Seventy-seven players turned out for the £2,500 GUKPT Grand Final High Roller, and it was Jack Hardcastle who was the last player standing. Hardcastle reeled in a £52,900 score and continued his amazing run in live poker events.
This latest victory comes less than four months after Hardcastle triumphed in the £1,000 GUKPT Main Event for £125,450 at the Goliath festival. Hardcastle is one to watch in the upcoming 2022 GUKPT Grand Final.
2022 GUKPT Grand Final High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Hardcastle | £52,900 |
| 2 | Artan Dedusha | £35,705 |
| 3 | Terry Jordon | £23,800 |
| 4 | Gary Blackwood | £16,490 |
| 5 | Phil Ward | £12,245 |
| 6 | Kanan Farzaliyev | £9,180 |
| 7 | Jay Crane | £7,140 |
| 8 | Chris Johnson | £5,950 |
| 9 | Chris Dirs | £5,100 |
Chris Dirs‘ time at the final table was short-lived because he crashed out in ninth for £5,100. Dirs reeled in a £35,315 score last month at Aspers Casino in Westfield, London.
The 2022 GUKPT Leeds champion, Chris Johnson, finished eighth for £5,950, with Jay Crane banking the £7,140 seventh-place prize, the largest of his live poker career. Sixth place and £9,180, the final four-figure prize, went to Kanan Farzaliyev, which takes his live winnings tally ever closer to $250,000.
Phil Ward received a £12,245 payout when his tournament ended in fifth place before Gary Blackwood banked £16,490 for his fourth-place finish. Blackwood recently won a £330 Deep Stack event at EPT London for £26,542.
Heads-up was set when Terry Jordon fell by the wayside. Jordon received £23,800 for his efforts.
Grosvenor-Sponsored Jamie Nixon Wins GUKPT London Main Event
Hardcastle locked horns with Artan Dedusha, the 2020 GUKPT London Main Event champion. Dedusha ultimately fell at the final hurdle, his second-place finish awarding £35,705, leaving Hardcastle to capture yet another title and £52,900 in prize money.
Hardcastle has won more than $1 million during the past two years, with his purple patch of form showing no signs of relinquishing. He won the $3,200 WPT Montreal Main Event, which was held online atPartyPoker, for $447,859 in January 2021. He followed up that impressive result with a fourth-place finish in the $5,000 WPT at Venetian Main Event for $271,050.
Hardcastle then finished third in the 2021 GUKPT Grand Final for £110,300 ($146,734), and won the £1,000 GUKPT Main Event at the Goliath for £125,450 ($148,046). Look out for Hardcastle in the £2,000 GUKPT Grand Final that gets underway on December 15.
Fabian Donovan Captures Career-Best Live Score
Fabian Donovan‘s fourth recorded live victory came with a career-best live score of £29,150, taking his lifetime winnings to more than $100,000. Donovan came out on top of a 590-strong field in the £220 GUKPT Grand Final Mini Main Event, and walked away with the lion’s share of the spoils following a six-handed deal.
Some of those who cashed but missed out on a final table seat included Lorenc Boci, John Bousfield, and former WSOP Main Event finalist Jack Oliver.
£220 GUKPT Grand Final Mini Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fabian Dovovan | £29,150* |
| 2 | Edmond Mares | £17,870* |
| 3 | Silviu Cioncu | £18,015* |
| 4 | Rajiv Sakaria | £18,250* |
| 5 | Jerome O’Shea | £10,300* |
| 6 | Danny Ryder | £15,000* |
| 7 | Ben Ohana | £3,470 |
| 8 | Joseph Phillips | £2,980 |
| 9 | J.B. | £2,480 |
The anonymous “J.B.” was the first finalist to bow out, his ninth-place finish coming with £2,480. Joseph Phillips joined Mr Anon at the cashier’s desk with a note for a £2,980 payout. Ben Ohana busted in seventh for £3,470, which prompted the remaining six players to strike an ICM-based deal that left an additional £10,000 for the eventual champion.
Danny Ryder, Jerome O’Shea, Rajiv Sakaria, and Silviu Cioncu crashed out, leaving Donovan heads-up against Edmond Mares. Donovan utilised his superior experience to get the job done, and his hands on a prize worth £29,150. Mares, who only had £480 in winnings before this tournament, headed into the cold London night with £17,870 in cash.