Jamie Geraghty Banks Career-Best Score and 888poker UKPL Manchester Title
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Jamie Geraghty helped himself to a career-best score of £30,610 by becoming the champion of the 888poker LIVE UK Poker League (UKPL) Manchester Main Event over the weekend. The bumper prize is Geraghty's second live five-figure score, his previous stemming from a fifth place finish in another 888poker-run event in October 2021.
Although most of Geraghty's live scores stem from grinding in his native Scotland, his journeys south of the border have resulted in some impressive results, not least this £30,610 payday in Manchester.
The £560 buy-in 888poker LIVE UKPL Manchester Main Event attracted 328 entrants, including some of the UK's best-known players. Matthew Davenport, Christopher Johnson, Alex Montgomery, Leo Worthington-Leese, and David Gee were among the top 50 players who saw a return on their investments.
888poker LIVE 2024 UKPL Manchester Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Geraghty | £30,610 |
| 2 | Joshua Radley | £23,040 |
| 3 | James Dean Heckle | £16,170 |
| 4 | Bo Le | £11,290 |
| 5 | Stuart Sefton | £7,720 |
| 6 | Cassandra Yong | £5,530 |
| 7 | Abdulkadir Ahmed | £4,350 |
| 8 | Hongting Xu | £3,830 |
| 9 | Boyuan Xue | £3,270 |
Geraghty drew first blood at the final table when his ace-jack found an ace on the flop to crack Boyuan Xue's pocket jacks, sending Xue to the cashier's desk.
Hongting Xu fell in eighth when his ten-nine failed to get there against Joshua Radley's pocket deuces despite flopping a straight draw. Xu dusted himself down, entered the £200 Closer, and took it down for £2,560.
Seventh place and £4,350 when to Abulkadir Ahmed, whose king-queen couldn't get there against Radley's pocket sevens before the tournament became an all-male affair when Cassandra Yong's king-jack couldn't find a jack, and lost to the dominating ace-king of Geraghty.
The final five became four after Stuart Sefton got put through the ringer. Sefton's last ten big blinds went into the middle with pocket nines only to run into Radley's aces. A nine on the flop looked to have rescued Sefton but what the Poker Gods giveth, they also taketh, and an ace landed on the turn to send him to the rail.
Bo Le finally ran out of steam in fourth, busting at the hands of Radley.
Although he finished third, James Dean Heckle enjoyed the best ROI of any of the UKPL Manchester Main Event players. Heckle won a seat online at 888poker, having only spent $12.80 doing so, and navigated his way to a third-place finish worth £16,170. Heckle's exit hand saw him open-shove from the small blind with king-six and fail to get there against Geraghty's pocket jacks. Amazingly, this was Heckle's first-ever live poker tournament and only the second time he had played poker in a live setting; what a way to announce your arrival!
The heads-up stack sizes were almost level at the start, so everything was to play for. Geraghty got the better of the early confrontations and began forging a lead for himself. The final hand essentially played itself because Radley looked down at ace-ten of hearts and his ten big blind stack, and Geraghty held ace-jack of diamonds! As you may have expected, Radley got his chips into the middle. Radley picked up a flush draw on the turn, but a brick on the river resigned him to a second-place finish and left Geraghty to be crowned the 2024 UKPL Manchester Main Event champion.
888poker LIVE 2024 UKPL Manchester Results
Dan Charlton was another big winner during the 2024 UKPL Manchester festival. Fresh from taking down the WSOPC UK Main Event for £73,295 last month, Charlton made the trip to Manchester, bought into the £250 Opening Voyage, and walked away with another trophy and £15,260 in prize money.
Andrew "stato_1" Hulme was another grinder who captured a five-figure score and trophy, banking £24,015 after triumphing in the £1,100 High Roller. Hulme defeated 888poker ambassador Ian Simpson heads-up, leaving Simpson to console himself with a £15,760 consolation prize.
| Event | Entrants | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| £560 | 328 | Jamie Geraghty | £30,610 |
| £1,100 High Roller | 79 | Andrew Hulme | £24,015 |
| £250 Opening Voyage | 338 | Dan Charlton | £15,260 |
| £250 Big Shot | 38 | Mark Kershaw | £2,980 |
| £200 Closer | 26 | Hongting Xu | £2,560 |
| £200 Turbo Dash | 43 | Yu Wu | £1,864 |
| £150 Seniors | 64 | Charles Ihle | £1,850 |
Where Is Next for the 888poker UKPL?
The 888poker UKPL is heading on a hiatus until late August, returning on August 27 with the Leeds leg of the fledgling tour. UKPL Leeds runs from August 27 to September 1, and is followed by UKPL London (September 24-29) and finally UKPL Coventry (October 10-21).
Win yourself a UKPL Passport online at 888poker from only a few cents.
| Dates | UKPL Festival |
|---|---|
| August 27-September 1 | Grosvenor Casino Leeds Westgate |
| September 24-29 | Grosvenor Casino Victoria, London |
| October 10-21 | Grosvenor Casino Coventry |
