Jacob Long wins his first MSPT Main Event title in St. Louis

Reigning MSPT Player of the Year Jacob Long claimed victory in the Ameristar Poker Open Main Event, outlasting 486 entrants to secure the coveted title.

Last weekend, the Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) — Ameristar Poker Open took place in St. Louis, becoming one of the key events of the series’ 17th season. The Main Event, with a $1,110 buy-in, attracted 486 participants and generated a prize pool of $469,920. For many players, this tournament was a chance to prove themselves on a big stage, and for reigning MSPT Player of the Year Jacob Long, it was a long-awaited opportunity to finally claim the Main Event champion title. Jacob Long’s Road to Victory Jacob Long is the current MSPT Player of the Year, a title he earned in one of the most competitive seasons in the series’ history. In MSPT Season 16, he won $314,604 and collected a record eight “Gold Cards” — special cards awarded for victories at series stops. However, until now, none of these wins had come in a Main Event. Long had already reached two MSPT Main Event final tables: he finished second in the 2025 MSPT Iowa Poker State Championship, losing to Mike Estes and earning $94,499, and less than a month later, he finished fourth in the MSPT Hollywood St. Louis, taking home $43,989. This time, Jacob managed to overcome all obstacles and win the Ameristar Poker Open, taking the top prize of $97,282. This amount became his largest career win in MSPT tournaments (not counting the $250,000 he won at the WSOP last summer as a bounty). Key Moments of the Final Day At the start of the final day, Long didn’t have the biggest stack, but luck and smart play allowed him to quickly gain momentum. The player himself noted that he “got the right cards at the right time” and made several important suck-outs (a situation where a player wins a hand with a weaker holding thanks to a lucky card on the board), including against Charlie Reichard and also in heads-up play (the final one-on-one duel). After his victory, Long said he had been waiting for this moment for a long time and thanked the entire MSPT team — Josh, Umut, DJ, Jerry, Brian, as well as his wife and everyone who supported him at home. MSPT Ameristar Poker Open Final Table Results The tournament’s final table ended with an ICM deal (prize distribution based on the chip stacks at the time of the deal) between Jacob Long and Charlie Reichard. Here’s how the prizes were distributed among the finalists: 1st place: Jacob Long — $97,282* 2nd place: Charlie Reichard — $89,784* 3rd place: Michael Laake — $48,472 4th place: Mark Fink — $36,337 5th place: Michael Rossitto — $27,056 6th place: Michael Berk — $20,677 7th place: Adam Hendrix — $16,417 8th place: Michael Zampino — $12,678 9th place: Eric Salazar — $10,018 * — prizes determined by ICM deal in heads-up. Other Payouts and Series Records In addition to the finalists, other well-known players also made the money, including: Sam Devers — 13th place, $5,632 Umut Ozturk — 21st place, $4,036 Josh Reichard — 25th place, $2,910 Jeff Copeland — 32nd place, $2,534 Gerald Cunniff — 42nd place, $2,300 Angela Jordison — 45th place, $2,300 DJ Buckley — 46th place, $2,112 Special mention goes to DJ Buckley, who set a new record by cashing in his 93rd MSPT Main Event. Winner’s Awards and Series Plans Along with the prize money, Jacob Long received his ninth “Gold Card” — a new series record. In addition, he was awarded a ticket to the MSPT Championship Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open (RRPO) with a $3,500 buy-in and a $2,000,000 guarantee, which will take place from November 18 to December 2 at Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood, Florida. The next MSPT stop will be at the Venetian Las Vegas from September 10 to 13 — this will be the Nevada Poker State Championship of the 17th season. The full schedule is available on the official series website. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, this news is a great example of how regular practice and participation in various tournaments can lead to major success even in the most competitive series. Jacob Long didn’t win the Main Event right away, but thanks to persistence and constant improvement, he was able to realize his potential. PPPoker club players can take a page from Long’s playbook: don’t rest on your laurels, participate in different formats, and don’t be afraid of tough opponents. Even if your stack isn’t big at first, smart play and mental resilience can lead to victory. Moreover, Long’s story highlights the importance of support within the poker community. Mutual support and sharing experiences within PPPoker clubs can motivate and help every member grow and reach new heights in poker.