Ludovic Geilich has taken down the GUKPT Edinburgh Main Event at the Grosvenor Maybury Casino for £79,590. The Scottish superstar beat a field of 366 entries to win the event, his first GUKPT title and biggest ever GUKPT cash.
Geilich (pictured), who currently ranks third on the Scotland all-time money list with over $3.2 million in live tournament winnings, beat Edinburgh-based Abdul Mukit heads-up. Gelich has come close to winning a GUKPT in the past – he was fourth at GUKPT London last year for £48,050 and runner-up in Edinburgh two years ago for £42,060.
Mukit, a regular in Grosvenor Maybury’s recurring tourneys with a whole string of cashes at the Edinburgh casino, only had one GUKPT score before last night – a final table appearance in the 2017 GUKPT Edinburgh Mini Main back in 2017. Mukit won a career-best cash of £55,840 for his runner-up finish.
The tour’s annual trip north of the border attracted a large field of 366 entries with 34 players finishing in the money. The total prize pool amounted to £329,400.
Geilich, described by GUKPT commentator The Tower as “one of the finest players in the world”, said it was great to eventually get a GUKPT title. He said: “I got second here two years ago so it’s good to come first. I ran well in certain spots to get all the chips. There were so many top-class players on the final table who deserved it. I’m over the moon I won it – and I’m looking forward to a pint!”
GUKPT Blackpool Champion Lin Chen, who was the Day 1c chip leader, came third for £34,130. This was a great result for Chen who was already lying third on the Grosvenor National Poker League leaderboard before Edinburgh started.
The finalists (pictured) also included Glaswegian Michael Kane who won the Heads-up Championship at the recent Irish Open. He finished in sixth place for £10,550 after busting to his fellow Glaswegian Ludovic Geilich. 2022 GUKPT London champion Tim Chung bust in seventh place for £7,760 while GUKPT Blackpool High Roller winner Robbie Bull was eighth for £6,510.
Other big names who cashed in the Main Event include John Bousfield, Brandon Sheils, Yucel Eminoglu, Jamie Whyte and Grosvenor Ambassador Katie Swift. Al the Day 1 chip leaders – James McLean, Lin Chen and Steven Cherry won themselves a £1k Goliath Main Event Seat. Other seats were also awarded as Mystery Bounty prizes and in random draws.
The Edinburgh schedule was packed with side events including a £150 Seniors event, £1,500 High Roller, £150 + £150 + £30 Mystery Bounty, as well as the Mini Main and GUKPT Cup.
Jamie Nixon takes down GUKPT Edinburgh Cup
Grosvenor Ambassador Jamie Nixon (pictured below) won the GUKPT Edinburgh Cup for £23,480 after beating Cal Morreale heads-up. There were 163 entries for the event creating a total prize pool of £81,500. Arian Hassankashani, who won the High Roller, was fifth with John Bousfield 10th and Jack Hardcastle 13th.
Chris Williams scores GUKPT hat trick with Mini Main win
Chris Williams won the GUKPT Edinburgh Mini Main event for £24,590 after beating a 538-strong field. It was Williams’s third GUKPT win in a row – he also took down the High Rollers at both GUKPT Manchester in February and GUKPT Blackpool in March. A total of 54 players cashed including Robbie Bull who finished fifth for £4,640 and Oliver White who was eighth for £2,040. The total prize pool was £118,360.
Hassankashani wins High Roller
The new GUKPT Edinburgh High Roller Champion is Arian Hassankashani who beat a 109-entry field to win £43,800! It was Hassankashani’s first major title although he did win a £250 Turbo at GUKPT Coventry in March. Wadey Ashraf
GUKPT Season 17 winners so far:
Leg 1: GUKPT London – January - £1,100 Main Event, 459 entries. Winner Jonathan McCann, £110,506
Leg 2: GUKPT Manchester – February - £1,250 Main Event, 445 entries. Winner Cal Morreale £129,343
Leg 3: GUKPT Blackpool – March – £1,100 Main Event, 305 entries. Winner Lin Chen £65,310
Leg 3: GUKPT Edinburgh – May/June – £1,100 Main Event, 366 entries. Winner Ludovic Geilich, amount £79,950
Next up: GUKPT Luton
The GUKPT’s first visit to Luton this year gets underway in just over a week (May 24). This is the fifth leg of the 2023 tour which is now in its 17th season. The flagship £1,250 GUKPT Main Event starts on June 1, the highlight of a busy 11 days of poker that includes a festival-opening 25/50 tournament, 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.
Photo Credit: Grosvenor Poker