Ryan Foster Wins Record-Breaking GUKPT Goliath for £62,120
The 2014 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Goliath Main Event is a tournament that certainly lived up to its name. Check poker's history book and you will now find its name written next to the entry labelled "largest poker tournament held outside of the United States of America."
It earned this impressive title after 3,394 players bought into it for £100+£20 over the course of six starting flights, first meeting and then smashing the £250,000 guaranteed prize pool in the process, and then snatching the aforementioned title from the 2014 Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Beijing Millions.
Day 1a saw 542 players pour through the doors of the G Casino at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, with all but 75 of them falling by the wayside over the course of 16 40-minute levels. Topping the chip counts at the close of play was Mark Adams, who turned his 25,000 starting stack into 497,500 chips. Adams would eventually progress to the final table thanks in part to his great start on the opening flight.
Others who were quick out of the blocks and bagged up plenty of chips at the end of their start day of choice included Steve Burgess (Day 1b chip leader with 502,500), Dan Dennehy (Day 1c chip leader with 469,500), Simone Powell (Day 1d chip leader with 550,000), Peter Smith (Day 1e chip leader with 447,000), and Hamed Nikjeh (Day 1f chip leader with 535,000).
2014 GUKPT Goliath Day 1a-1f Information
| Start Day | Entrants | Progressed | Overnight Chip Leader | Total Attendance | Total Prize pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 542 | 75 | Mark Adams (497,500) | 542 | £54,200 |
| 1b | 251 | 27 | Steve Burgess (502,500) | 793 | £79,300 |
| 1c | 340 | 50 | Dan Dennehy (469,500) | 1,133 | £111,300 |
| 1d | 388 | 48 | Simone Powell (550,000) | 1,521 | £152,100 |
| 1e | 727 | 112 | Peter Smith (447,000) | 2,248 | £224,800 |
| 1f | 1,146 | 195 | Hamed Nikjeh (535,000) | 3,394 | £339,400 |
A total of 507 players punched their ticket to Day 2, but the dream of becoming the one who would slay the 2014 Goliath ended for all but 26 of them.
Those 26 hopefuls returned to their seats at midday on Sunday with the plan to play down to a champion and the £62,120 that went along with that title.
Three hours after the final day got under way, the nine-handed final table was reached and it was the Day 1a chip leader Mark Adams who was on top of the chip counts.
2014 GUKPT Goliath Main Event Final Table
| Seat | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Adams | 25,230,000 |
| 2 | Phil Stein | 2,175,000 |
| 3 | Adam Nice | 7,095,000 |
| 4 | Ryan Foster | 5,020,000 |
| 5 | Neville Price | 11,330,000 |
| 6 | Rodrigo Hernandez | 10,890,000 |
| 7 | Mihaly Jancso | 4,420,000 |
| 8 | Arjun Ruparel | 13,845,000 |
| 9 | Liam Horton | 5,130,000 |
Liam Horton was the first casualty of the final table, running his A♣J♥ into the K♦K♥ of Neville Price. Soon after, he was followed to the sidelines by Phil Stein, Adam Nice, Mihaly Jancso, Rodrigo Hernandez, Arjun Ruparell and Neville Price.
Price's exit set up a heads-up battle between Adams and Ryan Foster, with the latter holding a massive 65.5 million to 18.3 million chip lead.
Eleven-and-a-half hours after play began, the final hand of the record-breaking tournament took place. Adams moved all-in for eight big binds with 7♠6♠ and Foster looked him up with the dominating Q♥7♥.
The Q♣3♥J♠ flop put Foster further ahead, but the A♠ on the turn gave Adams some outs to a flush. Those flush outs failed to arrive because the river was the 4♥, which busted Adams and secured Foster's slaying of Goliath to become the tournament’s champion.
2014 GUKPT Goliath Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Foster | £62,120 |
| 2 | Mark Adams | £40,700 |
| 3 | Neville Price | £27,140 |
| 4 | Arjun Ruparel | £18,990 |
| 5 | Rodrigo Hernandez | £13,570 |
| 6 | Mihaly Jancso | £8,820 |
| 7 | Adam Nice | £5,430 |
| 8 | Phil Stein | £3,390 |
| 9 | Liam Horton | £2,710 |
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