February 4-7
Dollars awarded by the Major Series of Poker since its inception in 2009.
- 1STAlex Foxen$165,235
- 2NDMiquel Maimes$122,698
- 3RDJoe Serock$92,076
- 4THJustin Lapka$69,817
- 5THNick Palma$53,495
- 6THAaron Klausman$41,426
- 7THHunter Cichy$41,426
- 8THKenneth Kim$25,652
- 9THDan Sepiol$20,519
Over the last ten years, the Major Series of Poker has established its pre-Super Bowl tournament as one of the must-do traditions for Las Vegas poker players.
The annual marquee event started in 2017 and quickly became a regular feature on the tour's wide-ranging regional schedule, routinely drawing big crowds to Venetian for a $1,000,000 guarantee that crests on the eve of football's biggest game. This year, Alex Foxen won the 10th edition of Poker Bowl, drawing $165K for beating a field of 740 entries. It's the second career MSPT title for Foxen, who last won on the mid-stakes tour in 2018.
Alex Foxen won his previous MSPT at Venetian in 2018. From Minnesota to the Majors
The MSPT started in 2009 as the Minnesota Poker Tour, brainchild of its founder Bryan Mileski and staple of its birthplace, the Canterbury Park race track in Shakopee, Minnesota. The tour started, and remains, a series that focuses on more affordable buy-ins and player-friendly structures, coined as "Chainsaw Friendly" after an early partnership with Allen Kessler.
A jump to Iowa in 2011 changed the tour's name to the Mid-States Poker Tour, where it carved out a strong presence throughout the Midwest and eventually grew to California and beyond. As of 2025 it's known as the Major Series of Poker, sporting a schedule built around "Major" events and a popular Player of the Year system with an MSPT Hall of Fame for the lifelong grinders.
Nick Palma is a regular feature at mid-stakes tournaments, and a final table finisher at this one. Foxen is a long way from that Hall of Fame, but he did check off a major requirement with his second MSPT Main Event win. To enter the revamped Tier 1 of the MSPT HOF, you need at least 40 MSPT Main Event cashes to go along with a minimum of two Main Event wins, one Major win, and at least $500K in MSPT earnings. Foxen only has three cashes, so far. An even tougher Legends Club requires 60 cashes, three Main Event wins, two Majors, and $750K in earnings. Or you can just be one of the first five players to reach 100 career Main Event cashes. The Hall of Fame already includes world-beating players like Blake Bohn, Rich Alsup, Josh Reichard, Aaron Massey, and Keith Heine, who qualified late last year.
The champ ended up beating a final table of MSPT regulars to claim the title. Dan Sepiol finished ninth, two-time WSOP champ Justin Lapka finished seventh, Nick Palma dropped out in fifth, and 2024 WSOP Main Event final table finisher Joe Serock bowed out in third before Foxen finished off the heads-up chip lead against Miquel Maimes for the win.
MSPT will now head to Cleveland for the Ohio State Poker Championship and eventually Florida, where Foxen has won a $3,500 seat in the MSPT Championship Rock n Roll Poker Open at Seminole in November. The primetime partnership with the Hollywood, Florida casino will yield a $2,000,000 guarantee.
Images courtesy of the Major Series of Poker.
