Umut Ozturk Becomes the All-Time Leading Money Winner in MSPT History

Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) held its second Spade Poker Championship at FireKeepers Casino in Michigan. The $1,110 buy-in Main Event drew 2,442 entries. The $1 million guarantee was surpassed and the prize pool reached $2,367,240.

The champion was Umut Ozturk, a Minnesota attorney and two-time Player of the Year. Ozturk earned $280,290, the biggest tournament score of his career, and claimed his third MSPT title. With his total earnings now at $1,337,117, he moved to the top of the tour's all-time money list. Ozturk is one of five members of the MSPT Millionaires club. He cashed for the first time on the MSPT in 2018.

Ozturk said that in May, while he was in Michigan, his mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and he left the tournament and went back home. His mother died a few months later. Ozturk said he dedicated the victory to her.

A hand played with eight players left became the turning point of the tournament. Ozturk opened from the cutoff, and Frank Lagodich shoved all of his chips in from the button. Ozturk called with about five million chips. He held two black tens, and his opponent had the ace of spades and an eight. The turn and river did not help Lagodich, and Ozturk doubled his stack. At the final table, Greg Wiggins made many eliminations. The two remaining players made a deal, and Ozturk, who had a small chip lead, took the trophy.

In the Season 17 Player of the Year race, Mike Wilklow leads with 8,541 points. Josh Reichard has 7,887, and the reigning champion Jacob Long has 7,667 points.