Will Watkins Wins Record-Breaking Grosvenor Poker Goliath After Nine-Way Chop
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While the buy-in for the Grosvenor Poker Goliath may be a humble £200, it's arguably the centrepiece of the United Kingdom's poker scene. Each year, players from all over the UK and the world travel to Coventry, England, for one of the best-value tournaments around.
Despite a £50 increase on the buy-in, a record-breaking field of 11,749 entries created a £1,879,840 prize pool, making this year's instalment the biggest Goliath ever. It was the third successive year that the entry record was shattered, highlighting the continued growth of British poker.
Will Watkins, whom his friends consider one of the 'best pub poker players,' swapped his usual beer-drenched felts for the bright lights of Grosvenor Casino, Coventry, where he went the distance to be crowned champion.
Watkins withstood Gilbert Black's heads-up comeback to claim the winner's spoils, while Steven Ricketts took third place.
2024 Grosvenor Poker Goliath Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (GBP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will Watkins | United Kingdom | £166,070* |
| 2 | Gilbert Black | United Kingdom | £175,575* |
| 3 | Steven Ricketts | United Kingdom | £111,900* |
| 4 | Ben Miller | United Kingdom | £55,580* |
| 5 | Reece Ling | United Kingdom | £69,450* |
| 6 | James Hearty | United Kingdom | $91,655* |
| 7 | Alexandru Abalasei | United Kingdom | £76,462* |
| 8 | Lance Connolly | United Kingdom | £64,150* |
| 9 | James Brown | United Kingdom | £88,570* |
*indicates nine-way ICM deal
Justin Tsui Banks £100K and the GUKPT Main Event Title in Coventry
Final Day Action
Day 3 started with 36 players, and after slightly more than five hours of play, the Goliath reached its final table bubble. The elimination took place on the outer table, with Zhivko Zhikov all-in and at risk with Big Slick. Zhikov was flipping against Black's pocket nines and failed to connect on the runout to set up the finale.
Once the players convened around the nine-handed final table, extensive deal negotiations took place. After several minutes, the final tablists agreed on a nine-handed ICM chop and would then play for the title and trophy. Chip leaders Black, Watkins and Ricketts all took six-figure payouts, while the remainder of the field locked up prizes between £55,580 and £91,655.
Middle stack James Brown was reduced to fumes after his ace-king whiffed the board in a three-way all-in that saw Ben Miller triple up while Alexandru Abalasei took the side pot. On the following hand, Brown was forced all in with nine-three from the big blind and was despatched after Rickett's ace-ten.
Ricketts bagged another knockout, sending Lance Connolly to the rail in eighth place. Watkins then sprung into life, notching his first final table casualty. The eventual champion's ace-king had Abalasei's ace-deuce dominated and brought the tournament to six-handed play.
James Hearty, a Grosvenor Poker online qualifier, booked his spot at the table for just £5. His deep run yielded a $91,655 windfall after he fell in sixth. Reece Ling and the aforementioned Miller exited in fifth and fourth place. It was quite the week for Miller, whose £55,580 prize was also topped up by £40,000 from his showing in the Mystery Bounty event.
With three still in contention for the title, Watkins was the runaway leader, and he became the bigger favourite when he saw off Ricketts. The latter picked up ace-queen but ran into ace-king and could not find the three-outer to keep his Goliath hopes alive.
Watkins entered heads-up with more than a 5:1 chip lead, but Black didn't make it easy, scoring two double-ups to draw stacks close to even. The final hand of the Goliath saw Watkins pick up A♣K♣. Black defended with Q♦9♣ and made two pair on the Q♠J♣9♠ flop, while Watkins had a Broadway draw. Black check-raised and was called, bringing the A♠ in on the turn. The chips piled in with Black slightly covered. The J♠ peeled off on the river, giving Watkins a better two pair to seal the victory.
"I'm a bit lost for words, really," said a stunned Watkins to the Grosvenor Poker media team after the win. "It's a life-changing amount of money for a £200 buy-in. There's nothing else like it."
