Umut Ozturk Wins Third MSPT Main Event Title at FireKeepers
A $280,290 heads-up chop pushed the two-time Player of the Year to the top of the MSPT career-earnings list.
- Ozturk won the FireKeepers MSPT Spade Poker Championship Main Event and earned $280,290 after an even chop with Gregory Wiggins.
- The tournament drew 2,442 entries, generated a $2.37 million prize pool and paid 266 players.
- The victory was Ozturk’s third MSPT Main Event title, his second of 2026 and his largest career score.
- Ozturk dedicated the victory to his late mother and moved to first on the MSPT career-earnings list.
Umut Ozturk won the 2026 MSPT Spade Poker Championship Main Event at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan, taking $280,290 after an even heads-up deal with Gregory Wiggins. The result gave Ozturk his third MSPT Main Event title and his second such win of the year.
The $1 million-guaranteed tournament drew 2,442 entries and generated a $2.37 million prize pool, paying 266 players. The series returned to FireKeepers for its second Spade Poker Championship from Oct. 13-18.
Ozturk and Wiggins made the deal after heads-up play began with nearly even chip stacks, though Wiggins was slightly behind. Wiggins also collected $280,290 as runner-up. Gian Bencivenga finished third for $164,811, Daniel Sepiol placed fourth for $123,028 and Derek Gregory took fifth for $96,798.
The final day began with all 266 remaining players already in the money. Ozturk was one of four players to advance with two bags and started the day with a top-20 stack. His pocket aces were cracked early, but he recovered to claim the title.
The victory was the largest score of Ozturk’s career and moved him atop the MSPT’s career-earnings list with about $1.34 million on the tour, passing Josh Reichard’s previous mark of about $1.2 million. It was Ozturk’s 19th MSPT final table and 75th cash, while his overall live tournament earnings rose above $1.6 million.
Ozturk dedicated the win to his late mother. He said she was diagnosed with terminal cancer when he last visited FireKeepers in May, prompting him to return home, and that she died a couple of months later. “Even though she wasn’t here with me physically, I felt her the entire weekend, so this one is dedicated to my mother,” he said.
The FireKeepers result followed Ozturk’s Ohio Poker State Championship victory at JACK Cleveland in February, his second MSPT title at the time. That event drew 801 runners for a $775,470 prize pool. Ozturk, the MSPT Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024, also won a $400 side event at the MSPT Wisconsin Poker State Championship in late September.
The FireKeepers win earned Ozturk 1,080 Card Player Player of the Year points and was his third qualifying score of 2026, all victories. MSPT’s Season 17 continues at Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Iowa, from Oct. 28 through Nov. 1.
