Hot Streak: WPT Prime Champ Aaron Johnson Claims Third MSPT Main Event Title
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Last weekend, Season 17 of the Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) hosted a $1,110 Main Event at Iowa’s Grand Falls Casino, which is situated right outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The tournament attracted 327 runners over two starting flights, and on Sunday, the surviving 37 players returned to play to a winner. Among them were eight former MSPT champs, including Aaron Johnson, who you might recall won the 2025 WPT Prime Championship for $1,010,400.
Johnson ended up defeating former PokerNews reporter Mo Nuwwarah in heads-up play to win the title, a $72,104 first-place prize, and a $3,500 seat into November’s MSPT Championship at the Seminole Hard Rock Florida’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open. It marked the third MSPT Main Event win for the MSPT Hall of Famer.
“It’s incredible,” Johnson told MSPT reporter Anthony Thompson after his victory, “The last few months have been amazing, as you know I won my second MSPT in November and then went on to win the biggest tournament of my career the very next month, so it’s been a pretty insane run.”
MSPT Grand Falls Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Johnson | $72,104 | 1,400 |
| 2 | Mo Nuwwarah | $44,520 | 1,200 |
| 3 | Josh Matti | $32,290 | 1,100 |
| 4 | Jon Hanner | $23,826 | 1,000 |
| 5 | Roger VanRiper | $17,869 | 900 |
| 6 | Mark Bloomberg | $13,794 | 800 |
| 7 | Clint Wolcyn | $10,659 | 700 |
| 8 | Arthur Arndt | $8,464 | 600 |
| 9 | Fuh Nguyen | $6,552 | 500 |
Others to cash the tournament were Terence Reid (13th - $4,232), Gerald Cunniff (14th - $4,232), Carl Carodenuto (19th - $2,978), Ryan Skluzak (22nd - $2,696), and DJ Buckley (34th - $2,194).
Headed to Riverside Casino
Season 17 of the Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) continues March 17-22 with an MSPT Festival at Riverside Casino just south of Iowa City, Iowa.
Satellites kicked off back in the beginning of February and will ultimately lead into a six Gold Card festival, which officially kicked off on Tuesday, March 17, with Event #1: $250 Ultimate Stack NLH. There are two other $250 Ultimate Stack tournaments on the schedule, as well as Event #4: $300 Seniors (50+) Monster Stack NLH and Event #6: $300 Ultimate Stack NLH.
The stop culminates with an $1,110 buy-in, $300,000 GTD Main Event that’ll kick off with Day 1A action at 2 p.m. local time on Thursday, March 19. Late registration will remain open until 10:40 p.m., and players will start with 30,000 in chips while playing 40-minute levels.
Days 1B and 1C will take place at the same time on Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, respectively. The surviving players from both flights will return at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 22, to play down to a winner.
What's Else is Coming Up?
Right after the MSPT Festival at Riverside Casino, the tour will head to St. Louis for the MSPT Missouri Poker State Championship at Ameristar Casino St. Charles from March 24-29.
Looking ahead, the MSPT Minnesota Poker State Championship will be held at Running Aces Casino just north of the Twin Cities from April 7-19, followed by a MSPT Festival at Ameristar East Chicago from April 21-26. Then, from April 28-May 3, the MSPT will return to Milwaukee’s Potawatomi Casino for a $1,000,000 GTD Main Event (along with a slew of side events).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| August 4-9 | Rivers Casino | Chicago, IL | - | $1,000,000 |
| August 18-23 | JACK Cleveland Casino | Cleveland, OH | MSPT Festival | $500,000 |
| September 2026 | The Venetian | Nevada | Nevada Poker State Championship | TDB |
| Sept. 22-27 | Potawatomi Casino | Wisconsin | Wisconsin Poker State Championship | $1,000,000 |
| Oct. 1-12 | Playground | Montreal, Canada | Canadian Poker 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.
