A Deuce Hands Keith Johnson GUKPT Grand Final High Roller Title
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The GUKPT Grand Final in Luton has reached its business end, with the £1,500 High Roller dealing its final hand just as excitement for the £1,250 GUKPT Grand Final Main Event began to build at Grosvenor G Casino on Park Street West.
Keith Johnson delivered another standout performance to claim his second major title of 2024, earning £46,420 after emerging victorious from the High Roller’s 104-entry field. Johnson navigated a fiercely competitive final table and triumphed over Mukhtar Ahmed in heads-up, claiming the lion's share of the £149,760 prize pool and pushing his live tournament earnings past $300,000 for the year.
As the High Roller wrapped up, the Main Event also kicked off with the first of three starting flights, drawing a diverse and talented field of players ready to vie for a share of the £250,000 guaranteed prize pool.
GUKPT Grand Final High Roller Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keith Johnson | £46,420 |
| 2 | Mukhtar Ahmed | £30,250 |
| 3 | Matt Davenport | £19,770 |
| 4 | Lorenc Boci | £13,930 |
| 5 | Tamer Kamel | £10,330 |
| 6 | Andrew Hulme | £7,490 |
| 7 | Ian Bosley | £5,540 |
| 8 | Preben Stokkan | £4,650 |
| 9 | Dan Rudd | £4,190 |
| 10 | Alex Todd | £3,750 |
| 11 | Kairat Turaliyev | £3,440 |
Final Day Action
Sixteen players returned for the final day of the biggest buy-in event at the GUKPT Grand Final, and it was a grueling battle from the outset, with only the top 11 finishers guaranteed a payout.
The opening elimination of the day took four and a half hours, with Sandeep Shah becoming the first to hit the rail. Several notable players, including Kevin Allen, fell short of the money. Among them were GUKPT Blackpool High Roller champion Jamie Dale and GUKPT Grand Final Midi Main winner Yucel Eminoglu.
Sachin Joshi was the unfortunate bubble boy, as his pocket eights fell to Andrew Hulme's king-ten after a tense period of bubble play.
The first player to cash was Kairat Turaliyev, who earned £3,440 for his 11th-place finish. Shortly after, Alex Todd, the 2023 GOLIATH champion, exited in 10th place, setting the stage for the final table.
Grosvenor National Poker League leader Matt Davenport claimed the first final table scalp, dispatching Dan Rudd’s ace-rag with Big Slick. Davenport kept the pressure on, eliminating Preben Stokkan in a classic preflop coin flip shortly after.
Ian Bosley looked poised for a much-needed double-up with ace-king, but his shove ran straight into Ahmed’s pocket rockets, reducing the field to six. Ahmed continued his surge up the chip counts by taking out Hulme; his top pair held firm after Hulme moved all-in with second pair on a J-9-2 flop.
Lorenc Boci added to his stack by eliminating Tamer Kamel, whose jack-nine couldn’t crack Boci’s pocket queens. Kamel departed with the first five-figure payday of the event. However, Boci’s momentum stalled, as he later lost his stack to eventual champion Johnson.
Heads-up play was set after Davenport exited in third place. Johnson then claimed the title when his king-deuce paired on the board, overcoming Ahmed’s ace-jack to secure the victory.
2024 GUKPT Grand Final Schedule Released; Includes £250K Guaranteed Main Event
Nguyen Bags Best in Main Event
As the High Roller unfolded, the £250,000 guaranteed GUKPT Grand Final Main Event kicked off in style. Day 1a drew 96 entries, but only 26 players survived the first hurdle, bagging chips to return for Saturday’s Day 2. Among the advancing field were several accomplished grinders, ready to chase the coveted title.
The French duo of Vincent Meli and Antoine Labat navigated the opening flight successfully, while former professional footballer Steve Watts also secured a stack for Day 2.
Adding more star power to the field, Maria Lampropulos continued her impressive run on British soil. Fresh off her victory at the Women’s Winter Festival Main Event last weekend, Lampropulos cracked the top ten in the chip counts and is clearly a force to be reckoned with.
A female champion has yet to etch her name in GUKPT Main Event history. This season, Katie Swift and Sinead Davenport came close but fell short. Now, Lampropulos aims to make history once again. However, she’ll have competition from Linda Nguyen, who topped the Day 1a chip counts as the only player to surpass the 200,000 mark, earning her the overnight chip lead.
Day 1b and 1c are set to play out on Friday, November 29, with the final 2024 GUKPT champion anointed on Sunday.
Top 10 GUKPT Grand Final Main Event Day 1a Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linda Nguyen | 227,500 |
| 2 | Hamza Nasir | 198,200 |
| 3 | Peter Wigglesworth | 117,000 |
| 4 | Gary Miller | 102,100 |
| 5 | Waheed Ashraf | 91,300 |
| 6 | Abdulzahra Ali | 90,600 |
| 7 | Trevor Reardon | 78,600 |
| 8 | Nicholas Fellone | 78,000 |
| 9 | Sebastien Jung | 72,900 |
| 10 | Maria Lampropulos | 71,900 |
The 2024 GUKPT Grand Final Remaining Schedule
