WSOP finalist Nick Marchington (pictured) won his first-ever trophy at the UK Poker Open on Sunday after taking down the Main Event for £146,560. Marchington, who has more than $2.2 million live tournament winnings has thrived on the live poker scene since 2019 when he caught the world’s attention as a super-young – just turned 21 – finalist at the WSOP Main Event.
Marchington’s achievements include the seventh place finish in the 2019 WSOP Main Event – for $1.5 million – and a fifth place at EPT Barcelona the same year. He was ninth in the 2022 WSOP Millionaire Maker, and last year had another deep run in the WSOP Main Event. Marchington beat Tony Harmon heads-up in Coventry with Harmon winning £119,240 for his runner-up finish.
The UK Poker Open made its debut last year and has lived up to its early promise. With 620 entries for the 2024 edition, it’s clearly now a must-play fixture for players from all over the UK and beyond. This year’s £1,500 buy-in Main Event generated a massive prize pool of £803,520.
Side events
Michelle Bricknell (pictured below) enjoyed a £1,550 victory in the two-day Ladies Event. There were 63 entries creating a £6,170 prize pool. James Broderick won the Mystery Bounty for £17,000 while Matthew Cartwright won the Mini UK Open for £21,516. Kev Allen beat a 99-entry field to take down the UK Open High Roller for £42,720.
Cal Morreale, (pictured below) who won a £40k Grosvenor Sponsorship package after winning the 2023 Player of the Year contest, took down the Omaha 4/5/6 event for £3,650. He already has a substantial lead in this year’s National Poker League thanks in part to five cashes at GUKPT London in January, a £22,965 victory in the Grosvenor 25/50 series in Luton and three cashes at GUKPT Manchester (including winning the Closer tournament).
Next up in Coventry …
Poker fans who love the set-up at Grosvenor Coventry are already looking forward to this year’s Goliath which is taking place from July 25 to August 4 in the Coventry Arena. MainEventTravel is thrilled to announce that ALL multi-day Goliath tournaments at this year’s Goliath are eligible for the FinalTableFreeroll promotion giving you the chance to win back ALL of your MET-booked travel costs in travel credits. This includes the Goliath Main Event, the GUKPT Main Event, the Ladies Event, the Redtooth Big One, the Mystery Bounty, High Roller and Goliath Cup. Check out our guide to Coventry to see what else is going on in the city in addition to all the poker!
GUKPT stops in 2024
Following the UK Poker Open, the GUKPT continues with a slew of great events all over the country including Blackpool starting next Sunday (March 10), Edinburgh from April 4 to 14 and Luton starting April 25. Then it’s back to London in May, Leeds in June, a second trip to Luton in September, Blackpool #2 in October and then the final leg of 2024 back in London for the Grand Final.
National Poker League
Don’t forget Grosvenor’s exciting National Poker League Player of the Year contest. Over the course of the year, players can garner points in 100 different events all over the country to win a £40k Player of the Year sponsorship package and a host of other prizes including GUKPT events and Goliath in July.