Lee Reynolds Wins the Record-Breaking Goliath For £64,601
When the 2018 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Goliath attracted a field of 7,584 entries to become the largest-ever live poker tournament held outside of Las Vegas, nobody thought that record would be broken for a long time. Those people were wrong because the 2019 Goliath saw an incredible 9,300 entries processed and a £911,410 prize pool created for a £125 buy-in.
2019 GUKPT Goliath Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Reynolds | £64,601* |
| 2 | Tom Jones | £60,887* |
| 3 | Cristian Tamas | £80,548* |
| 4 | Derek Borwick | £63,691* |
| 5 | Christopher Bartlett | £69,893* |
| 6 | Igors Puskarskis | £20,965 |
| 7 | Trevor Howard | £16,405 |
| 8 | Matthew Wright | £13,670 |
| 9 | Alan Watkins | £11,850 |
The top 922 finishers all received a slice of the pie. A number of established and well-known players from the UK poker circuit made it into the money, including Lynne Beaumont (773rd - £245), Guy Taylor (696th - £255), Kelly Saxby (483rd - £290), Natalie Bromley (464th - £310), Colburn Tomlin (325th - £390), Kevin Houghton (126th - £775), Sunil Mistri (174th - £630), Daiva Byrne (72nd - £1,220), Martyn Frey (44th - £1,925), and former world champion boxer David Haye (40th - £2,085).
By the time the nine-handed final table was reached, the players were guaranteed £11,850.
Alan Watkins was the first to fall and he collected £11,850. Watkins was joined on the sidelines by Matthew Wright whose £13,670 is the largest prize he’s won in the live area.
Next to bust was Trevor Howard whose Hendon Mob page was completely empty until he finished seventh for a cool £16,405. Howard found some more company on the rail when Igors Puskarskis busted out in sixth-place for £20,965.
A Five-Handed Deal is Made
With Puskarskis out of the way, the final five players paused the tournament clock and discussed a deal for the remainder of the prize pool, of which £339,620 was still up for grabs. A deal was agreed upon that locked up at least £60,887 and as much as £80,548, a fantastic return on a £125 buy-in.
Christopher Bartlett then fell by the wayside and collected £69,893 for his fifth-place elimination, capping off a great week that also saw him cash in the £225 buy-in National 25/50 event for £1,340. Derek Borwick then busted and secured £63,691.
Romania’s Cristian Tamas then banked £80,548 after his epic run ended in third-place, setting up a one-on-one battle between Tom Jones and Lee Reynolds. Jones ran out of steam and fell at the final but took home £60,887 for his valiant effort, his first recorded live cash for three years.
The man of the hour was Reynolds whose previous largest cash weighed in at only £340. Now Reynolds can brag of a £64,601 haul and will forever be known as the 2019 GUKPT Goliath champion.
