Last weekend, the 17th Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) hosted a $1,110 Main Event at Ameristar East Chicago, attracting 386 players.
Of these, 43 players had already secured prize money when they entered the second day of the event on Sunday. After 10 hours of intense competition, Lee Rzentkowski from Wisconsin emerged victorious, winning his second MSPT title and **.The champion's prize was 82,955*. In October 2022, Rzentkowski defeated a field of 749 entries in the MSPT Riverside event to win.He won 145,006 in prize money and took home his first championship.
Rzentkowski also won a ticket worth A seat in the $3,500 MSPT Rock 'N' Roll Poker Open (RRPO). The event will be held from November 18th to December 2nd at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, with a guaranteed Main Event prize pool of ****2,000,000**.
Rzentkowski told MSPT reporter Anthony Thompson after the match: "I've been in great form lately, but I was just one step away from scoring the last two times, so it feels really good to close the gap this time."
According to Thompson, Rzentkowski had previously reached the final table twice at Ameristar, finishing ninth and fifth respectively. His third consecutive final table appearance finally paid off.
Rzentkowski said, "It feels really good to know that my family is always there for me. They're cheering me on from afar, but it feels great to know they're supporting me and encouraging me."
MSPT Ameristar East Chicago Final Table Results
| Ranking | player | hometown | bonus | POY points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Rzentkowski | Middleton, Wisconsin | $82,955 | — |
| 2 | Aaron Brown | Middleport, New York | $51,286 | — |
| 3 | Michael Estes | Chicago, Illinois | $37,330 | — |
| 4 | Jeff Stephens | Aurora, Illinois | $27,526 | — |
| 5 | Daniel Johnson | Chicago, Illinois | $20,739 | — |
| 6 | Del Beiler | Decatur, Illinois | $15,837 | — |
| 7 | Jinha Park | Chicago, Illinois | $12,443 | — |
| 8 | Allen Pritchett | Vicksburg, Michigan | $9,804 | — |
| 9 | Mike Estes | Coralville, Iowa | $7,164 | 600 |
Mike Estes from Iowa finished ninth, earning 600 MSPT Season 17 Player of the Year (POY) points, which put him in the top 10. 4,707 His points extended his lead in the season standings. He now leads Zilong Zhang (3,900 points) and Michael Wilklow (3,477 points).
The current MSPT Season 17 POY rankings
| Ranking | player | integral |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Estes | 4,707 |
| 2 | Zilong Zhang | 3,900 |
| 3 | Michael Wilklow | 3,477 |
| 4 | Lee Rzentkowski | 3,158 |
| 5 | Jacob Long | 3,051 |
| 6 | Greg Sessler | 3,050 |
| 7 | Clint Wolcyn | 2,995 |
| 8 | Carlton Taylor | 2,900 |
| 9 | Wesley Cannon | 2,896 |
| 10 | June 'Oh Geez' Kim | 2,850 |
Other players who won prize money included Jamie Payne (12th place – 6,033), Bill Brudenell (16th −4,148), DJ Buckley (23rd place – 3,054), Kevin Maahs (28th-2,262), Cody Brinn (34th – 2,262) and TomKoral (42nd)2,074).
What's next?
MSPT will next travel to Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee to host a guaranteed win. $1,000,000 The main event (and a range of peripheral events). For more detailed information about these events, please visit msptpoker.com.
The following is the remaining schedule for MSPT Season 17.
| date | site | City/State | Event Name | Guaranteed bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 28-May 3 | Potawatomi Casino | Wisconsin | MSPT Series | $1,000,000 |
| May 12-17 | FireKeepers Casino | Michigan | Michigan Poker State Championship | $1,000,000 |
| May 13-25 | Sycuan Casino | California | Showdown Series | Pending |
| June 2026 | The Venetian | Nevada | Diamond Poker Tournament | Pending |
| June 2026 | The Venetian | Nevada | Pending | Pending |
| July 21-26 | Riverside Casino | Iowa | Iowa Poker State Championship | $500,000 |
| July 22-August 2 | Bally's Black Hawk Casino | Colorado | Colorado State Poker Championship | $600,000 |
| August 4-9 | Rivers Casino | Chicago, Illinois | – | $1,000,000 |
| August 18-23 | JACK Cleveland Casino | Cleveland, Ohio | MSPT Series | $500,000 |
| September 2026 | The Venetian | Nevada | Nevada Poker State Championship | Pending |
| September 22-27 | Potawatomi Casino | Wisconsin | Wisconsin State Poker Championship | $1,000,000 |
| October 1-12 | Playground | Montreal, Canada | Canadian Poker Tournament | $1,000,000 |
| October 13-18 | FireKeepers Casino | Michigan | Major Spade Poker Tournament | $1,500,000 |
| November 3-8 | Riverside Casino | Iowa | MSPT Series | $500,000 |
| November 18th - December 2nd | Seminole Hard Rock | Florida | Major Rock 'N' Roll Poker Open (RRPO) | $2,000,000 |
| December 1-13 | Running Aces Casino | Minnesota | Winter Poker Classic | $700,000 |
MSPT Podcast
Did you know that Chad Holloway and Kyna England host the MSPT podcast presented by PokerNews?
The program covers all aspects of MSPT, including recent tournament results, player highlights, guest interviews, and previews of upcoming tournaments.
The program can be watched on PokerNews' YouTube channel. An audio version is also available on all major podcast platforms.
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