Matthew Wantman Kicks Off New Year with Big Win at MSPT Venetian
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Season 17 of the Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) kicked off over the weekend with the $1,600 New Year's Poker Open at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. Over a trio of starting flights, 349 runners competed, and on Sunday, the surviving 40 players returned to battle to a winner and claim their share of a $500,000 prize pool.
Coming into Day 2, poker pro Matthew Wantman was the chip leader, and he rode it all the way to his first MSPT title, which was worth $96,284 and a $3,500 seat into the MSPT Championship Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open (RRPO) later this year.
“Feels great,” Wantaman told MSPT reporter Anthony Thompson. “I haven’t really played anything for the past few weeks because of the holidays, and I wasn’t really planning on playing this event, just kind of popped in out of the blue, so it’s really nice to be fortunate enough to come over here and take it down.”
He added: “It was crazy, pretty much going wire-to-wire all day, pretty surreal, and now that I won one, it’s pretty appealing to try and ship another to become a two-time champ.”
MPST New Year's Poker Open Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Wantman | $96,284 | 1,400 |
| 2 | Dan Olsen | $69,804 | 1,200 |
| 3 | Ron West | $51,322 | 1,100 |
| 4 | Nicholas Rogers | $38,274 | 1,000 |
| 5 | Michael Walsh | $28,958 | 900 |
| 6 | Miquel Maimes | $22,233 | 800 |
| 7 | Dan Stavila | $17,325 | 700 |
| 8 | Wai Kiat Lee | $13,706 | 600 |
| 9 | John Riordan | $11,010 | 500 |
Others to cash the tournament were Jeremy Becker (15th - $6,271), former MSPT Venetian champ Kfir Nahum (16th - $6,271), Darren Rabinowitz (17th - $6,271), DJ Buckley (20th - $5,369), Ryan Riess (33rd - $3,726), and Lily Kiletto (39th - $3,414).
What’s Coming Up?
The latest stop was just the first in a busy month for the MSPT, which will head down to Sycuan Casino Resort in San Diego, California, for the Golden State Poker Championship from Jan. 8-19.
Then it’s over to Bally’s Black Hawk Casino in Colorado for the Showdown Series from Jan. 14-25, followed by the first major of the season – the $1,000,000 GTD Diamond Poker Championship at Arizona’s Talking Stick Resort from Jan. 24-Feb. 1.
Right after, the MSPT will return to the Venetian Las Vegas Feb. 4-7 for the $1,600 buy-in, $1,000,000 GTD Poker Bowl X.
Here’s a look at the current MSPT Season 17 schedule. More details can be found at msptpoker.com.
| Dates | Venue | State | Event | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 8-19 | Sycuan Casino | California | Golden State Poker Championship | $400,000 |
| Jan. 14-25 | Bally’s Black Hawk Casino | Colorado | Showdown Series | $400,000 |
| Jan. 24-Feb. 1 | Talking Stick Resort | Arizona | Major Diamond Poker Championship | $1,000,000 |
| Feb. 4-7 | The Venetian | Nevada | $1,600 Poker Bowl X | $1,000,000 |
| Feb. 10-16 | JACK Cleveland | Ohio | Ohio Poker State Championship | TBD |
| Feb. 17-22 | Potawatomi Casino | Wisconsin | Major Club Poker Championship | $1,000,000 |
| March 11-15 | Grand Falls Casino | Iowa | MSPT Festival | $200,000 |
| March 17-22 | Riverside Casino | Iowa | MSPT Festival | $500,000 |
| March 24-29 | Ameristar St. Charles | Missouri | Missouri Poker State Championship | TBD |
| April 7-19 | Running Aces Casino | Minnesota | Minnesota Poker State Championship | TDB |
| April 21-26 | Ameristar East Chicago | Indiana | MSPT Festival | $300,000 |
| April 28-May 3 | Potawatomi Casino | Wisconsin | MSPT Festival | $1,000,000 |
| May 12-17 | FireKeepers Casino | Michigan | Michigan Poker State Championship | $1,000,000 |
| May 13-25 | Sycuan Casino | California | Showdown Series | TBD |
| June 2026 | The Venetian | Nevada | Diamond Poker Championship | TDB |
| June 2026 | The Venetian | Nevada | TBD | TDB |
| July 21-26 | Riverside Casino | Iowa | Iowa Poker State Championship | $500,000 |
| July 22-Aug. 2 | Bally’s Black Hawk Casino | Colorado | Colorado Poker State Championship | $600,000 |
| September 2026 | The Venetian | Nevada | Nevada Poker State Championship | TDB |
| Sept. 22-27 | Potawatomi Casino | Wisconsin | Wisconsin Poker State Championship | $1,000,000 |
| Oct. 13-18 | FireKeepers Casino | Michigan | Major Spade Poker Championship | $1,500,000 |
| Nov. 3-8 | Riverside Casino | Iowa | MSPT Festival | $500,000 |
| Nov. 18-Dec. 2 | Seminole Hard Rock | Florida | Major Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open (RRPO) | $2,000,000 |
| Dec. 1-13 | Running Aces Casino | Minnesota | Winter Poker Classic | $700,000 |
*Images courtesy of the MSPT and Tyler Abrams.
