Kostas Patsourakis is the 2023 GUKPT Leeds Main Event Champion
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Until this weekend, a fourth-place finish in the £140 buy-in PokerStars LIVE Moneymaker's Road to PSPC Newcastle worth £3,275 was the only recorded cash on the Hendon Mob profile of Kostas Patsourakis. However, he now has a £78,419 and a first place finish on his record after coming out on top in the 2023 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Leeds Main Event.
The GUKPT Main Event drew in 346 entrants, with 97 of those navigating their way through to Day 2. Thirty-four players saw a return on their investment, with the likes of Tuan Le, Kevin Allen, recent GUKPT Luton champion Stuart Rutter, and Brett Angell among the early cashers. Others who cashed in the Leeds Main Event included Jack Hardcastle, Dean Hutchison, Nathan Farnaby, and the £2,000 High Roller runner-up Paul Patouilliart.
The final table was set when Tim Wright got the last of his chips into the middle with pocket jacks and lost to Ron Wilkinson's pocket sevens, courtesy of a seven on the turn. Those nine finalists locked in £5,505 for their efforts.
2023 GUKPT Leeds Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kostas Patsourakis | £78,419 |
| 2 | Fraser Bellamy | £55,025 |
| 3 | Michael Rosaman | £33,625 |
| 4 | Ron Wilkinson | £21,400 |
| 5 | Szymon Bujok | £14,060 |
| 6 | Ravi Sheth | £10,395 |
| 7 | Renee Xie | £7,640 |
| 8 | Darshan Patel | £6,420 |
| 9 | Natalia Breviglieri | £5,505 |
Former member of Team PartyPoker, Natalia Breviglieri, was the first of the nine finalists heading to the cashier's desk. Breviglieri got her last nine big blinds in good with king-queen against the king-nine of Fraser Bellamy, but Lady Luck put a nine on the turn to send Brevilgieri to the rail.
A short-stacked Darshan Patel was the next to fall, his last five big blinds and hopes of a comeback pinned to pocket sixes. Unfortunately for Patel, Michael Rosaman woke up with pocket queens, which held to reduce the player count by one.
The final table became an all-male affair when Renee Xie came unstuck and finished in seventh. Xie's exit hand was comparable to Patel's, with Xie jamming queen-jack for her final five big blinds, and Bellamy waking up with a monster, pocket kings this time. Xie couldn't crack those kings.
Having won two side events at GUKPT London in August and having finished third in the £2,000 High Roller in Leeds, it was unsurprising to find Ravi Sheth at this final table. You have to win your coinflips if you want to become a poker champion, but Sheth couldn't do that here. His last 11 big blinds went into the middle of the felt with ace-king, and Bellamy called with pocket eights. Big Slick failed to melt those snowmen, and the GUKPT Leeds Main Event was left with only five players.
Those five became four when Szymon Bujok bowed out. It was an amazing run for the Polish national, who sat down at the final table with a solitary big blind and managed to spin that up to a £14,060 score.
Last year, Ron Wilkinson finished third in the GUKPT Leeds Main Event and collected £57,880. Wilkinson had to make do with a fourth place and £21,400 prize this time around. Wilkinson's ace-six failed to get there against Bellamy's pocket eights.
Heads-up was decided when Rosaman made a move for his last eight big blinds with eight-seven of clubs, only to find himself dominated against the ace-seven of Patsourakis. No eight, straight, or flush for Rosaman, and he was gone.
The final hand saw Bellamy commit his last ten big blinds with ace-jack, and Patsourakis make the call with ace-six. The flop fell with three diamonds, improving Bellamy's equity because he held the jack of diamonds. A black six landed on the turn to give Patsourakis the best hand, but he had to avoid a myriad of outs on the river. Avoid them he did with deuce of hearts completing the board and confirming Bellay's elimination.
GUKPT Heads to Blackpool for the Penultimate Stop of 2023
Blackpool is the next location the GUKPT stops at, doing so from November 9-19. The Blackpool leg, the ninth on the 2023 schedule, is always popular, and serves as the perfect warm-up for the season-ending Grand Final in late November.
As always, you can win GUKPT Main Event packages online at Grosvenor Poker for a fraction of the tournament's buy-in. Good luck.
