Major Series of Poker (MSPT)
MSPT Poker is one of North America’s biggest mid-stakes tournament tours. It started in December 2009 as the Minnesota State Poker Tour at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota. In 2011 it expanded into Iowa and became the Mid-States Poker Tour. In 2025 it was rebranded as the Major Series of Poker: The Tour, keeping the MSPT name.
The idea has stayed the same since day one: affordable, deep-stacked No-Limit Hold’em for “weekend warriors,” the players who want a real shot at a big score over a weekend and are back at work on Monday.
As of 2025, the MSPT had awarded more than $209 million in prize money. Its biggest stops now draw more than 3,000 entries.
MSPT Quick Facts
| Category | Information |
| Full Name | Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) |
| Previous Names | Minnesota State Poker Tour (2009), Mid-States Poker Tour (2011) |
| Founded | December 2009 |
| First Venue | Canterbury Park, Shakopee, Minnesota |
| Founder & President | Bryan Mileski |
| Current Season | Season 17 (January 1 – December 31, 2026) |
| Main Event Buy-in | $1,110 |
| Major Buy-ins | $1,110 – $1,600 (MSPT Championship: $3,500) |
| Satellites | From about $65 |
| Total Prize Money Awarded | $209 million+ (as of 2025) |
| Record Field | 3,040 entries (FireKeepers, May 2025) |
| Biggest Main Event Prize Pool | $2,947,300 (FireKeepers, May 2025) |
| Season Finale | MSPT Championship, $3,500, $2M GTD, Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood |
| Motto | “Suited for Players” |
MSPT 2026 Schedule
Live and upcoming
| Dates | Stop | Venue | Main Event GTD |
| Oct 27 – Nov 1 | MSPT Festival Grand Falls (running now) | Grand Falls Casino, Larchwood, Iowa | $200,000 |
| Nov 3 – 8 | MSPT Festival Riverside | Riverside Casino, Riverside, Iowa | $300,000 |
| Nov 17 – Dec 2 | Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open (full festival) | Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood, Florida | – |
| Nov 27 – Dec 2* | MAJOR: MSPT Championship ($3,500) | Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood, Florida | $2,000,000 |
| Dec 1 – 13 | MSPT Winter Poker Classic Series | Running Aces Casino, Columbus, Minnesota | $500,000 |
*The MSPT Championship runs inside the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open festival. Its final table is on December 2 and will be livestreamed on the Hard Rock Poker YouTube channel. Check the Seminole Hard Rock schedule for exact flight dates.
Completed 2026 stops
| Dates | Stop | Venue |
| Jan 1 – 4 | New Year’s Poker Open ($1,600, $500K GTD) | The Venetian, Las Vegas |
| Jan 8 – 19 | Golden State Poker Championship | Sycuan Casino, California |
| Jan 14 – 25 | Showdown Series | Bally’s Black Hawk, Colorado |
| Jan 24 – Feb 1 | MAJOR: Diamond Poker Championship | Talking Stick Resort, Arizona |
| Feb 4 – 7 | Poker Bowl X ($1,600, $1M GTD) | The Venetian, Las Vegas |
| February | Ohio Poker State Championship | JACK Cleveland, Ohio |
| Feb 17 – 22 | MAJOR: Club Poker Championship | Potawatomi Casino, Milwaukee |
| Mar 11 – 15 | Grand Falls Festival | Grand Falls Casino, Iowa |
| Mar 17 – 22 | Riverside Festival | Riverside Casino, Iowa |
| Mar 24 – 29 | Missouri Poker State Championship | Missouri |
| Apr 7 – 19 | Minnesota Poker State Championship | Running Aces Casino, Minnesota |
| Apr 21 – 26 | Festival East Chicago | Ameristar East Chicago, Indiana |
| Apr 28 – May 3 | Festival Potawatomi | Potawatomi Casino, Milwaukee |
| May 5 – 10 | MSPT500 Series ($500, $150K GTD) | Running Aces Casino, Minnesota |
| May 12 – 17 | Michigan Poker State Championship | FireKeepers Casino, Michigan |
| May 19 – 25 | Showdown Series | Sycuan Casino, California |
| July | Summer stops | The Venetian, Las Vegas |
| Jul 21 – 26 | Iowa Poker State Championship | Riverside Casino, Iowa |
| Jul 22 – Aug 2 | Colorado Poker State Championship | Bally’s Black Hawk, Colorado |
| Aug 4 – 9 | Rivers Chicago | Illinois |
| Aug 18 – 24 | Festival Cleveland | Ohio |
| Aug 25 – 30 | Indiana Poker State Championship | Indiana |
| Sep 1 – 7 | Festival St. Charles | Missouri |
| Sep 22 – 27 | Wisconsin Poker State Championship | Potawatomi Casino, Milwaukee |
| Oct 1 – 12 | MAJOR: Canadian Poker Championship | Playground, Montreal, Canada |
| Oct 13 – 18 | MAJOR: Spade Poker Championship | FireKeepers Casino, Michigan |
Schedules and guarantees can change during the season. Always confirm with msptpoker.com or the host casino before you travel.
MSPT Results 2026: Winners, Entries and Prize Pools
| Event | Venue | Winner | Entries | Prize Pool | First Prize |
| New Year’s Poker Open ($1,600) | The Venetian | Matthew Wantman | – | – | $96,284 |
| Ohio Poker State Championship | JACK Cleveland | Umut Ozturk | 801 | $775,470 | $89,638* |
| Missouri Poker State Championship | Missouri | Mike Estes | – | – | – |
| Festival Potawatomi | Potawatomi Casino | Hamid Izadi | – | – | – |
| MAJOR: Spade Poker Championship | FireKeepers Casino | Umut Ozturk | 2,442 | $2,367,240 | $280,290* |
What Is the MSPT?
The MSPT is a premier mid-major poker tour. It sits between local casino tournaments and expensive international tours like the WPT and EPT. Each season has more than 30 stops across the United States, plus international stops such as Montreal.
Main event types:
- $1,110 Main Events: the core of every stop, played over three or four days
- Majors: flagship events with bigger guarantees and 1.5x Player of the Year (POY) points
- MSPT Championship: the $3,500, $2 million guaranteed season finale
- MSPT500 Series: smaller $500 buy-in events
- Side events: No-Limit Hold’em, PLO and specialty formats
- Senior Tour: for players aged 50 and over, generally with buy-ins of about $300 to $400
Former WSOP Main Event champion Greg Raymer has praised the MSPT for being well run and accessible. He has said satellites mean almost anyone who visits a poker room can take a shot, which is why fields mix traveling pros, local regulars and recreational players.
When Does the MSPT Run?
Each MSPT season follows the calendar year, from January to December. Season 17 runs from January 1 to December 31, 2026.
Main Events usually run Thursday to Sunday or Friday to Sunday. They have multiple Day 1 flights and finish on Sunday.
How to Play the MSPT: Buy-ins, Satellites & Registration
| Event Type | Typical Buy-in |
| Super satellites | About $65 |
| Main Event satellites | About $250 |
| Senior Tour events | About $300 – $400 |
| MSPT500 Series | $500 |
| Main Events | $1,110 |
| Majors | $1,110 – $1,600 |
| MSPT Championship | $3,500 |
How to register:
- Check the stop’s schedule on msptpoker.com or the host casino’s poker page.
- Register at the casino’s tournament desk, or online where the venue allows it.
- Choose your Day 1 flight. Most Main Events offer two or three.
- Win a seat through satellites, which usually run in the weeks before each stop.
Tips for first-timers:
- Satellites are the cheapest route in. A $65 or $250 satellite can win a $1,110 seat.
- Expect big late flights. At FireKeepers in October 2026, Day 1C alone drew 1,058 entries.
- Plan for long days. MSPT structures are built for deep, slow play.
- Every Main Event win counts twice. In 2026, every MSPT Main Event champion also earns a $3,500 seat in the MSPT Championship.
MSPT Championship 2026
The MSPT Championship is the season-ending Major of Season 17:
- Buy-in: $3,500
- Guarantee: $2,000,000
- Venue: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida
- Festival: Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open, November 17 – December 2, 2026
- Final table: December 2, livestreamed on the Hard Rock Poker YouTube channel
- POY points: 1.5x multiplier
- Qualification: every 2026 MSPT Main Event champion earns a seat
It’s part of a two-year partnership between the MSPT and Seminole Hard Rock that starts in 2026. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open was previously part of the World Poker Tour. In 2025, Kevin Nee won the WPT version for $605,100.
History of the MSPT
2009: Minnesota State Poker Tour
Founder Bryan Mileski launched the tour at Canterbury Park. John Dragich won the first Canterbury Park final table for $34,765.
2011: Mid-States Poker Tour
After expanding into Iowa, the tour took on the Mid-States name. It then spread across Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri, Colorado and beyond.
2017: Michigan record
The FireKeepers stop drew 1,066 entries and a prize pool of more than $1 million, more than three times its $300,000 guarantee. At the time, it was the largest poker tournament in Michigan history.
2021: Las Vegas
A $1,600, $2 million guaranteed MSPT Main Event at The Venetian paid its winner $412,086.
2022–2023: Record Midwest fields
FireKeepers drew 2,409 entries in October 2022, 2,471 in May 2023 and 2,883 in October 2023. Each set a new MSPT record for a Midwest event.
January 2025: $200 million milestone
The tour passed $200 million in prize money after 275 Main Events and 69 Regional Events.
May 2025: The 3,000-entry barrier
The Michigan Poker State Championship at FireKeepers drew a record 3,040 entries and a $2,947,300 prize pool. Corey Wick of Wisconsin won $397,587.
June 2025: Major Series of Poker: The Tour
The rebrand was completed on June 1, 2025. It introduced:
- Majors, with 1.5x POY points
- Major wins tracked on leaderboards and player profiles
- New Hall of Fame tiers tied to Major wins
- POY points for side events of $200 or more
- A Senior (50+) Tour
2026: MSPT Championship era
Season 17 added a $2 million season finale at Seminole Hard Rock and an international Major in Montreal.
MSPT Records
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner |
| Michigan Poker State Championship, FireKeepers (May 2025) | 3,040 | $2,947,300 | Corey Wick ($397,587) |
| Michigan State Poker Championship, FireKeepers (Oct 2023) | 2,883 | $2,795,010 | Travis Young |
| FireKeepers (May 2023) | 2,471 | $2,395,370 | Kou Vang ($314,145) |
| Spade Poker Championship, FireKeepers (Oct 2026) | 2,442 | $2,367,240 | Umut Ozturk ($280,290, deal) |
| FireKeepers (Oct 2022) | 2,409 | $2,336,730 | Matthew Davis |
| Wisconsin Poker State Championship (2025) | 1,698 | – | Greg Shuda ($232,955) |
| $400 Monster Stack Kickoff, Minnesota (2025) | 1,315 | – | Largest tournament in Minnesota history |
| Heart Poker Championship, The Venetian (2025) | 1,051 | – | Josh Reichard ($212,929) |
Biggest individual MSPT scores (reported)
| Player | Event | Prize |
| Venetian Main Event champion (2021) | $1,600 MSPT Venetian, $2M GTD | $412,086 |
| Corey Wick | Michigan Poker State Championship (2025) | $397,587 |
| Kou Vang | FireKeepers (2023) | $314,145 |
| Nick Murray | FireKeepers Main Event | $295,494 |
| Umut Ozturk | Spade Poker Championship (2026) | $280,290 (deal) |
| Greg Shuda | Wisconsin Poker State Championship (2025) | $232,955 |
FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan, holds five of the six largest fields in this table.
MSPT Majors Explained
Majors were introduced with the 2025 rebrand and are the highlights of each season.
What makes a Major different:
- Bigger guarantees, usually $1 million or more
- A 1.5x POY points multiplier
- Major wins tracked separately on player profiles
- Major wins count toward higher Hall of Fame tiers
2026 Majors
| Major | Venue | Guarantee | Winner |
| Diamond Poker Championship | Talking Stick Resort, Arizona | $1,000,000 | [add] |
| Club Poker Championship | Potawatomi Casino, Wisconsin | $1,000,000 | [add] |
| Canadian Poker Championship | Playground, Montreal | $1,000,000 | [add] |
| Spade Poker Championship | FireKeepers Casino, Michigan | $1,500,000 | Umut Ozturk |
| MSPT Championship (RRPO) | Seminole Hard Rock, Florida | $2,000,000 | Nov 27 – Dec 2 |
In 2025, Major winners included Josh Reichard (Heart Poker Championship), Angela Jordison and Faraz Jaka.
MSPT Hall of Fame
The MSPT Hall of Fame was created in 2017 to honour players with outstanding long-term results.
Original criteria:
- At least 25 Main Event cashes plus one MSPT win or POY title, or
- At least 10 Main Event final tables plus one MSPT win or POY title
New tiers since 2025: higher tiers are tied to Major wins. The top tier, “HOF God Mode,” requires 80 Main Event cashes, 5 Main Event wins, 3 Major wins and $1,000,000 in MSPT earnings.
Hall of Fame members include:
- Kou Vang
- Rich Alsup
- Aaron Johnson
- Mark Hodge
- Patrick Steele
- Jason Seitz
- Blake Bohn
- Rob Wazwaz
- Matt Kirby
- Josh Reichard
- Aaron Massey
- Dan “DQ” Hendrickson
- Umut Ozturk
- Gerald Cunniff (2025)
- Keith Heine (2025)
MSPT vs WPT vs WSOP
| Feature | MSPT | WPT | WSOP |
| Typical Main Event buy-in | $1,110 | Several thousand dollars at main tour stops | $10,000 Main Event, plus many cheaper bracelet events |
| Main region | US Midwest, plus Las Vegas, Florida and Canada | Worldwide | Las Vegas, plus international series |
| Format | Weekend Main Events with multiple flights | Multi-day main tour events | Summer festival with 90+ bracelet events |
| Satellites | From about $65 | Widely available online and live | Widely available online and live |
| Best for | Recreational and mid-stakes players | Mid- to high-stakes players | Every level, from $300 events to high rollers |
| Season finale | MSPT Championship ($3,500, $2M GTD) | WPT World Championship | WSOP Main Event |
Bottom line: the MSPT offers the lowest-cost route into big-field, six-figure-first-prize tournaments. That’s why it’s popular with players who aren’t full-time professionals.
Legendary MSPT Venues
- FireKeepers Casino (Battle Creek, Michigan): home of the tour’s biggest fields
- Running Aces (Columbus, Minnesota)
- Canterbury Park (Shakopee, Minnesota): where it all began
- Potawatomi Casino (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
- Grand Falls Casino (Larchwood, Iowa)
- Riverside Casino (Riverside, Iowa)
- Bally’s Black Hawk (Colorado)
- The Venetian (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- Seminole Hard Rock (Hollywood, Florida)
- Playground (Montreal, Canada)
Final Thoughts
The MSPT began at a single Minnesota racetrack casino and grew into a national tour with a $2 million season finale, an international Major and fields of more than 3,000 players.
As Season 17 enters its final stretch, Grand Falls is under way, Riverside follows next week, and the MSPT Championship at Seminole Hard Rock closes out 2026. Whether you’re chasing your first big cash or a Hall of Fame spot, MSPT poker remains one of the best-value tours in the game.
FAQs
What does MSPT stand for?
 MSPT stands for Major Series of Poker: The Tour. It began as the Minnesota State Poker Tour in 2009, became the Mid-States Poker Tour in 2011, and was rebranded in 2025.
Where does the MSPT take place?
 Mainly in the Midwest, including Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and Colorado. It also has stops in Las Vegas, California, Arizona, Florida and Montreal, Canada.
Who owns the MSPT?
 The MSPT was founded by Bryan Mileski, who remains its president.
What is the buy-in for an MSPT tournament?
MSPT Main Events cost $1,110. Majors go up to $1,600, the MSPT Championship costs $3,500, and satellites start at about $65.
What is the largest MSPT tournament ever?
The May 2025 Michigan Poker State Championship at FireKeepers drew a record 3,040 entries and a $2,947,300 prize pool. Corey Wick won $397,587.
When is the MSPT Championship 2026?
 It runs during the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood (November 17 – December 2, 2026), with the final table on December 2. It has a $3,500 buy-in and a $2 million guarantee.
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