Talking Stick Resort

June "Oh Geez" Kim Wins Inaugural MSPT Diamond Poker Championship!

For the first time in tour history, the MSPT traveled to Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, to host the inaugural $1,100 Diamond Poker Championship MAJOR Event, and the turnout was another for the record books.

The $1,100 buy-in, $1,000,000 GTD Main Event was one to remember, as an MSPT record, outside of Las Vegas, of 3,220 entries were tallied, generating a mouth-watering $3,121,900 prize pool.

After an action-packed weekend, it was June “Oh Geez” Kim who emerged victorious to claim his first MSPT MAJOR title along with a career-best $397,950 first-place prize.

“Feels incredible”, Kim said after his comeback victory, “It was a wild ride all day long, and just a really amazing experience to be able to win in my hometown casino, I want to keep playing, I don’t want this to be over, it was so much fun.”

The win marked Kim’s largest career score, and with it, he also received a $3,500 seat into the MSPT Championship Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open (RRPO), which will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, Nov. 18 – Dec. 2, boasting a $2,000,000 GTD Main Event!

MSPT 2026 Diamond Poker Championship Final Table Results

Final Day Action

The final day came back with all 345 players already in the money, so action kicked right into gear with players like MSPT Poker Bowl Xl Champ Anthony Scarborough, Dennis Stevermer, Hayley Hanna, and MSPT Champ Justin Lynch all falling in the first batch of eliminations.

The rush of players to the payout line continued with Season 12 Player of the Year Kyna England, (257^th Place $2,300), 2023 WSOP Main Event runner-up finisher Steven Jones (232^nd Place $2,300), Brad Sailor (188^th Place $2,800), and WSOP bracelet winner Chad Holloway (143^rd Place $3,300), all had their final day cut much shorter than anticipated.

With the march to the final table in full swing, others to fall along the way albeit with a payday, were MSPT Hall of Famer Rich Alsup (86^th Place - $5,000), Season 16 Player of the Year Jake Long (71^st Place - $6,600), Esther Taylor (53^rd Place - $9,400), MSPT champ Mike Estes (30^th place - $14,000), along with three-time MSPT Champ Nick Barksdale (21^st Place - $16,400), and Season 8 Potawatomi Champ Dan Goepel (16^th Place - $21,100).

Final Table Action

The final 10 players then took their seats at an unofficial final table, and it took one full level before John Ciccarelli would lose a race to Golden State Poker Champion Zilong Zhang, making him the official final table bubble.

After Ciccarelli hit the deck, the final table bodies started dropping like wildfire as start-of-day chip leader Brett McCollum was flushed out the door in ninth place by Johnny Watson, while Doug Jacoby followed him to the payout line in eighth place for $58,500.

The fast-paced final table action would continue after Anastassios Leotsarakos pair of ladies was shot down by Watson’s two Cowboys, while Watson would become the next victim after his luck ran out to Zhang’s turned full house, as he took a sixth-place exit for $93,700.

Rising star Jonah Labranche would be next on the chopping block after he failed to crack Carlton Taylor’s pair of sixes, as he took a fifth-place exit for $117,100, and Taylor would then send Larry Goldstein home in fourth place ($140,500) shortly after an ICM deal was declined by soon-to-be champ Kim.

“I wanted to keep playing”, Kim stated, “This opportunity doesn’t come along very often, and I’ve made deals in the past where it ended up biting me, so I just wanted to play for the trophy”.

Even sitting at the bottom of the chip counts, Kim was the only one to decline the ICM deal, but he was able to win all-in, after all-in to finally take the chip lead after he sent the Golden Poker State Champion Zhang home in third-place for $185,000, while Taylor took a second place finish for $345,649, and Kim claimed the inaugural Diamond Poker Championship trophy!

This wraps up our coverage of yet another record-breaking tournament, so make sure you join us when we make our way back to the Venetian Las Vegas, February 4^th - 7^th, for the infamous $1,000,000 GTD Poker Bowl X!

Carlton Taylor Eliminated in 2nd Place ($345,649)

After the elimination of Zilong Zhang, Junie Kim and Carlton Taylor agreed on an ICM chop, which saw Taylor take home a second-place finish for $345,649, while Kim will walk away with $397,950, along with the inaugural Diamond Poker Championship!

MSPT Champ Zilong Zhang Eliminated in 3rd Place ($185,000)

Junie Kim was all in preflop for 32,700,000 from the small blind, and MSPT Champ Zilong Zhang looked him up from the big blind.

Junie Kim:
Zilong Zhang:

Zhang was ahead holding an ace, and nothing changed after the flop hit the felt.

The dealer then turned the , keeping Zhang in the lead, and just when he was looking good to take a massive chip lead, the dealer peeled off the on the river, securing Kim the massive double-up, while Zhang was left with just one big blind and eliminated the very next hand.

Junie Kim - 61,200,000
Carlton Taylor - 35,400,000
Zilong Zhang - Eliminated

Larry Goldstein Eliminated in 4th Place ($140,500)

Larry Goldstein raised all-in for 9,000,000 from the button, and Carlton Taylor looked him up from the big blind.

Larry Goldstein:
Carlton Taylor:

Goldstein rolled over a dominated hand and needed to hit running cards after the flop fell, pairing Carlton’s jack.

Unfortunately for Goldstein, the then fell on the turn, leaving him drawing dead to the river.

Carlton Taylor - 40,000,000
Larry Goldstein - Eliminated

Jonah Labranche Eliminated in 5th Place ($117,100)

Carlton Taylor raised the button and then called Jonah Labranche’s 8,000,000 three-bet jam from the big blind.

Jonah Labranche:
Carlton Taylor:

Labranche was behind needing some help, with not much coming after the flop hit the felt.

The then fell on the turn, giving Labranche more outs with a Broadway draw, but the paired the board on the river and ended his run.

Carlton Taylor - 20,200,000
Jonah Labranche - Eliminated

Johnny Watson Eliminated in 6th Place ($93,700)

Johnny Watson was all-in after a flop from the big blind, and MSPT Champ Zilong Zhang looked him up from the button.

Johnny Watson:
Zilong Zhang:

Watson was behind holding straight and flush draws, but the paired the board on the turn to improve Zhang to a full house, leaving him drawing dead to the needle river.

Zilong Zhang - 38,000,000
Johnny Watson - Eliminated

Anastassios Leotsarakos Eliminated in 7th Place ($70,200)

There was all-in action preflop between Johnny Watson and Anastassios Leotsarakos, with Watson holding the effective stack.

Johnny Watson:
Anastassios Leotsarakos:

Watson rolled over the superior premium made hand and collected a double after the board ran out, while Leotsarakos was left short and eliminated the very next hand.

Johnny Watson - 11,000,000
Anastassios Leotsarakos - Eliminated

Doug Jacob Eliminated in 8th Place ($58,500)

Doug Jacoby raised all-in from under the gun, and MSPT Champ Zilong Zhang looked him up from the cutoff.

Doug Jacoby:
Zilong Zhang:

Jacoby rolled over a dominated hand and was in need of some help, but the runout made him the second final table elimination.

Zilong Zhang - 25,000,000
Doug Jacoby - Eliminated

Brett McCollum Eliminated in 9th Place ($46,800)

Brett McCollum raised all-in for 3,000,000 from late position, and Johnny Watson looked him up from the cutoff.

Brett McCollum:
Johnny Watson:

McCollum rolled over a dominating hand, but the flop came with a sweat as it came paired while also giving Watson a spade flush draw.

The dealer then turned the keeping McCollum in the lead, but then followed with the on the river, giving Watson the nuts to make McCollum the first final table elimination.

Johnny Watson - 10,000,000
Brett McCollum - Eliminated

Final Table Seat Draw