After a brief hiatus, the Major Series of Poker: The Tour resumed action at Riverside Casino in Iowa, where Mike Estes emerged as the latest champion. Estes pocketed $153,551 along with the coveted MSPT trophy, marking his seventh final-table appearance on the tour and pushing his total career MSPT earnings past $430,000.
“Phenomenal. Best I’ve felt in eight years,” Estes told MSPT reporters after the win. “The best part was seeing Jess [Anderson] cry. I started playing poker in 2012 in Tama, Iowa, and she’s been at every one of my events—even when I didn’t cash for eight straight years. During COVID, I really started to study and fix my game.”
The $1,110 buy-in no-limit hold’em event drew 815 entries, generating a prize pool of $789,494—easily surpassing the $500,000 guarantee. The top 91 finishers earned at least $2,047, with payouts escalating significantly deeper into the event.
Notable Eliminations Before the Final Table
Several MSPT heavyweights made deep runs but fell short:
- Dan Sun (54th)
- Rich Alsup (53rd)
- T.J. Murphy (47th)
- Anthony Scarborough (35th)
- Jake Wilding, the defending champ (27th)
- Tim Thorp (22nd)
- Taylor Howard (19th)
- D.J. Buckley (10th), who now boasts over $550,000 in MSPT earnings
Final Table Recap
Estes began the final table second in chips. The early bust-outs came quickly:
- 9th: Nicholas Barksdale
- 8th: Rob WazWaz – eliminated by Estes
- 7th: Justin Coliny – busted by WSOP bracelet winner and poker media mainstay Chad Holloway
- 6th: Jeff Kenny
- 5th: Steve Dill – knocked out by Holloway
- 4th: Michael Kreutzer
Holloway fell in third place after his A-J suited lost to Jake Long’s A-3 suited, securing $69,610.
Heads-Up Showdown: Estes vs. Long
Estes and Long entered heads-up play nearly dead even in chips. Around 1:00 AM, the pivotal hand unfolded:
Estes shoved for 11.3 million with A♠5♥, and Long called with pocket nines (11.7 million behind). The board ran out Q♦J♠4♠9♠3♠, giving Estes a rivered flush.
Long was left with just over a big blind and was eliminated on the very next hand. He earned $94,499, pushing his career earnings to roughly $450,000.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Estes | $153,551 | 912 |
| 2 | Jake Long | $94,499 | 760 |
| 3 | Chad Holloway | $69,610 | 608 |
| 4 | Michael Kreutzer | $51,971 | 456 |
| 5 | Steve Dill | $39,372 | 380 |
| 6 | Jeff Kenny | $29,923 | 304 |
| 7 | Justin Coliny | $22,836 | 228 |
| 8 | Rob Wazwaz | $18,111 | 152 |
| 9 | Nicholas Barksdale | $14,174 | 76 |
📸 Photo credit: MSPT
