MSPT Season 17 kicked off with a familiar name atop the leaderboard. Matthew Wantman, the 2019 WPT Aria champion, took down the MSPT Venetian New Year's Poker Open for $96,284.

He almost didn't play. Good thing he showed up.

The Quick Hit

• Event: MSPT Venetian New Year's Poker Open - $1,600 buy-in
• Prize pool: $500,000 (349 runners)
• First place: $96,284 plus a $3,500 seat to the MSPT Championship
• The winner: Matthew Wantman

"I Just Popped In"

Wantman told MSPT reporter Anthony Thompson after his win: "I haven't really played anything for the past few weeks because of the holidays, and I wasn't really planning on playing this event, just kind of popped in out of the blue."

That's one way to start the year. Skip the grind, pop into a random $1,600, walk out with nearly $100K.

Wantman came into Day 2 as the chip leader after three Day 1 flights, then rode that stack all the way to victory. When you run hot, you run hot.

Wantman's Resume

This isn't some anonymous crusher. Wantman has over $4 million in live tournament earnings and a WPT title already on his resume.

His biggest cash came in May 2019 when he won the WPT Aria Summer Championship for $443,475. He also topped the PGT PLO Series II leaderboard last year, shipping a $5,100 PLO event and banking $434,380 across the series.

The guy knows how to close out tournaments. Six final table appearances in the PLO series alone. He's got the range and the killer instinct.

The Venetian Poker Scene

The Venetian has become one of the best tournament poker destinations in Las Vegas. With Jeremy Becker's recent DeepStack win and now Wantman's MSPT victory, the room is producing results.

Coming up at the Venetian:

• DeepStack Extravaganza continues through January 19
• DeepStack Showdown: January 19 - February 8 ($2.1M in guarantees)

The schedule is stacked. If you're heading to Vegas for poker, the Venetian should be on your list.

MSPT Season 17

This MSPT victory comes with more than just the cash and trophy. Wantman also earned a $3,500 seat into the MSPT Championship Rock 'N' Roll Poker Open later this year.

Season 17 will feature stops across the country, with buy-ins ranging from $1,100 to $1,600. The tour has carved out a niche between the mega-tournaments of the WPT/WSOP and the daily grind, attracting serious recreational players and pros alike.

The WSOP Circuit at Planet Hollywood is running simultaneously, giving poker degenerates plenty of options in Vegas right now.

The Field

Wantman outlasted 349 runners to claim the title. Notable names in the field included Jeremy Becker (15th place, $6,271), who's been on an absolute tear lately.

The $500,000 prize pool was distributed across 40 players, with min-cashes starting around $4,000. Not life-changing money, but enough to fund the next buy-in for anyone who made Day 2.

The Bottom Line

Matthew Wantman "popped in" to the MSPT Venetian and walked out with $96K and a Championship seat. When a WPT champion with $4M in earnings decides to play your tournament on a whim, the field should be nervous.

MSPT Season 17 is officially underway. The grind continues at the Venetian, and January poker in Vegas is as hot as it's been in years.

See you at the felt.