The GUKPT Grand Ultimate in Luton has reached its enterprise finish, with the £1,500 Excessive Curler dealing its closing hand simply as pleasure for the £1,250 GUKPT Grand Ultimate Important Occasion started to construct at Grosvenor G On line casino on Park Avenue West.
Keith Johnson delivered one other standout efficiency to say his second main title of 2024, incomes £46,420 after rising victorious from the Excessive Curler’s 104-entry area. Johnson navigated a fiercely aggressive closing desk and triumphed over Mukhtar Ahmed in heads-up, claiming the lion’s share of the £149,760 prize pool and pushing his stay match earnings previous $300,000 for the 12 months.
Because the Excessive Curler wrapped up, the Important Occasion additionally kicked off with the primary of three beginning flights, drawing a various and gifted area of gamers able to vie for a share of the £250,000 assured prize pool.
GUKPT Grand Ultimate Excessive Curler Outcomes
Ultimate Day Motion
Sixteen gamers returned for the ultimate day of the largest buy-in occasion on the GUKPT Grand Ultimate, and it was a grueling battle from the outset, with solely the highest 11 finishers assured a payout.
The opening elimination of the day took 4 and a half hours, with Sandeep Shah turning into the primary to hit the rail. A number of notable gamers, together with Kevin Allen, fell in need of the cash. Amongst them have been GUKPT Blackpool Excessive Curler champion Jamie Dale and GUKPT Grand Ultimate Midi Important winner Yucel Eminoglu.
Sachin Joshi was the unlucky bubble boy, as his pocket eights fell to Andrew Hulme‘s king-ten after a tense interval of bubble play.
The primary participant to money was Kairat Turaliyev, who earned £3,440 for his Eleventh-place end. Shortly after, Alex Todd, the 2023 GOLIATH champion, exited in tenth place, setting the stage for the ultimate desk.
Grosvenor Nationwide Poker League chief Matt Davenport claimed the primary closing desk scalp, dispatching Dan Rudd’s ace-rag with Huge Slick. Davenport stored the strain on, eliminating Preben Stokkan in a traditional preflop coin flip shortly after.
Ian Bosley appeared poised for a much-needed double-up with ace-king, however his shove ran straight into Ahmed’s pocket rockets, decreasing the sphere to 6. Ahmed continued his surge up the chip counts by taking out Hulme; his high pair held agency 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 primary five-figure payday of the occasion. Nevertheless, Boci’s momentum stalled, as he later misplaced 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 safe the victory.
2024 GUKPT Grand Ultimate Schedule Launched; Consists of £250K Assured Important Occasion
Nguyen Baggage Greatest in Important Occasion
Because the Excessive Curler unfolded, the £250,000 assured GUKPT Grand Ultimate Important Occasion kicked off in model. Day 1a drew 96 entries, however solely 26 gamers survived the primary hurdle, bagging chips to return for Saturday’s Day 2. Among the many advancing area have been a number of completed grinders, able to chase the coveted title.
The French duo of Vincent Meli and Antoine Labat navigated the opening flight efficiently, whereas former skilled footballer Steve Watts additionally secured a stack for Day 2.
Including extra star energy to the sphere, Maria Lampropulos continued her spectacular run on British soil. Contemporary off her victory on the Girls’s Winter Pageant Important Occasion final weekend, Lampropulos cracked the highest ten within the chip counts and is clearly a pressure to be reckoned with.
A feminine champion has but to etch her title in GUKPT Important Occasion historical past. This season, Katie Swift and Sinead Davenport got here shut however fell quick. Now, Lampropulos goals to make historical past as soon as once more. Nevertheless, she’ll have competitors from Linda Nguyen, who topped the Day 1a chip counts as the one participant to surpass the 200,000 mark, incomes her the in a single day chip lead.
Day 1b and 1c are set to play out on Friday, November 29, with the ultimate 2024 GUKPT champion anointed on Sunday.
High 10 GUKPT Grand Ultimate Important Occasion Day 1a Chip Counts
The 2024 GUKPT Grand Ultimate Remaining Schedule
Senior Editor & Stay Occasions Govt
