Hall of Famer Aaron Johnson Wins MSPT Ameristar East Chicago; Jake Long Claims 4 Side Event Titles

The penultimate cease of the Main Collection of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) occurred at Ameristar East Chicago and was comprised of a dozen occasions. That included the $1,110 buy-in, $300K GTD Foremost Occasion, which attracted 514 runners over a trio of facet occasions and awarded a $497,080 prize pool.

On Sunday, 58 gamers returned to play all the way down to a winner, and after 12 hours of play, it was Minnesota native and MSPT Corridor of Famer Aaron Johnson claiming the title for $92,000 and his second MSPT title.

“Feels Wonderful,” Johnson informed MSPT reporter Anthony Thompson after his victory, which got here a month after ending runner-up to Anthony Kastelic within the MSPT Riverside. “That was painful. I haven’t received a match since 2019. Successful one is nice, however the second is validation, it is vindication, and with the ability to get my second one after a half decade feels superb.”

Johnson’s first win got here again in November 2019 when he received the MSPT Meskwaki for $86,951.

MSPT Ameristar East Chicago Last Desk Outcomes

Others to money the match have been Brett Reichard (eleventh – $7,324), Shiva Dudani (18th – $4,883), Jake Lengthy (twenty second – $3,760), Charlie Reichard (thirty first – $2,637), Josh Reichard (thirty eighth – $2,393), and Umut Ozturk (forty third – $2,393). For Lengthy and Ozturk, their cashes had implications for the MSPT Season 16 Participant of the 12 months race.

Ozturk, who received POY in each Season 14 and 15, was on prime of the leaderboard coming into the cease, however he solely obtained 75 POY factors whereas Lengthy acquired 200, that means he gained 125 factors. What’s extra, Lengthy captured an astounding 4 facet occasion titles on the cease.

Jake Lengthy’s MSPT Ameristar East Chicago Facet Occasion Wins

When the mud settled, Lengthy had amassed 642 POY factors in facet occasions, which put him within the lead with 9,732 factors forward of Ozturk, who had 9,467, with one cease to go. Josh Reichard is lingering in third with 7,224, whereas DJ Buckley is in a distant fourth with 5,283.

Facet Occasion Winners

Whereas Lengthy took down 4 of the dozen facet occasions, there have been nonetheless different huge names who took down titles. MSPT Corridor of Famer Gerald Cunniff topped a 168-entry subject to win Occasion #1: $300 Epic Stack for $9,632, whereas O.G. MSPT grinder Jason Bender bested a 61-entry subject to win Occasion #7: $250 Monster Stack NLH for $4,271 and his first Gold Card.

One other huge winner was Dave Bashel, who overcame a 143-entry subject to win Occasion #10: $300 Senior’s (50+) Monster Stack for $9,810.

MSPT Ameristar East Chicago Facet Occasion Winners

Last Cease of the Season

The twenty ninth and ultimate cease of MSPT Season 16 will happen at Minnesota’s Working Aces On line casino, which sits simply outdoors the Twin Cities. The Winter Poker Traditional options 18 Gold Card occasions from December 2-14 and marks the final alternative for gamers to earn coveted Participant of the 12 months Factors.

The $1,110 buy-in, $500K GTD Foremost Occasion will happen towards the beginning of the competition (in order to not battle with WSOP Paradise and WPT World Championship) from December 4-7. The primary of three beginning flights will happen at 2 p.m. CT on Thursday, December 4, with Day 1B happening on the similar time on Friday, December 5. Day 1C will then be held at Midday native time on Saturday, December 6, earlier than the surviving gamers from all flights return within the cash at 11 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, to play all the way down to a winner.

Whereas that match will award essentially the most POY factors, all the facet occasions have some out there. That features Occasion #4: $300 Pot-Restrict Omaha Monster Stack, Occasion #13: $300 Epic Stack NLH, and Occasion #15: $400 Mini Foremost Occasion.

There may even be a $400 Tag Workforce Kickoff at 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday, December 2, and Occasion #8: $200 Women Monster Stack NLH at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, December 7, although neither match affords POY factors.

Right here’s a take a look at the complete MSPT Winter Poker Traditional schedule:

*Photographs courtesy of MSPT / Tyler Abrams.

PR & Media Supervisor for PokerNews, host of each the PokerNews Podcast & MPST Podcast Introduced By PokerNews, and 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.