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Umut Ozturk Wins MSPT Riverside for Third Main Event Title of 2026

Written by: Sandra Gaweda 5 min read
Umut Ozturk won another Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) Main Event last weekend, taking the MSPT Riverside Casino Main Event at Riverside Casino Golf Resort in Iowa. The St. Paul, Minnesota, pro agreed to a heads-up deal with Jacob Tourville that paid each player $69,451 from a 406-entry field, and Ozturk kept the trophy. It's his third MSPT Main Event title of Season 17, and it comes with the Player of the Year race still open.
Umut Ozturk Wins MSPT Riverside
  • Ozturk and Jacob Tourville each banked $69,451 in a heads-up deal, with Ozturk claiming the Riverside trophy.
  • Riverside is Ozturk’s third MSPT Main Event win of 2026 and his fourth MSPT title overall.
  • PokerNews has Ozturk first on the MSPT all-time money list with $1,406,628 in tour earnings.
  • Ozturk sits third in the Season 17 Player of the Year standings with two stops left on the schedule.

A Heads-Up Deal Settles the Riverside Main Event

The $1,100-level Main Event drew 406 entries, and it came down to Ozturk and Tourville, a player from Austin, Texas. According to both PokerNews and Card Player, the two agreed to a deal that paid each $69,451. Ozturk took the trophy.

How a heads-up deal gets split usually comes down to stack sizes and who holds the pressure, which is where ICM and the initiative you carry in tournament spots come into play.

Once the money was locked up, Ozturk dedicated the win to his family. “This one, this one is for my wife, Alison,” he said, as reported by PokerNews and Card Player. “She is the rock in our family. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be able to play poker as much as I do, so I’m very grateful for her and everything she does for our family.”

Three MSPT Main Event Titles in One Season

That gratitude makes sense given how much poker Ozturk has played and won in 2026. His run started in February at MSPT JACK Cleveland, the Ohio Poker State Championship, where he won $89,638.

The bigger score came shortly before Iowa. Ozturk topped 2,442 entries in the MSPT Spade Poker Championship at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan, for $280,290. PokerNews places that win less than a month before Riverside, and Card Player lists it as his career-best cash.

Riverside also gives Ozturk his fourth career MSPT title, following a Season 14 win at Bally’s Black Hawk. PokerNews reports that puts him in a tie for second on the tour’s all-time titles list. Blake Bohn leads with five.

Ozturk Stays on Top of the MSPT Money List

The titles come with matching numbers on the earnings board. PokerNews has Ozturk first on the MSPT all-time money list at $1,406,628. Card Player names Josh Reichard as his closest chaser at nearly $1.2 million.

Across all events, Card Player puts Ozturk’s career earnings just shy of $1.7 million. The Riverside win added 720 points to his Card Player Player of the Year total, lifting him to 3,077 and inside the top 100.

Card Player also credits him with a win in a $400 side event at the Wisconsin Poker State Championship. Add the MSPT Hall of Fame status that PokerNews notes, and you have one of the most decorated players the tour has produced.

A Reichard and the Tour’s Cash Leader Reach the Final Nine

The Reichard name showed up at this final table too. Brett Reichard of Janesville, Wisconsin, finished third for $38,627. Card Player notes he is Josh Reichard’s father, so the family of Ozturk’s closest money-list rival took home the third-biggest payout in Iowa.

DJ Buckley of Shakopee, Minnesota, finished eighth for $10,145. Per Card Player, Buckley leads the MSPT in Main Event cashes with 98.

Steven Dill of St. Louis took fourth for $28,483, and Zac Campbell finished fifth for $21,460. If you want to see how pay jumps change decisions as a field shrinks, our guide to online poker tournaments breaks down final table strategy.

MSPT Riverside Casino Main Event Final Table Results

Here’s how the final nine finished, based on results published by PokerNews and Card Player.

Place Player Hometown Prize
1 Umut Ozturk St. Paul, MN $69,451*
2 Jacob Tourville Austin, TX $69,451*
3 Brett Reichard Janesville, WI $38,627
4 Steven Dill St. Louis, MO $28,483
5 Zac Campbell – $21,460
6 Brett Slezak Omaha, NE $16,387
7 Kelly Mahana Denver, CO $12,876
8 DJ Buckley Shakopee, MN $10,145
9 Chris Audrain Lake St. Louis, MO $7,413

*Reflects a heads-up deal between Ozturk and Tourville.

Why Riverside Tightens the Season 17 Player of the Year Race

Ozturk was MSPT Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024 and runner-up to Jacob Long in 2025, per PokerNews. PokerNews’ Season 17 standings have Mike Wilklow first with 9,429 points, ahead of Josh Reichard (8,187), Ozturk (8,048) and Long (7,792).

Two stops remain. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open runs November 17 – December 2 at Seminole Hard Rock in Florida, and season Main Event winners have won seats into its championship event. The race ends at the Winter Poker Classic at Running Aces in Minnesota, December 1–13.

Ozturk has already won three Main Events this season. One more deep run could turn that into a third Player of the Year title.

Sandra gaweda

Sandra gaweda

Sandra is a content writer and digital creative with 10+ years of experience across Web3, crypto, NFTs, iGaming, wellness, and media. She creates blog content, email campaigns, and brand copy for companies ranging from early-stage ventures to established platforms.

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