Justin Tsui Banks £100K and the GUKPT Main Event Title in Coventry
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The Grosvenor G Casino in Coventry is full to capacity, with hundreds of poker players competing in the 2024 edition of the Goliath. While the lure of a potential £1.5 million prize pool for a £200 entry is tempting, there is more to the Goliath's series than that event. Several side events are taking place, and one, the £1,100 GUKPT Main Event, wrapped up over the weekend.
Some 632 players bought into the £1,100 GUKPT Main Event and created a £667,400 prize pool that the top 74 finishers shared. Plenty of household names were among the in-the-money finishers. They included reigning Goliath champion Alex Todd, Steve Jelinek, Guy Taylor (who went on to bag the High Roller chip lead), Tom Hall, Waheed "Wadey" Ashraf, Endrit Geci, Jamie O'Connor, Charles Chattha, Paul Haycock, and Kuljinder Sidhu.
Twenty-two players returned for the final day, but the nine-handed final table was soon reached following the demise of the likes of Keith Littlewood, Brandon Sheils, Callum Gordon, Iwan Jones, and former football star Steve Watts, the latter popping the final table bubble.
GUKPT Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Tsui | £100,000* |
| 2 | Andrew Wilson | £95,000* |
| 3 | Eliot Caterson | £81,300* |
| 4 | Robert Shields | £78,500* |
| 5 | Rob Boon | £28,650 |
| 6 | Maxim Fana | £19,300 |
| 7 | Craig Gibson | £16,750 |
| 8 | Jai Uthira | £14,350 |
| 9 | Dean Hutchison | £12,000 |
*reflects a four-way deal
Dean Hutchison, who finished sixth in the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, was the first finalist relieved of their stack. Hutchison committed his stack with pocket queens and found himself against Justin Tsui's inferior pocket jacks, only to see a jack land on the flop.
Jai Uthira was the next finalist to fall. He made a move with ace-high only to run into Eliot Caterson's flush.
Seventh place went to Craig Gibson, who locked in a career-best score of £16,750. Gibson got his last 1 big blinds into the middle with pocket nines, and looked set for a timely double-up because Andy "BowieEffect" Wilson called with pocket fives. However, a five on the flop reduced Gibson's stack to dust, and he was out.
Wilson claimed another scalp in the shape of Maxim Fana. Wilson open-shoved from the small blind with jack-ten, Fana called all-in from the big blind with king-eight, and lost to a ten on the river. Another solid GUKPT result for Fana, who finished second in the Blackpool leg in 2022 for £106,290.
GUKPT regular Robert Boon fell in fifth at the hands of Tsui. Boon jammed his last ten big blinds into the pot with bottom pair but Tsui held two pair. No miracle run out for Boon, and he bowed out in fifth for £28,650.
Boon was the last player eliminated because the final four heroes struck a deal to conclude the tournament, which wasn't surprising because there's much poker to be played over the next week.
The deal meant Robert Shields finished in fourth for £78,500, Caterson scooped £81,300 for his third-place finish, and Wilson claimed £95,000 and a runner-up finish. Tsui was announced as the tournament's champion and took home £100,000, taking his lifetime live poker tournament earnings past the $500,000 mark.
2024 Goliath On Course for an Incredible Turnout
Two of the Goliath's eight flights are in the bag, and both have attracted bumper crowds. Day 1a saw 1,488 entries, with 120 progressing to Day 2. Matthew Arlow had a fruitful day at the table, bagging up a Goliath-sized 1,087,000 chips at the close of play.
Day 1b took place while Tsui was becoming a GUKPT champion. The second flight saw 1,428 entrants and 117 survivors. This time around, two players finished with seven-figure stacks. Lee Richards claimed the overall chip lead with 1,154,000 chips, with a player calling themselves "G S K" cramming 1,030,000 chips into their overnight bag.
Through two flights, the 2024 Goliath's attendance stands at 2,916 with 237 having punched their Day 2 tickets.
Remaining 2024 Goliath Schedule
Images courtesy of Mickey May and the GUKPT)
