Season 16 of the Major Series of Poker: The Tour rolled into San Diego’s Sycuan Casino for the 100 GRAND STACK Series, where the $1,110 Main Event drew 431 entries and generated a $416,570 prize pool, smashing the $300,000 guarantee. Arizona’s Peter Brown captured the title and $68,192 after nine hours of final-day play, winning his first-ever MSPT event in his first attempt.
Main Event recap
A total of 49 survivors advanced from three starting flights and returned on Sunday to play down to a champion. Brown closed it out for the trophy and top prize, marking a memorable debut on the tour. “Feels great,” Brown told MSPT reporter Anthony Thompson after his victory, “This was my first MSPT I’ve ever played, so that’s pretty cool to think about”.
Final table payouts
| Place | Player | Prize | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Brown | $68,192 | 1,000* |
| 2 | Stephen Graner | $54,651 | 1,000* |
| 3 | Justin Lynch | $45,293 | 1,000* |
| 4 | Gerald Cunniff | $35,148 | 1,000* |
| 5 | Brent Gill | $34,334 | 1,000* |
| 6 | Josue Aguirre | $17,119 | 900 |
| 7 | Matt Salsberg | $13,451 | 800 |
| 8 | Joe Acker | $10,598 | 700 |
| 9 | Mo Pourmandi | $7,744 | 600 |
*Denotes five-way deal.
Notable cashes and POY race
Other in-the-money finishers included Johnathan Groat (10th – $6,522), Hal Kilgore (14th – $5,299), David Avina (20th – $3,831), John “Farmboy” Kurfman (25th – $2,853), Rivon Moshi (32nd – $2,446), and Anthony Scarborough (47th – $2,242).
Two-time reigning MSPT Player of the Year Umut Ozturk added more points to his tally with an 18th-place finish for $4,484. Ozturk, who has claimed POY honors the past two seasons, now leads the Season 16 leaderboard with 7,967 points, 300 of which came from his Sycuan cash. He holds a lead of more than 1,000 points over Jake Long, who sits second with 6,961.
Side event champions
The MSPT Sycuan 100 GRAND STACK stop featured nearly two dozen side events alongside the Main Event. Event #12: $400 Tag Team NLH attracted 140 entries, with the duo of Alfonso Alvarez and Javier Cazares earning $6,974 for the win.
Two-time MSPT champion and Hall of Famer Josh Reichard traveled from Wisconsin and captured Event #17: $200 Monster Stack NLH for $2,664, earning his second Gold Card.
| Tournament | Entries | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event #8: $300 Seniors 50+ Monster Stack NLH | 87 | Scott Aulds | $4,662 |
| Event #9: $250 Monster Stack PKO | 85 | Matthew Gawel | $3,005 |
| Event #12: $400 Tag Team NLH | 140 | Alfonso Alvarez & Javier Cazares | $6,974 |
| Event #13: $200 Monster Stack | 47 | Cody Blades | $2,808 |
| Event #14: $250 Ultimate Stack PKO | 101 | Kevin Duke | $3,673 |
| Event #15: $200 Ultimate Stack Turbo NLH | 24 | Anthony Trujillo | $1,760 |
| Event #16: $300 PLO | 50 | Jeremy Quinard | $3,300 |
| Event #17: $200 Monster Stack NLH | 37 | Josh Reichard | $2,664 |
| Event #18: $200 Monster Stack NLH | 42 | Jose Vargas | $2,688 |
| Event #20: $200 Monster Stack NLH | 51 | Daria Ivantey | $3,061 |
| Event #21: $200 Monster Stack NLH | 46 | Michael Starek | $2,944 |
| Event #22: $200 Seniors 50+ Monster Stack | 58 | Christopher Wilson | $2,816 |
| Event #23: $300 Ultimate Stack NLH | 82 | Tolga Gesli | $4,758 |
| Event #24: $200 Last Chance NLH | 45 | Jorge Ruiz | $2,880 |
What’s next for MSPT
After a short break, the tour heads to Las Vegas from September 25–28 for the $1,100 buy-in, $300K GTD 2025 Nevada Poker State Championship at The Venetian. Players begin with 30,000 chips and 40-minute levels, with numerous $140 NLH Milestone Satellites feeding the Main Event.
Next up is Milwaukee for the 2025 Wisconsin Poker State Championship at Potawatomi Casino, a $1,110 buy-in event boasting a $1,000,000 guarantee.
Remaining Season 16 schedule
| Date | Location | Event | GTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep. 25 – Sep. 28 | Venetian Las Vegas | Nevada Poker State Championship | $300,000 |
| Sep. 30 – Oct. 5 | Potawatomi Casino, Milwaukee | Wisconsin State Poker Championship | $1,000,000 |
| Oct. 7 – Oct. 12 | FireKeepers Casino, Battle Creek, MI | MSPT Spade Poker Championship | $1,500,000 |
| Oct. 9 – Oct. 19 | Playground, Montreal, Canada | Canadian Poker Championship | $1,000,000 |
| Oct. 28 – Nov. 2 | Riverside Casino, Iowa | MSPT Festival | $500,000 |
| Dec. 4 – Dec. 14 | Running Aces Casino, Minnesota | Winter Poker Classic Series | $600,000 |
