoring Pad" from her tournament hand high, as well as, an "I Love Nertz" bumper sticker for winning the "Rookie of the Tournament" award. Her goal may have been to win all the prizes possible in this tournament, but all of the prideful tournament players that played in this tournament really only wanted one thing... : To go down in Nertz history as the first MEGA-Nertz Open Online Champion in history.

Meg placed 2nd in this tournament while Natasha placed 3rd. They both will be receiving copies of the "Nerts High Speed Card Game" as well.

New Rankings:

Out of the 9 rookies that played, 6 of them busted into the top 20 in the NNA Player Rankings. Katie went from being un-ranked to being ranked 2nd only having two-time champ, Sara Paseka in front of her. Meg only fell one spot but raised her player ranking with her outstanding play in this tournament. Brock Ellis moved down 6 places but Mallory Holko moved up three into 11th on the list. Natasha also made a leap moving from 10th to 7th, which landed her just behind her arch-nemesis, Aaron Whitcomb who is now 6th on the list.

The NNA wants to thank all of the tournament participants from every online tournament this year. The inception of the NNA Online Nertz Tournament System has been very successful. Everyone is looking forward to future NNA tournaments whether they are live/in-person tournaments or online tournaments.

2-Time Champ Battles In Thriller!

United States - Three of the four veterans made it to play in the ACEG MEGA semifinal match. 2-time champ Sara Paseka and veterans Aaron Whitcomb and Natasha Rene Stafford went at one another for 9 hands. Brock Ellis wasn't available for tonight's hardcore exhibition of talent.

ACEG Semifinal Bracket Scores>>>
Full Tournament Bracket>>>

Sara started the match with a 20-point Nertz that put her out in front. Aaron countered in the second with a 27-point Nertz. This only moved him into second place as Sara remained in first with 20 points of her own in the 2nd. Natasha stuck a blow in the 3rd with a 22-point Nertz, which resulted a place swap with Aaron, while Sara, still in 1st place, inched closer the 100-point mark.

In the 4th, Aaron then traded places again with Natasha moving himself back into second place after a 28-point Nertz, while Sara continued her march to the finish after yet another 20-point tally. At that point the scores read as follows: Sara 74, Aaron 63, and Natasha 55.

Sara was within striking distance, but the feud between Natasha and Aaron was starting to heat up. Aaron was bested by Natasha in the second round by only two points. This time Aaron was determined not to let Natasha beat him. However, Natasha, currently in 3rd place, wasn't about to let Aaron get the best of her this time either.

Sara continued the match unaware that the magnitude of her opponent's rivalry would have such an impact on her tournament life. Natasha quickly made back-to-back Nertz calls pulling herself back into second place just 1 point away from the leader, Sara.

Aaron didn't waste anytime in the 7th hand calling Nertz and making a full table set which put him in the lead. In a volley-like fashion, Natasha returned Aarons Nertz call with her own full table set in the 8th.

The ninth hand would prove to be the last of the match. All three vets had a chance to take it. But who wanted it the most? It just so happened that 2 of them did take it. Aaron's and Natasha's rivalry fueled them both to play any and every card they could in the 9th hand up until a Nertz call was made. It was Aaron who ended up calling Nertz but much to everyone's surprise, he did not solely posses the highest match score. Natasha tied with Aaron at 101 points to end the match as both players further solidified their places as arch nemeses.

The 2-time champ, Sara, fell just short of advancing to her 4th final appearance. She had a dominating second round match in which she won in only 4 hands. Sara will be plotting her revenge having already preregistered for the next NNA tournament. It is unlikely that Sara will fall from the #1 spot in the tournament ranking due to both her quality performances in this tournament and her previous ones...especially the ones in which she captured 2 titles.





Final Preview:

Aaron and Natasha will face Katie and Meg in the Finals of the MEGA-Nertz Open. Meg Holko, the only champion remaining in this tournament, has the lowest PPG average of all the finalist. That may not be a factor, due to Meg's experience in the finals.

Meg beat Aaron Whitcomb in the finals of the NNA004 tournament. However, rookie Katie McClain just put a beat down on Meg along with another tournament champion in the same match.

In addtion, Natasha Rene Stafford beat Aaron W. in her second round match after advancing on a "bye", so we know she can beat a champ-beater.

Aaron is looking to be the first male ever to win a NNA online tournament. He has taken down the 2-time champ twice in his tournament life.

Katie isn't perfect in her 1st tournament appearance despite her impressive stats. She did lose to rookie Josh Consalvo in her second round match. Katie still currently holds the tournament hand high in which she will be awarded a prize for if it stands. She is also a strong favorite in the "Rookie of the Tournament" running. If her record holds, a victory in the final would likely earn all four tournament prizes. A truly magnanimous feat. However, the veterans in this final will do everything they can to prevent this from happening.

The final match-ups look to be extremely close in talent. All of the finalists have the skill, but it will be about who executes when it counts. We will see next week who can execute!

Katie Owns In Semifinal!

United States - Simply put, Katie McClain put a beat down on two Nertz champions and one promising rookie. It was over in 5 hands. Katie took on champions Jill Younker-Sny and Meg Holko, as well as, rookie Josh Consalvo.

BDFH Semifinal Bracket Scores>>>
Full Tournament Bracket>>>

Katie started with a 30-point Nertz. Meg followed the next hand with a 29-point Nertz to take the lead. Then it was all over. Katie called a quick Nertz in the 3rd, made a big full table set in the 4th, and closed out the match in the fifth with a 33-point Nertz, which was the hand high of the match. Katie finished with 112 points and made two other players finish in the negative. Meg wasn't too far behind finishing with 76 points.

Meg and Katie have advanced to the Final in this MEGA-Nertz Open online tournament. Meg the most recent tournament champ has her work cut out for her if she plans on becoming the MEGE-Nertz Open champ. Katie still holds the tournament hand high record with 37 points. If she keeps up her outstanding level of play she could clean up in the prize department. If she wins the tournament and her hand high stands, she would win the 1st place prizes, the "Rookie of the Tournament" prize, and the tournament hand high prize! 4 prizes total. She has all but secured two of them, pending the official announcements from the NNA when this tournament is completed.

Though Katie shouldn't count her chickens before her eggs hatch as she still has four other veterans eagerly awaiting to face her, one of which is a 2-time champion. Aaron Whitcomb, Brock Ellis, Natasha Rene Stafford, and Sara Paseka will play their semifinal match this Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. CST. Both Katie and Meg will have their hands full with any of the players that advance from that match.

Katie may be taking an extra bit of confidence going into the Final. It isn't easy to knock off two champions in such dominating and quick fashion....but she did make it look easy. We will see what happens in the Final of the biggest online Nertz tournament ever. Keep an eye out for the results.

Monday Night Packed Full of Nertz!

United States - Tonight the electronic cards were flying. 12 of 12 Nertz players showed for their 2nd round matches and a total of 34 hands were recorded in the 3 tournament games played.

BD Bracket Scores>>>
EG Bracket Scores>>>
FH Bracket Scores>>>
Full Tournament Bracket>>>

The first match of the night was the shortest match played. It also had two NNA champions slugging it out. Not only was the last tournament champion, Meg, facing another champion in the early rounds, but she was also facing her talented Nertz-playing sister, Mallory. However, Meg maintained her poise and led the the entire match, winning it by acquiring 114 points. Mallory hoped to advance with her sister and was one her way to when Jill, the other Online Champion, fell to last place just after the 5th hand. Jill then went on a tear, nerting 3 consecutive times to pull herself into 2nd place as Meg was crossing the finish line. Jill finished with 87 points beating out Mallory and winning a trip to the semifinals.

The winners of the second match that was played tonight had to dig deep in the midst of their unusually long 16-hand match. Rookies Katie McClain and Josh Consalvo advanced despite early setbacks caused by veteran Aaron Bartholomew. At one point, Katie was at -37 while Aaron was in first place, and yet she still managed to advance by finishing with 94 points when the match came to an end. Josh also made an impressive comeback to knock the seasoned veteran (Aaron B.) out of the tournament with his 105-point victory.

Katie and Josh now have the daunting task of facing, not just one, but two online champions (Jill and Meg) in their semifinal match.

The last match of the night had a photo finish between two skilled veterans. Natasha Rene Stafford and Aaron Whitcomb went ten rounds. Natasha claimed the victory with 110 points, just 2 points more than Aaron's final game score. Rookie Kathy Nelon Michael put up a fight but didn't finish with enough points to advance.

Aaron and Natasha will face one another again in the semis along with the winners of the AC bracket which will be played tomorrow night.

Things to Note:

Natasha and Katie both had 6 Nertz calls a piece tonight. Jill had 5 Nertz calls in her 8 hand match. Katie's 37 point Nertz in the first round still stands as the tournament hand high. Jill reclaimed her record for the career total number of Nertz calls which now stands at 33.

Of the 32 players that entered the tournament it seems we are seeing more familiar faces endure as this tournament progresses. However, we are also witnessing some talented rookies emerge as well.

2 males have advanced to the semis so far out of a field predominately comprised of females. Another two males still have a chance to advance, so it is possible that this could be the first tournament won by a male. However, both statistics and history indicate otherwise. In addition, with three female champions still in the race, it would be hard to bet against them.

Finally, due to the impressive skill displayed so far, no matter who wins the MEGA-Nertz Open, they will most definitely be worthy of the title.

Nertz Match of the Week!

United States - For the first time in this tournament a rookie was eliminated after playing in a 1st round match. However, if this rookie would have played in just about any other 1st round bracket match, she may have advanced. The skill level in this first round game was top notch. Veterans Mallory Holko and Christmas Wishart along with rookies April Allbritton and Teresa Rust battled it out in Sunday night's B bracket match.

B Bracket Scores>>>
Full Tournament Bracket>>>

April called Nertz twice in this match but didn't win a single hand. Christmas didn't call Nertz any hand but still managed to win two hands. Teresa won three hands and called Nertz three hands but didn't necessarily win all of the hands she called Nertz in. Mallory had four Nertz calls and 2 full table sets and ended up safely securing the win with 102 points.

The impressive play by Mallory and both rookies led to an upset...possibly the biggest of the tournament. Teresa, knocked Christmas (ranked 4th in the NNA Tounrnament System) out of the tournament with her second place finish.

Mallory seems to be on a mission since she witnessed her sister Meg win the last NNA tournament. However, she must face her sister and Jill, another tournament champion, in the next round. The intensity will be turned up a notch for that second round match-up.

Though this game was not as close as some of the others in the 1st round, it received the honor of "Game of the Week" because of the collective skill displayed throughout the match.

8 rookies and 8 veterans have made it into the second round. Nertz fans should look forward to the next couple of rounds as new talent and old favorites rise to the challenge and go for the title of "Nertz Champion".

MEGA-Nertz Open Update

United States - With one match left to be played in the 1st round of the MEGA-Nertz Open, a better picture is emerging from the field of 32 players of which players want the biggest title of the year. One might have guessed that the three tournament champions that entered this tournament would advance to the second round. That guess would have been correct as Sara, Meg, and Jill are now awaiting their second round matches. Surprisingly, all of the rookies that played in their 1st round matches have advanced to the second round as well.

Out of the 11 males that registered for this tournament, only 5 have made it to the second round. The chances of having the 1st male online Nertz champion crowned in this tournament have been cut in half.

2-time champ and accolade giant, Sara Paseka, has gobbled up another tournament record. Sara surpassed Jill in the amount of career Nertz calls made with her 29th Nertz call in her first round match-up. Jill still has a chance to take that record back in this tournament as she, like Sara, has advanced to play another match.

The current tournament hand high is 37 points received by rookie, Katie McClain. If this hand high holds, she will receive a Nertz Scoring Pad from The Nertz Store at the tournament's end. We will see if this record will hold up as the rest of players continue to gun for prizes. Katie is also among the top rookies in the running for the "Rookie of the Tournament" award and the "I love Nertz" bumper sticker that comes with that title.

The chances of a champion winning this tournament have increased. However, the rookies are impressive both in the amount of them that have advanced and their individual stats. Still, it is hard to rule out players with experience. It may come down to who wants the MEGA-Nertz Open title the most...

Bigger and Better ! - Did I Mention Bigger?!

United States - So far 30 players from all across the country have registered for The National Nertz Association's biggest online Nertz tournament yet. The MEGA-Nertz Open(NNA005) is the fifth tournament that the NNA has hosted this year and not only is it bigger, but it is offering more rewards to the tournament players as well. There are 32 spots in this MEGA event which is twice as many spots than the last 3 tournaments have had. In this tournament, the NNA is offering 2nd and 3rd place prizes, a "Rookie of the Tournament" prize, and a prize for the player that receives the best hand score of the tournament.

13 online tournament veterans have returned for this grand online event. 2 of those 13 are champions. 12 of the 30 registrants are males. So far online Nertz tournament championships have been owned by females. However, half of the top ten ranked NNA players are males.

The rookies out number the veterans in this tournament, but that doesn't seem to bother the vets. They are hoping to improve their stats by taking on the less experienced rookies in the early rounds. But as history has taught us, the veterans should not take the rookies too lightly. After all, it was a rookie who knocked the 2-Time Champion, Sara Paseka, out of the last tournament in the first round.

On a more surprising note, one of the past tournament champions has yet to register for this tournament. Jill Younker-Sny won the Summer Classic Online but so far has opted not to play in the biggest online tournament to date. Although, she still has a chance to register being that there are two spots still available.

MEGA-Nertz Open Tournament Bracket

The NNA has recently finished the Tournament Stat and Rankings Page. There you can check more in-depth player stats and see player rankings.

All twenty veterans received personalized invites to this tournament, but only 13 of them are attending as of now.

Meg Holko the last NNA members to win a championship is included in the list of veterans attending. Her sister Mallory is back again as well, hoping to start a family dynasty with a championship of her own.

Veterans Nate Nelson and Christmas Wishart, each having made two final table appearances a piece, are always within striking distance.

With a broader field, it is more difficult to predict a final table match-up. However, if you have a prediction just post it in a comment below. We would love to see who you think will be at the final table.

Most Thrilling Final Table Yet!

United States - The fourth NNA online Nertz tournament this year attracted a wide array of Nertz talent to the tables. The final table was particularly talented having withstood the better part of the tournament field of players thus far. It was said going into tonight's final table that the players were pretty evenly matched, but we didn't realize how tight of a match it was going to be.

Final Table Box Score>>>
Tournament Bracket and Stat Tracker>>>

Christmas Wishart, Aaron Whitcomb, Meg Holko, and the Summer Classic Champion Jill Younker-Sny were all primed and ready just before the start of the match. Nertz is a crazy game. And sometimes you can't explain everything that leads up to one's victory. But I will attempt to give you the best details I can to describe this incredible game.

The first hand was quick and Meg called Nertz and received 16 points. She then led the others by at least 10 points. The champ, Jill, called Nertz in hand #2 but did not end up winning the hand as Meg scored 1 point more than her. Christmas also tied Jill's hand score receiving 18 points for that hand. Aaron had drifted quietly to the bottom of the leader board but quickly pulled himself out with a quick 17-point Nertz in the 3rd. Everyone was back within at least 11 points of one another as Meg still had the lead. Jill then made a quick 14-point Nertz to take the lead in the 4th hand. Aaron also had moved up into second as both Meg and Christmas were set.

Christmas made a charge in the 5th calling Nertz and moving up a spot to 3rd place. She also had set the leader, which was still Jill at the moment. Christmas went right back down to last place despite receiving 19 points in hand #6. Aaron had moved into first place but it was Meg that called Nertz and won that hand moving her into second place. The scores at the end of 6 hands were as follows: Aaron with 56, Meg with 54, Jill with 50, and Christmas with 48. It appeared that we were going to have to get a camera out for a photo finish if this game got any tighter.

In hand #7 Aaron went from first place to last place while Christmas went from last to first. Christmas had called a 20-point Nertz and set Aaron back 10 points. Aaron returned the favor in the 8th setting Christmas 11 points. Meg had indirectly taken the lead when Aaron called Nertz. Christmas took the lead right back in the 9th with a 19-point Nertz. Aaron gained some ground and moved into second place with a Nertz call in the 10th. He was the only 6 points from the leader, Christmas who had 88 points.

Christmas was 12 points away from a championship. But at 76 points, Meg wasn't going to let Christmas walk away with it. Meg made a huge 23 point Nertz ending up at 99 points at the end of 11 hands. But neither Christmas or Aaron scored enough to close it out either. Meg had 99, Aaron had 97, and Christmas had 95. Jill had slipped too far from the pack to catch up. However, it would be Jill that would decide who would win the championship in the 12th hand.

Jill was furiously trying to make a full table set, to possibly put her back in this game but when she Nerted, only one other player had a positive hand score. It was the player that needed only one point for the victory. Meg had scored 4 which was just enough due to the fact that Jill had set both Christmas and Aaron to end the game.


It was a fantastic game to watch. Every player had the lead at one point during the match. Meg had the least amount of Nertz calls (which was 2) of any player in this match but still ended up winning. Christmas had the most Nertz calls with 4 and finished in 2nd place. There were no full table sets, further indicating that the level of competition was extremely even.

The NNA would like to congratulate Meg Holko on her well-deserved victory. Everyone is looking forward to seeing all of these Nertz players in The Mega-Nertz Open starting in the near future. So far the tradition of beating a champion in the finals to become a champion has yet to be broken. Thus, if you are looking to become a champion, you should be looking for Meg in the finals of the next tournament.

Meg receives the title of "Online Nertz Champion", a "Nertz Champion" Hoodie, a copy of Nerts High Speed Card Game compliments of Ronnander Games, and an invitation to the Tournament of Champions at the year's end. Do you want what she has? Just register for the next online Nertz tournament and follow this blog to stay updated.

Nertz Elite On Display, Final Table is Set!

United States - Both NNA004 Nertz semifinal matches were played tonight. The BD bracket match began at 7:30 and the AC bracket started the late game at 9:30 p.m. With the 2-time champ already eliminated from the tournament, Jill was the only other online champion that still remained in the tournament coming into tonight's match. Jill may have breathed a sigh of relief after the news that her arch rival had been knocked out last week. Though, she still could not overlook her opponents in her semifinal match.

Jill Younker-Sny, Aaron Bartholomew, and Christmas Wishart, went at it for 14 hard-fought hands. Natasha Rene Stafford, who did confirm her match time, ended up not making it. Aaron started the game off with a Nertz call only to tie with Christmas for the lead. Jill followed in the second with a Nertz call to set Christmas big and put herself in second place and 2 points behind Aaron.

BD Bracket Box Score>>>
Tournament Bracket and Stat Tracker>>>

Christmas was set again in the 3rd when Nate called Nertz again. This put Christmas at -6 and 36 points behind the leader, Aaron. Apparently, this is right where Christmas wanted to be. She made back-to-back full table sets with Nertz calls in the 4th and 5th to take the lead by 11 points.

Christmas was not done yet, she called another one in the 6th hand to further pull away from the pack. Aaron had a 19-point Nertz in hand #7 to jump from third to second place. After another Nertz call from Christmas, the scores at the end of hand #8 were Christmas with 65, Aaron with 38, and Jill with 33.

Jill made a full table set in the ninth to put herself back in second and only 18 points behind Christmas. Christmas then made back-to-back Nertz call again to give her 92 points at the end of the 11th. She was well in front of both Jill and Aaron at that point. But for Jill and Aaron it was now a fight for second place and a seat in the Finals. Knowing this motivated both players to exchange Nertz calls in hands numbers 12 and 13. Aaron was still in third but only trailed Jill by 6 points at the start of the 14th hand. Christmas scored 20 points in the 14th to secure the victory but it was Jill won the hand by calling the Nertz beating out Aaron B. for the second spot in the finals.


The Late Game Summary

Jill should now be more worried about the players that advanced over Sara in the AC bracket than if Sara were still in it. These Nertz players are "no joke". Tough, determined, fast, and alert and they certainly showed it tonight. Nate Nelson, Lacey Donaho, Meg Holko, and Aaron Whitcomb all made it to play this semifinal match.

Aaron, running a little late, arrived at the end of the first hand but managed to stay with the pack. Meg, however was determined to leave the pack, Nerting 4 of the first 5 hands, and ending up with 83 points before the 6th. At that moment, the closest person to her was Nate in second with 25 points. Aaron then went back-to-back to pull himself into 2nd place by the start of the 8th. In the 8th Lacey made a full table set with a quick 11-point Nertz, but it wasn't enough for her to advance after a Nert by Aaron in the 9th, and Meg's full table set in the 10th. With that Nertz call in the 10th, Meg secured her victory advancing to the Finals. The second place finisher, despite his late start, was Aaron W.. Meg's combined margin of victory was 270 points. It was a truly dominate performance.

AC Bracket Box Score>>>





A Look at the Finals

Aaron and Meg join Jill and Christmas at the Final Table. The NNA will announce the Final Table Game Time later this week. Aaron is the only newcomer to advance to the final table in this tournament. Jill is the only online champion at the final table. However, Christmas has already shown that she can beat Jill, but moreover, Aaron has shown that he can beat a 2-time champ. Lastly, Meg has just proven that she can beat a 2-time champ slayer. So the field looks pretty evenly matched. All of these players average over 8.00 PPH. Christmas is emerging as the favorite leading in PPG at 97.60. But how can one say she is the favorite with an online champion still in the mix. The champ, Jill has the most experience in NNA online Nertz tournament history with 80 hands played. She has play in every round that the NNA tournament system has every had. However, there is another stat to factor in here. Aaron and Jill are the only ones to ever beat the 2-time champ Sara who still averages over 100 PPG. To counterpoint, Meg leads the finalists in the Nertz Calls/Hands Played ratio with 3.6. Christmas is the only finalist with a winning game record at 3-2.
Jill beat both Meg and Christmas in the semis of the Summer Classic.

It seems anyway you slice it, a case can be made for each of these finalists. The Nertz world looks forward to the Final match and the players look forward to their chance to obtain the title of "Online Nertz Champion". There are also additional spoils for the victor as if these players need extra incentive. The winner of this match will receive a "Nertz Champion" Hoodie from The Nertz Store and a copy of Nerts High Speed Card Game, compliments of Ronnander Games.

Get ready Nertz fans.... it is about to be ON.

Amazing 1st Round Stunner; 2 -Time Champ Eliminated!

United States - The speed of tonight's NNA first round tournament was truly a site to be witnessed. A bracket players Sara Paseka, Meg Holko, Aaron Whitcomb, and Shanan Westover Osinski all arrived on time and quickly got down to business. A crowd of NNA members followed them as they took a seat at the Nertz table. Among the crowd was the two players that were to play the winners of tonight's match, Nate Nelson and Lacey Donaho. Also, in attendance was Meg's sister, Mallory Holko, who was there to cheer Meg on. Mallory had also played in the first round D bracket match in this tournament.

A Bracket Box Score>>>
Tournament Bracket and Stat Tracker>>>

The game didn't disappoint the crowd either. The 2-time champ started the game off with a 20 point Nertz but was followed by Aaron who received 12. Meg and Shanan were set and started out in the negatives.

In Hand #2, it was Aaron who called Nertz taking the lead but it was Meg who actually won the hand with 21 points. Sara had been set this hand and drop back down 10 points. Fighting from the bottom spot, Shanan made a full table set with a Nertz call in hand #3, totally leveling the playing field. Hand #4 solely belonged to Sara when she called a 22 point Nertz. This put her back in 2nd place for the moment.

Aaron started making a move in the 5th hand with a Nertz giving him 51 points total. He had separated himself from the pack, leading all players by at least 26 points. He did more of the same in hand #6 with a Nertz call and then led by 43.

It seemed that Aaron had this game locked up, but 2-time champ, Sara, had been in situation before and knew that the game was not over until it is over. After gaining very little ground in the seventh due to a big 20-point Nertz from Meg, Sara then struck back with a 25-point Nertz of her own in hand #8. Sara was still in second place with 61. Aaron had endured a couple of opponent Nertz calls and made it to 91. Sara was now focused on simply advancing, being 30 points away. If Sara did advance with a second place finish she could try for revenge in the next round.

The problem with that was that Meg, also, at this point, was looking to advance and with a 18 point hand in the 9th, she narrowly surpassed the 2-time champ by a three point margin to secure her spot in the semifinals. Aaron called Nertz in the 9th and his 19 points secured his victory while impressing the spectators.

Aaron is the first newcomer to upset a champion. Furthermore, he is the first to eliminate the 2-time champion in any round of a tournament, excluding the finals.
His play was truly impressive, while Meg also was well deserving of her advancement.

This was another fantastic game to watch and if we an of these players in future tournaments it will be a treat. We hope that they all play in another one.

Sara Paseka's amazing run was stopped in the last tournament final by Jill. Despite that loss, Sara still managed 100 points in that match and has never scored below 100 in any of her online tournament matches until tonight. Though, now she is on a 2 game skid, her dominance may not be lost. We have seen what she is capable of and wouldn't doubt if she snagged another tournament victory in the near future. Sara did mention that she had just got off of work and ran straight to the game, so fatigue may have been a factor in her loss.

However, give credit where credit is due, Aaron and Meg played a great game. As for now, we will see Aaron Whitcomb and Meg Holko go on the face Nate Nelson and Lacey Donaho in the AC semifinal.

A Look at the Semis










6 tournament veterans have made it to the Semis. Out of the 2 newcomers, only one has beaten, not just one, but two veterans in the first round. 3 of the eight semifinalists are males and no male to date has won an online Nertz tournament. Incidentally, two of the 3 males are named "Aaron"..Go figure.

As of now, here is a look at the current semi final game times:

AC Bracket Match: Monday, August 10th at 7:30 p.m. CST
BD Bracket Match: Tuesday, August 11th at 7:30 .p.m. CST

Get ready for some quality Nertz action!

2 Tough 10-Hand Matches, Destination: Semi's

United States - Tournament veterans Nate and Lacey and newcomer Kara Leigh Bartkus went 10 rounds in tonight's first NNA match. Kara was a last minute replacement for Cylan Shaffer who was not able to make the 6:30 game time. Kara fought hard against the vets but ran into some minor computer problems throughout the match. She did manage to call Nertz twice but fell short of advancing, placing 3rd. The fourth designated player Carlos Adam Miner Jr. had confirmed his game time but failed to arrive, so a computer played in his sted.

C Bracket Box Score>>>
Tournament Bracket and Stat Tracker>>>

Lacey led the number of Nertz calls this game with 5. But Nate showed his resilience and came away with the victory finishing with 110 points. Lacey was not far behind with 96. She led for the first 5 hands of the match and Nerted 3 of those first 5. Nate had a big full table set in the 5th and then immediately followed it with a 21 point Nertz in the 6th to take the lead. Lacey took the lead right back in the 7th, but Nate's large 28-point Nertz call in the 8th all but sealed the deal. Nate was only set once the entire game. It was in the 1st hand and only for -5 points. Lacey was set only twice but for only -1 point each time.

Nate and Lacey advance to the AC Semifinals match. They await the winners of the A bracket which will be played Wednesday the 5th at 7:30 p.m. CST. The 2-time champ Sara Paseka is in the A bracket group, along with veteran Meg Holko, and newcomers Aaron Whitcomb and Shanan Westover Osinski. They all have confirmed this match so it should be a full table.

Match #2 of the Night All four players in this 1st round match were chompin' at the bit to start playing. They had all confirmed this match quickly as it was the first of the four brackets to do so collectively. Christmas Wishart, Natasha Rene Stafford, Mallory Holko, and Ben Bowman fought it out for 10 hands like the players in the first match of the night.

D Bracket Box Score>>>

This game started rather oddly. The first hand was almost an Idled game. This is where all four players have no plays to make. Usually in live games you would "burn a card"(change the order of your stream) so that the order of cards becomes different which would spawn new plays. Well in Solitaire Race, when there is an Idled Game, a short timer is displayed and when it runs out, the game ends even if nobody has Nerted. If you make a play when the timer is displayed, then it goes away. So, in the very first hand of this match, the timer appeared when the hand was almost at a stand still. Mallory saved the hand from ending without a Nertz call by making a play thus making the timer disappear. She also called Nertz a few moments later, though she did not win the hand. Christmas won it with a 27-point non-Nertz.

If that weren't weird enough, the very next hand actually did end without anyone calling a Nertz. Natasha won the hand with a -4 hand score when the entire table was set. Christmas received a -24 point hand score erasing her big first hand, but still maintained the lead after 2 hands. It gets weirder, so bare with me because it is hard to explain.

Natasha took the lead in the 3rd with a 17 point Nertz. Then in the 4th, Natasha again called Nertz but Christmas actually won the hand with 18 points. This happened again in the 5th, with Natasha calling Nertz, and Christmas scoring more points than her. Only this time the top hand score was shared by both Ben and Christmas at 18 points.

Mallory surprised her competition with a 19-point Nertz in the 6th. It may not have been a large Nertz but the differential was substantial. The combined difference between her hand score and her opponent's hand scores was 49 points.

The next hand, Christmas separated herself from the pack calling Nertz and obtaining a game score of 72. At that moment, the closest player to her was Natasha with 41. Natasha then called Nertz in the 8th hand scoring 27 points, but Christmas scored 26 points that hand. This brought Christmas's game total to 98. The only thing that could stop her was a set. The set did come in the 9th hand when Mallory called her third Nertz. Though this only set Christmas back 3 points, and in the 10th she closed it out with a 23-point Nertz. Christmas finished with 118 points and advanced to the BD semifinal match. Natasha also advanced finishing in second place with 68.

So far the all of the tournament veterans have advanced. Only one semifinalist so far is a newcomer. It seems experience breeds excellence and the current field of semifinalist has 217 hands played between them. The BD semifinal looks almost the same as the last BD semi, only replacing Meg with Natasha. However, Meg is still in the tournament and is awaiting her 1st round match in the A bracket.

The NNA wanted to send out a special thanks to everyone who has contributed to this year's NNA online tournament system...especially the participants. It would benefit the Nertz playing community if we continue to see these players in these NNA online Nertz tournaments.

Cakewalk for the Summer Classic Champ

United States - After postponing the A Bracket 1st Round Monday night, the NNA had held its B Bracket 1st round match-up as scheduled. Veterans Jill Younker-Sny and Aaron Bartholomew both advanced easily as they were the only human players to sit at the table. The two other computer opponents did not go out without a fight though. One of them managed to call a Nertz against the humans. Jamie Deibel and Sue Daugherty were supposed to play in this match but did not make it. They also were the only two out of 16 players not to reply to their game time messages.

B Bracket Box Score>>>
Tournament Bracket and Stat Tracker>>>

It is a shame that they didn't, because they had a shot at the champ in the first round. Though, who is to say that the scores would have been different? Jill finished with 106 points as she closed out her 7-handed first round match with a victory. Aaron wasn't far behind with 73 points.

With this victory Jill raised her PPG average. She has continued to raise it over the last 3 to 4 matches.

More Flexibility?


To help with game time confirmations, the NNA has put a chat room at the bottom of the "Online Tournament" page. They would like players to use it to inform their opponents if they can or can't make a match time. It is also a good place to meet before a match...in the case that a different room destination will be given.

Something New...

At almost 1500 NNA associates, stories of Nertz players and epic Nertz games are presented to the NNA board from time to time. To show appreciation to our members, fans, and followers, we thought it might be fun to post some of your stories or special player acknowledgments in our NNA News blog.

We are thinking that every month or so, we could write an article about a Nertz event or Nertz player with the information you submit to us. You can write an article and send it in for consideration as well. However, if you don't feel you would be able to write a Nertz article but still would like to submit some information, we would be happy to write about it for you and post it here.

A "Nertz Game of the Month" or "Nertz Player of the Month" article would be written featuring information on specific Nertz event or player. All one would have to do to submit an article idea would be to email support@playnertz.com and tell us a little about the event or player that you would like to see get recognition.

We love hearing all kinds of Nertz stories. Even if you don't think you have a Nertz story with enough content for an article, send it anyway. We love feedback.

Third Time's A Charm; Champ Crowned!!

United States - Nertz...It is never over until it's over. The final table match of this year's Summer Classic Online was simply fantastic. Sara Paseka, Nate Nelson, Jill Younker-Sny, and Christmas Wishart all had a piece of the lead at different times during this 12-handed thriller. It was a match that lived up to it's billing, truly making it a "Classic". The level of play was unlike any match to date, and with the title of Summer Classic Champion on the line, everyone was giving it their all.

The match started with Nate calling Nertz but not winning the hand. Christmas actually scored higher than Nate in hand #1, giving her the lead. The next hand, Sara made sure her presence would be known with a quick 10-point Nertz. As a result, this ended up setting Christmas and gave Nate the lead, who was then followed closely by Sara.

Summer Classic Final Box Score>>>
Tournament Bracket and Stat Tracker>>>

In hand #3 it would be Jill who set Sara with a 13-point Nertz call. Christmas also scored 13 points that hand which put Sara at the bottom of the leader board. Nate was also still clinging to the top spot, with Christmas not far behind. Hand #4 belonged solely to Sara as she scored 21 to put her only 3 points behind Nate who remained in the top spot despite Sara's efforts. When the game looked as though it couldn't get any tighter, Christmas called a 22-point Nertz in the 5th. From top to bottom, all players were within twelve points of one another, the highest having 49(Sara) and the lowest with 37(Christmas).

Christmas called another Nertz in the 6th tying Jill's hand score and setting both Nate and Sara. Nate and Sara fell out of the top spots and landed at the bottom of the leader board in one hand.

Jill having the lead, kept the momentum going by calling Nertz in the 7th. She had extended her lead by 20 points. Sara was still behind her in second place. Jill then struck another blow, making a huge set on the 2-time champion, Sara, in hand #8 that corralled Sara back to last place.

Nate called Nertz in hand #9 and barely prevented Jill from winning it all. After nine, Jill only needed 2 points to close it out. Jill had victory on her mind but the other Nertz players also had plans of their own. Christmas was 18 points back from Jill at that moment and was hoping for a set. Well, a set then came from Sara in the tenth, but Christmas couldn't make the most of it only scoring 1 point. Jill had been set back 10 points.

Sara had seen this before. She needed to make a comeback as she had done earlier in this tournament. She knew just what to do, and did it with a game high 23-point Nertz in the 11th to put herself back in 2nd place. Jill had only scored 5 points giving her 93 at the end of that hand. Sara had 88, only 5 points away from Jill. Christmas was also not far away with 80. Nate had remained stagnant at the bottom of the leader board and no longer in striking distance.

This was it, the comeback story was set in motion and all Sara needed to do was get one more Nertz call. When the 12th hand started, cards flew from both Sara's and Jill's Nertz piles. The top three players were storming their way towards the finish line. When the dust cleared, Sara, had made it to 100 points!... but Jill had made it further. Jill won the Summer Classic Online with 110 points ending Sara's dominate undefeated streak in the process. Jill had faced Sara in two final table matches before playing in this one. The third time was a charm for Jill. She had gotten her revenge.

Breakdown:

It will be disappointing if we don't see these four player's in upcoming NNA tournaments. Every player had a chance in this final and all of them made this game a total delight to watch.

So now, Nertz history has been made yet again, and we might be looking at the beginnings of a bitter rivalry between the 2-time NNA Tournament Champion, Sara Paseka, and the Summer Classic Online Champion, Jill Younker-Sny.

Sara is now 6-1 with 759 total tournament points (both the highest of any tournament player). Despite the loss, she still managed to get to 100 points in this match. 100 points is her lowest score...ever. That is nuts! She will be around setting the bar high for feature online Nertz players. I am sure she will be plotting her revenge as Jill did. Her record may not be perfect anymore, but her 108.43 PPG average is still beyond perfect. Early in the tournament, Sara also had a tournament high 32-point Nertz(tied with Meg Holko).

Nate lost steam in the last couple of hands but did lead for 3 hands in this final. He also called Nertz twice. Nate came close to beating Sara and knocking her out of this Classic in his semifinal match. He knows he has got the skills but for now he will have to wait for his next chance. Nate has a 2-3 game record but all of those losses come at the hands of Sara. We will be looking forward to watching Nate's progress in the next few tournaments.

Christmas Wishart needs to be given a "Rookie of the Tournament" award for her collective tournament performance. She is 1-2 with an 88.33 PPG average and a 9.14 PPH average. She has collected 9 Nertz calls in 29 hands played. Most impressively, in this final match she called Nertz twice, won a hand without Nerting, and tied hands with Jill twice even though Jill made the Nertz calls in those hands. This means in 5 of the twelve hands, she had the highest(or tied for the highest) hand score. Christmas also had the second highest hand of the final with 22 points.

Jill has the most hands played of any tournament player and now has a Tournament Championship title to show for all of her tournament experience. Her perseverance cannot be questioned. She has been to three final tables and now can say she is a Champion. But not just any Champion, the Summer Classic Online title will be coveted by Nertz players everywhere. Jill says she "will be practicing" so that she may be ready for any challengers that come her way, veteran or newcomer.

We say GAME ON!

If you would like to test yourselves against these emerging tournament greats, just go to our Online Tournament Page to register for the next Nertz tournament.