Season 11 of the GUKPT ended in dramatic style at the weekend when Ahmed ‘Lella’ Abdella beat Jamie ‘Boz’ O’Connor heads up for the title of Grand Final champion.
MainEvent Travel sponsors the GUKPT all in triangles so do look out for them on the live streams from GUKPT Season 12 starting in January.
One of the biggest fields in GUKPT history turned up for the £400,000 guarantee Main Event at the Grand Final. There were 304 entries in total, creating a massive prize pool of £608,000. A sensational last hand saw Lella seize victory when his KKKTT full house beat O’Connor’s TTTJJ.
The £89,000 first prize gave Egypt-born Abdella by far the biggest cash of his live poker career. He said: “I know it’s a lot of money, but if you let the money get to your head then you’ll won’t be able to focus. It’s been a fantastic event.”
This year’s Grand Final was the second biggest GUKPT prize pool ever and a fitting end to an amazing season. Every Main Event this year saw an increase in numbers and players are already relishing the chance to compete in Season 12, which begins January 28th with Leg 1 at the Poker Room in London.
Among those who cashed at the Grand Final were Patrick Leonard, Steve Watts, Luke Schwartz, Dean Swift and Ben Vinson. Grosvenor Ambassadors Jeff Kimber, Will Kassouf, Joe Beevers and Katie Swift all competed .
We are the tour’s Official Travel Partner and have great deals for London hotels including the luxurious Marriott at Marble Arch and Hilton Metropole at Edgware Road, as well as some great nearby budget options.
The GUKPT is the longest running poker tour in the UK and has featured nine legs in total during Season 11 including a hugely successful 314-entry GUKPT Blackpool last week, plus visits to Manchester, Edinburgh, Walsall, Leeds and Luton, and two stops in London. This year’s champions include GUKPT Passport winner Andy Hills, who took down GUKPT Manchester in March, GUKPT legend Ali Mallu who won GUKPT Reading in May and John Eames who won GUKPT Luton last month.