One of the most popular GUKPT events of the year gets underway today in Luton!
The GUKPT tour – now in its 17th season – typically visits Luton twice a year and this first edition is taking place starting today, May 25 with Day1A of the 25/50, and runs through to June 4 when the Final Day of the GUKPT Main Event and GUKPT Cup take place.
The Leg 5 Luton stop gets underway with a £50k guaranteed 25/50 tournament. It’s the first time the popular tournament has formed part of a GUKPT schedule since before the pandemic struck in 2020. The 25/50s (and their baby siblings, the 25/25s) are usually held as a two-day, standalone event and the 25/50s boast their own robust ten-leg nationwide schedule. In Luton, the 25/50 will have four starting flights, two re-entries allowed per flight, a generous 25k starting stack and a £250 buy-in – a formula certain to attract a big field.
The Main Event
The flagship £1,250 GUKPT Main Event starts June 1, the highlight of a busy 11 days of poker that also includes the £250 Mini Main tournament, the £550 GUKPT Cup, a £2k High Roller, a £150 Seniors tournament, numerous satellites and a £150 + £150 + £30 PLO 4/5/6 Bounty on the last day.
The Main Event features three starting flights – including a Day 1c turbo – with three entries allowed per flight. All players will receive a 20,000 starting stack with late registration open until the start of Day 2.
At the last GUKPT Luton in October, Jamie Le (pictured) won a fiercely-contested battle to snag a giant cash prize of £96,630 after beating a 353-entry field.
A very tough final table featured the likes of Ryan Spittles (pictured), Francis Obadun (pictured) and runner-up Atanas Pavlov (pictured) as well as Matt Davenport (pictured) who finished second in the June edition of GUKPT Luton last year and third in the October edition. Davenport went on to win the 2022 Player of the Year race and is now enjoying a £40k sponsorship deal with Grosvenor. Davenport said: “I’m looking forward to returning to Luton - a very happy hunting ground for me. My second place there last year for £76k was my biggest live score and kicked off a six-month heater. The start of 2023 hasn’t been quite as successful so far but I’m hoping a return to Luton can spark a return of some run-good!”
Grosvenor Ambassador Katie Swift said: “It’s great to see the upcoming Luton GUKPT kicking off with a 25/50 comp! I’m actually celebrating my birthday during Luton so I’ll be missing the Main Event (on a trip to Bratislava!) but hopefully I can secure some success at the start of the festival instead! It’ll be a good warm up for the WSOP & the #TeamGrosvenor trip to Vegas later in June. The 25/50 structure and stack are phenomenal for this buy-in level – and incredibly popular. I’m looking forward to it! It’s a fantastic structure, at a reasonable buy in with various Day 1 options to suit both recreational & pros alike.”
Players interested in playing more of Grosvenor’s popular 25/50 events should check out the schedule on Official Travel Partner MainEventTravel.com. There are ten legs in total during the 2023 season and events all over the country including Walsall, Portsmouth and Liverpool.
GUKPT Luton history
GUKPT Luton is always a hugely popular stop – and a destination that’s been on the GUKPT calendar since the very start of the tour in 2007.
Numerous big names have enjoyed victory in Luton with a roll call of previous Main Event champions that includes the likes of Sam Trickett, Richard Gryko, Neil Channing, Charles Chattha, Jamie O’Connor, Adam Reynolds and John Eames. Driton Haxhiaj is the only player that has won twice – in both 2013 (for £42,750) and three years later in 2016 for £61,520.
GUKPT Luton runs 25 May - 4th June; we’re the GUKPT’s Official Travel Partner so let us help book you a great hotel in Luton.
Photo credit: Grosvenor Poker