Created (8/10/2026 2:01:09 AM by Anthony Thompson)
For the first time in tour history, the MSPT traveled to Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois, to host the inaugural $1,100 Illinois Poker State Championship, and the turnout was another for the record books.
The $1,100 buy-in, $750,000 GTD Main Event was one to remember, as a state record of 1,807 entries were tallied, generating a mouth-watering $1,751,290 prize pool.
After an action-packed weekend, it was Mo Nuwwarah who emerged victorious to claim his second MSPT title along with a career-best $205,499 first-place prize!
“It feels good,” Nuwwarah stated after his latest victory, “I mean, it’s been a pretty swingy year, but also a good one so far,” he continued, “A little bit more good than bad, but I’ve blown a few heads-up battles in these before, so it feels good to get win number two in the books.”
It was just earlier this year when Nuwwarah had his latest runner-up finish to Hall of Famer Aaron Johnson, but he came back with a vengeance en route to his largest payday, to go along with his second career MSPT title.
The win not only marked Nuwwarah's largest career score, but 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, and event he said, “I guess I better start looking at flights to Florida”.
MSPT 2026 Illinois Poker State Championship Final Table Results
| Place |
Player |
Prize |
POY |
| 1 |
Mo Nuwwarah |
$205,499* |
1,400 |
| 2 |
Greg Koutelidokis |
$163,737* |
1,400 |
| 3 |
Matt Miller |
$128,023* |
1,400 |
| 4 |
Mike Holm |
$128,032* |
1,400 |
| 5 |
Bruce Fagan |
$114,829* |
1,400 |
| 6 |
David Kowal |
$56,978 |
1,300 |
| 7 |
Matt Schurter |
$44,892 |
1,200 |
| 8 |
Ben Krauss |
$34,532 |
1,100 |
| 9 |
Evan Bethyo |
$27,626 |
1,000 |
Final Day Action
The final day came back with all 198 players already in the money, so action kicked right into gear with players like Dennis Stevermer, DJ Buckley, MSPT Champ Phirom Peterschmidt, and fellow MSPT Champ Anthony Kastelic all falling in the first batch of eliminations.
MSPT Champ Anthony Kastelic
The rush of players to the payout line continued with MSPT Hall of Famer Umut Ozturk (134th Place $2,590), fellow two-time MSPT Champ Lee Rzentkowski (123rd Place $2,590), Season 16 Player of the Year Jake Long (116th Place $2,763), and WSOP bracelet winner Robert Mitchell (110th Place $2,763), all had their final day cut much shorter than anticipated.
Season 16 Player of the Year Jake Long
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 Rob WazWaz (96th Place - $2,935), fellow Hall of Famer & bracelet winner Josh Reichard (89th Place - $3,108), Missy Bartelme (80th Place - $3,367), Brett “Pops” Reichard (50th place - $4,921), Jason Crews (17th Place - $16,400), and Nic DiTrapani (11th Place - $22,446).
Nic DiTrapani
Final Table Action
Once the final table was set, action kicked right into gear with Greg Koutelidakis setting up Evan Bethyo’s pair of aces, making him the first body to drop, while Ben Krauss jammed his pair of nines into Matt Schurter’s pair of kings, as he followed Bethyo to the payout desk shortly after.
Evan Bethyo
Play then tightened up with the pay jumps increasing significantly, as it took over a full level before Schurter hit the deck after he missed a gutshot straight draw against Greg Koutelidakis, and David Kowal followed him to the payout line in sixth-place ($56,978) after being set-up by Nuwwarah.
David Kowal
Once there were five players remaining, Nuwwarah sat at the top of the chip counts, and it didn’t take long for an ICM deal to be brought up and agreed upon, which ultimately led to him taking home a career payday of $205,499, along with his second career MSPT title!
This wraps up our coverage of yet another record-breaking tournament, so make sure you join us when we make our way back to JACK Cleveland Casino, August 18th - 23rd, and our reporting team will be on hand to provide updates for the $500K GTD $1,110 Main Event. So, make sure to come back