MSPT Ameristar Open | Player of the Year Jacob Long finally breaks his Main Event title drought, winning $97,282.

In September 2026, the Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) Season 17 Ameristar Poker Open concluded in St. Louis, USA. The $1,110 Main Event attracted 486 entries, creating a total prize pool of $469,920. The ultimate champion was defending MSPT Player of the Year Jacob Long.

Long had accumulated a wealth of achievements in the MSPT, even winning Season 16 Player of the Year, but he had always lacked a Main Event title. This time, he finally broke through, defeating his final opponent, Mike Hurley, to win $97,282, marking his highest single-event MSPT winnings.

486 participants, prize pool of $469,000

The buy-in for this year's Ameristar Poker Open Main Event is:

$1,110

Ultimate Attraction:

486 participants

The total prize pool has arrived:

$469,920

Long ultimately won the championship and reached an ICM agreement with Mike Hurley during the heads-up match.

Key event data

Player of the Year for Season 16, but still missing the Main Event title.

Jacob Long is the MSPT Season 16 Player of the Year.

Last season, he accumulated the following in MSPT:

$314,604

And won the most tournaments on the tour:

8 MSPT Gold Cards

However, there is a significant gap – none of these 8 victories came from the MSPT Main Event.

Long had actually come very close to winning the Main Event twice before.

He finished as runner-up in the 2025 MSPT Iowa Poker State Championship, achieving the following:

$94,499

Less than a month later, he made it to the Final Table at MSPT Hollywood St. Louis, ultimately finishing 4th and winning:

$43,989

Therefore, for a player who has already won the Player of the Year award, the Main Event championship has become the most important unfulfilled goal.

The final day wasn't about remembering the score; Long fought his way back.

Long said after the game that he didn't actually have many scoreboards when he entered the final day of the competition.

But as the competition progressed, he began to get important hand opportunities at crucial moments and gradually built up his chances of winning the championship.

He specifically mentioned a crucial comeback against Charlie Reichard, believing that hand was extremely important to the overall championship outcome.

In the Heads-Up phase, Long continued his good luck and finally achieved his long-awaited breakthrough by winning the MSPT Main Event championship.

Long: This championship was "long awaited".

After winning the championship, Long told MSPT reporter Anthony Thompson that he was very happy with the victory because he had "waited a long time" for this title.

He mentioned that he had several good deep runs in St. Louis in the past, and although he didn't have many chips at the start of the final day, he gradually got the cards he needed at crucial moments, and finally turned the opportunity into a championship.

Long also thanked the MSPT team, his wife, and his family and friends who have always supported him.

Maurice Hawkins 5th, Charlie Reichard 4th

Several familiar U.S. Tour players also appeared at this Final Table.

Maurice Hawkins fought his way to the final five and ultimately achieved:

No. 5, $25,343

Charlie Reid ran deep into the area:

4th place, $33,790

Randy Terrell ultimately finished third, taking home $45,758.

Finally, Long and Mike Hurley went head-to-head.

Heads-Up secures ICM Deal, Long clinches Championship

With the match down to two players, Jacob Long and Mike Hurley reached an ICM agreement.

final:

Jacob Long: $97,282

Mike Hurley: $66,500

Long has now officially completed the MSPT Main Event championship that was missing from his professional resume.

MSPT Ameristar Poker Open Final Table Results

*The top two teams will have their prize money redistributed through the Heads-Up ICM agreement.

A career-high MSPT prize, excluding the $250,000 WSOP prize money.

This $97,282 is also Long's highest MSPT tournament score in his career.

PokerNews specifically pointed out that this "career high" does not include the prize he won during the 2026 WSOP Summer Series:

$250,000 bounty

In other words, from the perspective of traditional ranking prize money, the Ameristar Poker Open is still his biggest live tournament result to date.

The 9th Gold Card breaks the MSPT record again.

After winning the championship, Long received $97,282, and also received:

My 9th MSPT Gold Card

This allowed him to further break his own MSPT record.

He simultaneously gains value:

$3,500

The MSPT Championship Rock 'N' Roll Poker Open (RRPO) slot.

The tournament will be held from November 18 to December 2 in Seminole Hard Rock, Florida, with a guaranteed prize pool of:

$2,000,000

Therefore, after winning his first Main Event title, Long has also secured his qualification for the next important MSPT Championship.

Several MSPT regulars have successfully entered the rewards pool.

Besides the Final Table players, several familiar faces from MSPT also won prizes in this event.

DJ Buckley made it into the money for the 93rd MSPT Main Event, continuing to break tour records.

From POY to Main Event champion, Long completes the final piece of the puzzle.

For Jacob Long, this victory was significant for more than just the $97,282 prize money.

He is already the MSPT Player of the Year, has won multiple Gold Cards, and has twice reached the Final Table in the Main Event, but he has never won the real Main Event title.

Now, with Ameristar Poker Open, he has finally filled this gap.

From runner-up in the 2025 Main Event and fourth place in St. Louis that same year, to finally reaching the top in 2026, Long officially upgraded from "MSPT Player of the Year" to "MSPT Main Event Champion".

MSPT's next stop: Las Vegas

Following the Ameristar Poker Open, MSPT Season 17 will immediately head to Las Vegas.

The next stop is:

Nevada Poker State Championship

Event Time:

September 10-13

The location is:

Venetian Las Vegas

For Long, who just won the Ameristar Poker Open, this victory not only earned him his 9th Gold Card and 1,600 POY points, but also added an important asset to his rankings in the new season.

After finally winning his first MSPT Main Event title, his next goal is likely to continue striving for a second Main Event title and a new POY honor.

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