Created (2/23/2026 1:49:33 AM by Anthony Thompson)
For the first time this season, MSPT traveled to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to host the inaugural Club Poker Championship, and the turnouts were one for the record books.
The 11-Gold Card Series was headlined by the $1,110 buy-in, $1,000,000 GTD MAJOR Event, and it was one to remember as a total of 1,785 entries were tallied, besting the 1,698 field set in October, and the $1,729,950 generated prize pool went down in the history books as well.
After a long road to crown a new champion, it was Illinois native Jorden Helster, who navigated his way through to the finish, earning himself a career payday of $239,788 and his first MSPT title!
“Feels amazing,” Helstern said after his victory, “I basically just 8x my largest career score, so I think I’ll go buy some new shoes.”
The victory was definitely a milestone for the ecstatic Helstern, as the quarter-milly score nearly matched his $284,272 career earnings on The Hendon Mob, and made him the sixth person to earn an MSPT MAJOR title, and put him in fourth place in the Player of the Year standings.
Not only did the win mark Helstern’s largest career score, he also will receive 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 Club Poker Championship Final Table Results
| Place |
Player |
Prize |
POY |
| 1 |
Jorden Helster |
$239,788* |
2,550 |
| 2 |
Greg Sessler |
$210,000* |
2,550 |
| 3 |
Jean “Prince” Gaspard |
$131,083 |
2,400 |
| 4 |
Sung Pil Kim |
$98,526 |
2,250 |
| 5 |
Ken Daciolas |
$76,079 |
2,100 |
| 6 |
Mike Wilklow |
$56,546 |
1,950 |
| 7 |
John McVoy |
$44,551 |
1,800 |
| 8 |
Craig Trost |
$34,270 |
1,650 |
| 9 |
Andrew Leichtle |
$27,416 |
1,500 |
Day 2 Action
The final day came back with each of the 197 players already in the money, so action kicked right into gear with Mike Scheferman being the first body to drop, while MSPT Hall of Famer Rob WazWaz, and MSPT Champ Joe Matheson were part of the first batch of eliminations.
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MSPT Hall of Famer Rob WazWaz
The first batch of eliminations sparked a fire in the field as 2025 Michigan Poker State Champ Corey Wick (156th Place - $2,228), Mikiyo Aoki (153rd Place - $2,399), Season 16 Player of the Year Jake Long (135th Place - $2,570), and MSPT Champ Lee Rzentkowski (105th Place - $2,742) all fell in quick succession making their way to the payout desk.
MSPT Hall of Famer Kou Vang
Players rapidly continued to make their way down to the Poker room to get paid as MSPT champ Jeff Copeland (94th Place - $2,913), four-time MSPT Champ Dan Bekavac (82nd Place - $3,084), MSPT Hall of Famer Kou Vang (74th Place - $3,427), and Todd Sladek (68th Place - $3,770) all made their way down to the payout cage taking a much earlier exit than anticipated.
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Two-Time MSPT Champ Angela Jordison
The fast-paced action continued as two-time MSPT Champ Angela Jordison found herself on the wrong side of a cooler to take a 59th place exit for $4,112, while MSPT Hall of Famer Chris Moon (53rd Place - $4,969), inaugural Heart Poker Champion Josh Reichard (43rd Place - $5,826), brother Charlie Reichard (29th Place - $6,854) and the MSPT’s top casher DJ Buckley (13th Place - $18,849) all fell on the way to the final table.
Charlie Reichard
Final Table Action
The stacked final table started off with a bang, with WSOP bracelet winner Jean “Prince” Gaspard dominating back-to-back eliminations, with Andrew Leichtle falling first, while MSPT Champ Craig Trost followed him to the payout desk in eighth-place for $34,270.
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Next on the chopping block was John McVoy, who came into the final table in the middle of the pack, only to be tripped out the door by Sung Pil Kim to take a heartbreaking seventh-place exit for $44,551.
After McVoy hit the deck, Gaspard would continue with his final table reign, as he won a big flip against fellow bracelet winner Mike Wilklow to send him home in sixth-place for $56,546, and then dropped Ken Daciolas with a pair of ladies shortly after in fifth-place for $76,059.
John McVoy
With four players remaining, action slowed down for a few levels before, and doubles were being handed out before Kim ran a pair of nines into soon-to-be Champion Helstern’s superior hand of tens, ending his run in fourth-place for $98,526.
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Jean “Prince” Gaspard
From there, Helstern started to gain momentum, and he chipped away at both of his opponents until the majority were in his possession, and he watched Greg Sessler flush Gaspard out the door in third place for $131,083, setting the stage for the heads-up match.
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The heads-up battle started with Helstern holding a 4:1 chip advantage over Sessler, but after Sessler secured an early double, the two came to an agreement on an ICM deal, which saw Sessler take a second-place finish for a career best $210,000, while Helstern secured his first MAJOR Event title, earning a career payday as well for $239,788.
This wraps up our coverage of yet another record-setting MAJOR event, but Season 17 of the MSPT continues as we head to Grand Falls next in Larchwood, IA, March 11th - 13th. Our reporting team will be on hand providing updates, so make sure to come back!!