£200K Guaranteed GUKPT Luton Main Event Starts Oct. 12
The eighth leg of the 2017 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour takes place at the Grosvenor Casino in Luton and sees a £200,000 guaranteed Main Event run from Oct. 12-15.
GUKPT Luton has been a mainstay on the tour since the first season in 2007. Back then, the £1,000 buy-in Main Event attracted a field of 314 players who were all outlasted by Dave Clark, a result that netted Clark £107,300, which is still the second-largest first-place prize awarded at a GUKPT Luton Main Event.
The largest top prize was awarded the following year to a then relatively unknown Sam Trickett. Now a global superstar, Trickett topped a field of 376 players to win £109,050, a sum that remained Trickett’s largest live tournament cash until his runner-up finish in a $5,000 no-limit hold’em event at the 2010 WSOP that netted him $505,725.
Several established players have won the GUKPT Luton Main Event over the years, including Richard Gryko, Neil Channing, Charles Chattha and Jamie O’Connor. Last year, Driton Haxhiaj (pictured above) won what was his second Main Event title having emerged victorious in the Season 7 edition three years ago.
Past winners of the GUKPT Luton Main Event
| Season | Entrants | Prize pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 314 | £314,000 | Dave Clark | £107,300 |
| 2 | 376 | £376,000 | Sam Trickett | £109,050 |
| 3 | 304 | £304,000 | Richard Gryko | £88,850 |
| 4 | 229 | £229,000 | Neil Channing | £64,050 |
| 5 | 212 | £212,000 | Charles Chattha | £59,360 |
| 6 | 155 | £155,000 | Jamie O’Connor | £45,760 |
| 7 | 262 | £262,000 | Driton Haxhiak | £42,750 |
| 8 | 219 | £219,000 | Adam Reynolds | £53,500 |
| 9 | 226 | £226,000 | William Davies | £65,550 |
| 10 | 239 | £240,000 | Driton Haxhiaj | £61,250 |
2017 GUKPT Luton Schedule
The festival kicked off with a £220 Mini Main Event, which had a £20,000 guaranteed prize pool. Local player Timotheou “Tim Tim” Timotheos was crowned its champion after a five-way chop and he added £9,552 to his lifetime live tournament winnings of $267,678.
In addition to the £1,100 Main Event, players in Luton can get involved in a £165 no-limit hold’em bounty tournament, a £165 Win the Button event, a £110 side event and a £165 pot-limit Omaha 4/5/6 competition.
| Date | Time | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 12 Oct | 1:00 p.m. | £1,100 GUKPT Main Event Day 1a |
| 4:00 p.m. | £36 turbo satellite to Main Event | |
| 6:00 p.m. | £165 pot-limit Omaha 4/5/6 | |
| Fri 13 Oct | 1:00 p.m. | £1,100 GUKPT Main Event Day 1b |
| 9:00 p.m. | £165 no-limit hold’em bounty | |
| Sat 14 Oct | 1:00 p.m. | Main Event Day 2 |
| 6:00 p.m. | £165 no-limit hold’em Win the Button | |
| Sun 15 Oct | 12:00 p.m. | Main Event final day |
| 4:00 p.m. | £110 no-limit hold’em |
