Umut Ozturk Wins Third MSPT Main Event Title of Season 17 at Riverside Casino

Umut Ozturk won the MSPT Riverside Casino $1,100 Main Event for $69,451. The Minnesota player topped a 406-entry field. This marks his third MSPT title of Season 17.

Less than a month earlier Ozturk won the MSPT Spade Poker Championship at Michigan’s FireKeepers Casino. He bested a 2,442-entry field for $280,290. That followed his February victory in the MSPT JACK Cleveland for $89,638.

Ozturk Extends All-Time MSPT Records

Ozturk dedicated the win to his wife. “This one, this one is for my wife, Alison," Ozturk told MSPT reporter Anthony Thompson after his latest victory. "She is the rock in our family. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be able to play poker as much as I do, so I’m very grateful for her and everything she does for our family."

The three Season 17 wins plus a Season 14 title give Ozturk four career MSPT victories. That ties him with Dan Bekavac and leaves him one behind Blake Bohn’s five. The latest result extended his lead atop the tour’s all-time money list to $1,406,628. Already an MSPT Hall of Famer, Ozturk won Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024. He finished runner-up in 2025 to Jacob Long and now sits third on the Season 17 leaderboard.

Other Riverside cashes included Jeff Copeland (11th, $6,243), John “Farmboy” Kurfman (14th, $5,072), Josh Reichard (17th, $4,292), Mo Nuwwarah (18th, $4,292), Craig Trost (21st, $3,668), and Bill Romer (29th, $2,341).

Two MSPT Stops Remain in 2026

As reported by PokerNews, two stops remain on the MSPT schedule. The tour next partners with Florida’s Seminole Hard Rock for the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open from November 17 through December 2. Main Event winners from throughout the season have won seats into that championship event.

The season ends with the Winter Poker Classic at Running Aces Casino in Minnesota from December 1-13. That stop will decide the tightly contested Season 17 Player of the Year race. Ozturk retains a real shot at the award.