Two-Time MSPT POY Umut Ozturk Wins Ohio Poker State Championship for Second MSPT Title
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Season 17 of the Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) continued this past weekend with the 2026 Ohio Poker State Championship at JACK Cleveland.
The $1,110 Main Event attracted 801 runners over a trio of starting flights, which awarded a $775,470 prize pool to the 89 players who advanced to Sunday’s Day 2. Coming out on top to claim his second MSPT title was Minnesota’s Umut Ozturk, a MSPT Hall of Famer and two-time MSPT Player of the Year (2023 & 2024).
“Feels great,” Ozturk told MSPT reporter Anthony Thompson after his victory,” I was very fortunate today, after I got lucky against Josh (Reichard) with ace-king against his queens, I knew I had a shot,” he continued, “Anytime you get a chance to knock out the best player on the tour, then you have a chance.”
Ozturk went on to say, “As the day went on, I saw players like Jake (Bazeley) and Frank (Lagodich) get eliminated, and once that happened, I felt like I was the most experienced player left in the field and said, let's go.”
As Thompson pointed out, Ozturk is the #1-ranked MSPT player to date, and the only one to win the Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons. His final table appearance at JACK Cleveland marked his 18th since 2023, and the victory shot him into the #4 spot on the all-time earnings list.
“Three years ago, I won the Missouri State Championship, and I said that win was for all the Minnesota grinders, and this one is for all the Minnesota players who are undaunted,” Ozturk concluded.
2026 Ohio Poker State Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umut Ozturk | $89,638* | 1,300 |
| 2 | Joseph Saltanovitz | $85,549* | 1,300 |
| 3 | Antonio Ndoja | $79,087* | 1,300 |
| 4 | Ryan Rebman | $77,394* | 1,300 |
| 5 | Harold Perez | $70,357* | 1,300 |
| 6 | Dane Miller | $29,500 | 1,200 |
| 7 | Ben Skelley | $22,692 | 1,100 |
| 8 | Jon Lewis | $17,397 | 1,000 |
| 9 | Kris Davis | $13,615 | 900 |
*Denotes five-handed ICM deal.
Others to cash the tournament were Frank Lagodich (11th - $11,270), Rob Mancini (18th - $7,564), Frank Vanadia (23rd - $5,295), Jake Bazeley (34th - $3,328), and Casey Yontz (40th - $2,799).
The hand against Josh Reichard that Ozturk referenced above took place in Level 20 (10,000/20,000/20,000) when a preflop raising war resulted in the two Hall of Famers getting it all in.
Reichard held the Q♥Q♣ and was flipping against the A♣K♥ of Ozturk. The 9♥4♣7♦ flop was safe enough for Reichard, as was the 8♥ turn, but then disaster struck when the K♣ spiked on the river to give Ozturk a pair of kings and the win. Reichard ended up falling in 46th place for $2,572 while Ozturk, of course, went on to claim victory.
MSPT JACK Cleveland Side Event Winners
| Tournament | Entries | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $400 Tag Team NLH | 250 | Yung Lee & Robert Immel | $11,200 |
| Event #2: $300 Seniors (50+) NLH | 288 | Russell Kube | $16,010 |
| Event #3: $300 Monster Stack NLH | 109 | Alexander Nechiporuk | $4,533 |
| Event #4: $1,110 MSPT Main Event | 801 | Umut Ozturk | $89,638 |
| Event #5: $1,000 PLO | 52 | Ed Tancredi | $13,809 |
What's Else is Coming Up?
From Feb. 17-22, the MSPT will return to Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for an 11-Gold-Card festival. The stop will kick off with the $400 buy-in, $200K GTD Mini Main Event, and then hold a full slate of side events, including $400 PLO, $400 Mixed PLO/NLH, $250 Monster Stack, $400 Seniors (50+), and a $300 Black Chip Bounty Ultimate Stack.
The Club Poker Championship will culminate with an $1,110 buy-in, $1,000,000 GTD Main Event.
After that, the tour will hold an MSPT Festival at Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Iowa – which is situated just outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota – from March 11-15, followed by the MSPT Festival at Iowa’s Riverside Casino from March 17-22.
Finally, March will wrap up with the MSPT Missouri Poker State Championship at Ameristar Casino St. Charles in St. Louis.
More details on all those stops can be found at msptpoker.com.
Here’s a look at the remaining MSPT Season 17 schedule.
| Dates | Venue | State | Event | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
MSPT Podcast
Did you know that Chad Holloway and Kyna England host the bi-weekly MSPT Podcast Presented By PokerNews.
The show covers all things MSPT, including recent results, player highlights, guest interviews, and a preview of upcoming stops.
If you’re not familiar with the show, a new episode comes out at 8 a.m. PT every other Wednesday on the PokerNews YouTube channel. An audio version is also available on all major podcasting platforms.
Here’s a look at the latest episode:
*Images courtesy of MSPT & Tyler Abrams.
