Chris Johnson Becomes a Two-Time GUKPT Main Event Champion
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Lightening has struck twice for Chris Johnson, who can now call himself a two-time Grosvenor UK poker Tour (GUKPT) Main Event champion. Johnson triumphed in the GUKPT Leeds Main Event in September 2022, taking home a career-best £73,070. Fas-forward to May 2024, and Johnson was the last player standing in the GUKPT Luton Main Event, a result that adds £48,570 to his live winnings total, which now stands at more than $750,000.
The £1,250 GUKPT Luton Main Event attracted 212 entrants who created a £218,870 prize pool that the top 29 finishers shared. Reigning champion Stuart Rutter, who became a two-time GUKPT champion at this stop in 2023, could not successfully defend his title, busting in 23rd.
Sinead Priestley, a rising star in UK poker circles, finished in 22nd, only a couple of days after finishing third in the £200 Opener. Cassandra Yong was eliminated in 17th place before entering the £330 Pot-Limit Omaha bounty event and taking it down for £2,600.
£1,250 GUKPT Luton Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christ Johnson | £48,570 |
| 2 | Kevin Allen | £36,340 |
| 3 | Robert Boon | £25,170 |
| 4 | Trevor Reardon | £16,850 |
| 5 | Keith Johnson | £11,820 |
| 6 | Glen Gaines | £8,750 |
| 7 | Sebastian Crane | £7,010 |
| 8 | Matthew Davenport | £5,950 |
| 9 | Paul McAulay | £5,250 |
Johnson sat down at the GUKPT Luton final table with a commanding chip lead over his eight opponents. He used his big stack with devastating effect.
Paul McAulay was the first of Johnson's victims, committing his last 14 big blinds with ace-king only to lose a coinflip against Johnson's pocket tens. McAulay has been in impressive form during 2024, and won the recent GUKPT Edinburgh Main Event.
Eighth place went to Matthew Davenport, who was making his 13th GUKPT final table appearance, and his third consecutive Main Event final table, a record for the long-running tour. Davenport found himself down to a solitary big blind, which went into the middle with ace-deuce, losing to the ace-nine of Kevin Allen.
Johnson returned to his role as a one-man wrecking ball and sent Sebastian Crane home in seventh for a career-best prize worth £7,010. Crane, a relative newcomer to the live poker scene, moved all-in for five big blinds with pocket kings. Johnson looked him up with king-queen, flopped trip queens, and that was the end of Crane.
Glen Gaines' latest deep run ended in the space of a couple of hands, both of which he got his chips in good. After Gaines' ace-six lost to king-nine, the rest of his stack went into the middle with ace-jack against king-queen. The luckless grinder lost the all-important all-in and had to settle for sixth place.
Keith Johnson finished third in this event in 2010 but had to make do with a fifth-place finish this time around. He came unstuck when his last 15 big blinds went into the middle with ace-five, only to run into Chris Johnson's pocket kings. The cowboys held, and the GUKPT Luton Main Event was down to only four players.
Those four became three with the untimely demise of the 2022 GUKPT Manchester Main Event champion, Trevor Reardon. Reardon pinned his hopes and last 23 big blinds on ace-queen, which found itself up against Johnson's king-jack. Johnson's sun-run continued with a jack on the flop, leaving Reardon to bank a £16,850 score.
Heads-up was set when Robert Boon bowed out in third. Boon had laddered from being ninth from nine to being in with a shot of the title. However, he got his stack in with second-pair in a pot when Johnson held top pair, and that was the end of Boon's impressive comeback story.
Allen found himself needing some good fortune to reel Johnson in, but it never arrived. Allen, the 2013 GUKPT Grand Final champion, finished third in this event in 2023 and now has a second-place finish on his CV. Allen's last nine big blinds went into the pot holding king-four, but it could not hold against Johnson's queen-jack. Game over for Allen, who collected £36,340.
Other GUKPT Luton Results
A special mention must go to Paul Haycock, who took down not one but two GUKPT Luton side events. Haycock came out on top in the £250 Pot-Limit Omaha for £4,520 before ending the festival with a victory in the £200 Closer for an additional £3,620.
The anonymous "J.C." won the £1,650 High Roller for £31,840, Min Ji will forever be known as the 2024 GUKPT Luton Midi Main champion, while Reon Staples managed something few players have recently; he defeated Calogero Morreale heads-up in the £200 Opener.
| Event | Entrants | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1,650 High Roller | 67 | J.C. | £31,840 |
| £560 Midi Main | 159 | Min Ji | £16,110 |
| £200 Opener | 369 | Reon Staples | £13,395 |
| £250 Mini Main | 484 | Wenbo Xie | £13,057 |
| £550 GUKPT Luton Cup | 94 | Robert Douras | £10,960 |
| £250 PLO | 84 | Paul Haycock | £4,520 |
| £200 Closer | 84 | Paul Haycock | £3,620 |
| £200 Turbo | 83 | D.T. | £3,150 |
| £330 PLO Bounty | 55 | Cassandra Yong | £2,600 |
| £150 Seniors | 74 | Steven Goose | £2,000 |
Next Up for the GUKPT
The next leg of the 2024 GUKPT is only a week away, with GUKPT London taking place at The Vic from May 15-28. The schedule includes a £1,250 buy-in Main Event, and it will be the last series taking place at the iconic casino before it undergoes a major refurbishment. Although cash games will still occur during the refurbishment, all tournaments and festivals have been rescheduled.
If you don't fancy the journey south to London, you can still get in on the GUKPT action in May because GUKPT Leeds runs from May 30 to June 9 at the Grosvenor Casino Westgate. As always, you can win your way into these events online at Grosvenor Poker.
