The 2025 Major Series of Poker: The Tour Player of the Year race was one for the ages. Jacob Long came out on top in the heated battle, just holding off back-to-back MSPT POY Umut Ozturk from a third straight victory.
Long captured eight side event victories throughout the year and made two MSPT main event final tables, including a second-place showing in the MSPT Iowa Poker State Championship. The Nebraska resident earned a career-best $94,499 payday as the runner-up in that event, which had an 815-entry turnout back in July. His other deep run in a main tour event this year, at MSPT Hollywood St. Louis, ended in fourth place ($43,989). All told, he cashed for $314,604 on the season.
The final point standings saw Long edge Ozturk out by just 140 points, with 10,395 to 10,255. The nearest competition for the top two was former winner of this award, Josh Reichard. The World Poker Tour champion’s 8,696 was 1,559 points behind Ozturk. Brett Reichard, Josh’s father, finished one spot below his son in the final standings with 5,625 points.
Long’s narrow victory was cemented thanks to two side event wins at the MSPT Running Aces series. Ozturk had a few shots in the final days to surpass him but was unable to run deep enough in the main event (he finished 84th) or a $300 progressive knockout event, in which he placed ninth.
MSPT Season 16 POY Race Standings
| Place | Player | Points |
| 1 | Jacob Long | 10,395 |
| 2 | Umut Ozturk | 10,255 |
| 3 | Josh Reichard | 8,696 |
| 4 | Brett Reichard | 5,625 |
| 5 | DJ Buckley | 5,400 |
| 6 | Gerald Cunniff | 5,155 |
| 7 | Anthony Scarborough | 4,984 |
| 8 | Aaron Johnson | 4,763 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Copeland | 4,261 |
| 10 | Ryan Eamon | 4,150 |
Ozturk led all players in overall cashes for 2025 with 18, falling just one short of the record he set a year earlier. His $408,512 in Season 16 earnings was the third-highest total, trailing only Corey Wick ($416,479) and Ryan Eamon ($412,289). The MSPT Hall of Famer now sits in fifth place on the tour’s all-time money list with $881,162 in earnings.
Kou Vang, also a Hall of Fame member on the tour, overtook the top spot on that list thanks to a runner-up finish in the MSPT Running Aces main event for $114,000. That pushed his career total to $1,015,242, making him just the second player in the tour’s history to accrue more than $1 million in earnings. Richard Alsup slid to second with $1,104,051.
MSPT POY Award Winners
| Year | POY Race Winner |
| 2025 | Jake Long |
| 2024 | Umut Ozturk |
| 2023 | Umut Ozturk |
| 2022 | Josh Reichard |
| 2021 | Kyna England |
| 2020 | None |
| 2019 | Mike Shin |
| 2018 | Aaron Johnson |
| 2017 | Chris Meyers |
| 2016 | Rich Alsup |
| 2015 | Mark Hodge |
| 2014 | Mike Deis |
| 2013 | Pat Steele |
| 2012 | Dan Sun |
| 2011 | Nathan Fair |
Photo credit: MSPT.
