After 31 events, spanning from Cleveland, Ohio to San Diego, California, the 14th season of The MSPT has come to a close. With new champions crowned, new prize pool highs met, and many records broken on the player’s side, this season shaped up to be one of the most exciting and competitive in this tour’s history. Nowhere is that more apparent in the star-studded player of the year race.

Hall of Fame Induction: Dan DQ Hendrickson

Three players saw themselves inducted into the MSPT hall of fame this year, the first of which was Dan DQ Hendrickson. This past MSPT Sioux Falls trip, Hendrickson collected his 25th career cash, putting him right into the MSPT hall of fame.

With a win at MSPT Cantebury Park in 2015, and cashes that date back to 2010, Hendrickson has made himself a staple of the MSPT. The Minnesota resident shows no signs of slowing as just after his hall of fame induction, he snagged another cash at Running Aces Casino just a short while later.

Hall of Fame Induction: Aaron Massey

Before we break down the final player of the year standings, another player ascended into the MSPT Hall of Fame. It was Chicago Native Aaron Massey, who’s 10th final table appearance propelled him into league with other legends of the game.

Winning his MSPT title in 2016 at Firekeepers, Massey sits in fourth place on the all-time MSPT money list with career earnings of $744,899. An extremely impressive feat, especially given that all but one of his 25 MSPT cashes come from just two casinos, Firekeepers and The Venetian. Working his way into the MSPT GOAT rankings in 9th place, Massey has put his stamp as one of the most steady crushers on the tour.

10. Mark Sandness (3,100 points) *tie

A blast from the MSPT past as Mark Sandness cracked the top ten with his impressive performance on the circuit this year. Sandness ended up winning the $2,500 Hall of Fame High Roller at The MSPT Running Aces at the season's end for $42,320. This coupled with his two cashes in The Running Aces Main Event and The Ameristar East Chicago main events, and a third place in the second MSPT East Chicago later in the year, sees the Wayzata, Minnesota native crack the top ten of the player of the year.

With 22 total career cashes, dating back to 2011, and a title which he acquired in 2014 at Running Aces, Sandness’ return to the circuit sees a personal highlight for number of cashes in a single season. With The Hall of Fame near, as well as accolades and praise from all his competitors, this year proved to be a resounding success for the Minnesota native. Time will tell if he is to return the next year to chase.

10. Eric Baldwin (3,100 Points) *tie

Only 6 players ever have collected over three MSPT titles, but only one has ever done it in one single location. As the year came to a close, Las Vegas grinder Eric Baldwin collected his second MSPT title of 2023 in the MSPT $1,100 Venetian Main Event for $90,692, just a month after winning the same tournament in the same location.

With $481,453 in lifetime earnings from MSPT with 8 total cashes with MSPT, all of which are from The Venetian. The Las Vegas pro has made The Venetian his home turf and has become one of the most profitable players at the casino in MSPT history. With over 20 years of poker experience under his belt, Baldwin has become one of the most respected grinders in the game and will continue to play on his turf.

9. Justin Lynch (3,166 Points)

A newcomer to the MSPT circuit as compared to others in this top ten, ChipLeaderCoaching.com’s Justin Lynch made his presence known on the felt this year. Winning his first MSPT title at Sycuan Casino Resort for $61,624, as well as a final table appearance in Black Hawk, Colorado, and four other cashes across the circuit, Lynch’s second year of cashes on the tour has been a successful one.

The family man, who works closely with some of the best in the world like Alex Foxen and Chance Kornuth, resides in Colorado and makes the stops out west his regular visits, while occasionally venturing out east as his last cash was a finish at MSPT Running Aces. Lynch declared on his social media his goals for next season’s MSPT POY race and he will certainly be a force to be reckoned with when next season rolls around.

8. Max Havlish (3,600 Points)

Very few players around talk with the passion and knowledge of poker like Max Havlish. Look no further than his very own Suited Kings podcast which he co-hosts with fellow Minnesota player Wesley Cannon. If that isn’t enough to convince you, then look at his 7 cashes and 2 final tables on this Season’s tour.

Havlish won his first MSPT title in 2017 in Tama, Iowa and since then has become a regular around the MSPT circuit, becoming a feared player on the felt. The young man, who also works in the realtor business, is becoming more and more active in the poker world and will always be back to chase more titles for his growing resume.

7. Nick Barksdale (3,650 Points)

Nick Barksdale’s Season can be described as a one-two punch. He holds the lowest amount of cashes on the Top 10 POY with three, but he rose up as one of two players this season to take home two MSPT titles. Barksdale began his year by winning the MSPT Bally’s Black Hawk in January for $170,235, cashed in the MSPT Riverside in the middle of the year for $2,710, then ended his year by winning the MSPT Riverside for $129,740.

Barksdale is also a relative newcomer to the MSPT circuit, but not a newcomer to poker. The Iowa native has plenty of poker experience around Iowa tournaments and cash games. Sitting just outside the MSPT top 50 all time earners with just four cashes, Barksdale has only just begun to make his splash at MSPT.

6. Kou Vang (3,750 Points)

Sitting just outside of the Top 5 is Kou Vang, who added more to his already illustrious MSPT career resume. This season saw Vang put up six cashes, three final tables, and his third MSPT title for a career best score of $314,145. Vang won the biggest prize given out this season in the “Main Event of The Midwest,” MSPT Battle Creek, beating out 2,471 entrants.

Vang’s talent behind the felt is known far and wide, making him one of the most feared players on any felt around the country. With 41 MSPT Main Event Cashes, 14 main event final tables, and one of only 6 players to win 3 or more MSPT main events, Vang has been a mainstay of the MSPT for well over a decade and he shows no signs of stopping.

5. Jared Ingles (3,950 Points)

Few players, if any, have ever had a month like Jared Ingles in MSPT history. The second tournament saw Ingles finish in second place for $104,762 to Nick Barksdale out in Bally’s Black Hawk, Colorado. Without skipping a beat, he ended up just seven days later in St. Louis and finishing runner up to Umut Ozturk at Hollywood for $100,377. Two weeks later he would finish in 11th place at MSPT Cleveland for $14,115, cashing for $219,254 in under 30 days.

Ingles has been an incredibly accomplished tournament player for well over a decade, only coming into play MSPTs in the past five years. Having only seven MSPT cashes to his name, with three of them being final tables and two being runner-up finishes, Ingles put on a dominant performance, showcasing his talent on the felt.

4. DJ Buckley (4,624 Points)

No MSPT POY top ten conversation would be complete without DJ Buckley in the conversation. Three players passed Mike Shin’s record of 12 cashes in one season, and one of them was DJ Buckley, who collected 16 cashes. This also puts him as the player with the most MSPT cashes of all time with 56 career main event cashes.

Buckley has been playing and cashing in MSPTs for 10 years now and his 15 cashes this season saw him travel all across the country playing. From Colorado, to Las Vegas, to California, to Indiana, Buckley has established himself as one of the most consistent cashers on the tour. Always a formidable force on the felt, Buckley will look to next year to add more accolades to his resume.

3. Blake Bohn (5,425 Points)

Few players in the history of any tour ever have been as dominant as Blake Bohn has with MSPT. At the beginning of this year, he was tied with Danny Bekavac with four titles each. He came in second at MSPT Riverside for $92,156 in the summer, and returned with a vengeance in the fall to win MSPT East Chicago for $113,146 and become the only player to win 5 MSPT main events.

Bohn not only sits atop of the list of MSPT titles, but with his cashes this year he also passes Rich Alsup on the all time earnings list with $947,886 in cashes to put him on the top of that one too. Bohn collected eight cashes this season with three final tables and one victory. Bohn’s patented style of table talk, exploitative style, and $4,088,088 in lifetime earnings has made him one of the most feared and legendary players on the circuit.

2. Rob Wazwaz (8,625 Points)

The second player this year to pass up Mike Shin’s record of 12 cashes in a single MSPT season, sees Hall of Famer Rob Wazwaz put up 16 cashes in a single season. With a total of 16 cashes, 10 top 27 finishes, and 4 final tables, Wazwaz cashed out for $203,562 total to bring his MSPT live earnings to $668,420.

The MSPT hall of famer has been no stranger to top ten finishes on the MSPT POY over the years. Collecting his MSPT title in 2018 from Canterbury Park, but with MSPT cashes dating back to 2009, Wazwaz has become one of the most closely associated players with the tour. The tour’s own GOAT list has Wazwaz listed as number one, compiling all of the points he had acquired in years past player of the year races, Wazwaz will always be a staple of the MSPT. He had a career highest cashing year, that would have been good for Player of The Year if not for one other player.

1. Umut Ozturk (9,070 Points)

No player in MSPT history has acquired more points in a single season than Minnesota’s own Umut Ozturk. In year’s past, the players who landed at the top of the charts usually sat with about 5,000-6,000 points. Ozturk has set the record with the points as well as setting a record with 17 cashes in a single season, and collecting his first MSPT title for $101,336 in St. Louis to secure his MSPT Hall of Fame status.

Ozturk was a regular on the MSPT circuit prior to this year, but after his win in St. Louis Ozturk went out to play at almost every single MSPT stop this season. Ozturk was driven, and engaged in a very close race with Rob Wazwaz, with every week seeming to flip with who was in the lead. His cash at the MSPT Venetian at the end of the year was good enough to claim player of the year. The Minnesota family man made a name for himself this year. Collecting cashes and final table results as he played at the top of his game. Final tabling five events and cashing for $244,620 over the course of 2023. Ozturk has secured his spot on the list of the MSPT GOATs, with others from this year’s top 10 list like Buckley, Bohn, and Wazwaz.

Congratulations to everyone who played on the MSPT this year. The most competitive MSPT POY race has come to a close. A new year has dawned on us, with a year full of stops teeming with possibilities. Who will be the frontrunners of next year’s MSPT POY race? What new massive prize pools will be seen? Be sure to come and check out one of our stops for these massive numbers and stay tuned to MSPT.com for all of the updates on the tour.