The Poker Room at the famous Victoria Casino in London is the venue for the 2022 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Grand Final. The festival marks the end of the 16th GUKPT season, and the bustling schedule is the perfect way to bring down the curtain on what has been an incredible season for the GUKPT.
COVID-19 put the brakes on the 2020 edition of the GUKPT Grand Final, but it returned with a bang in 2021. Some 607 players bought into the £2,000 buy-in event, and Trung Moc outlasted them all. His reward? An impressive £265,350. PokerNews expects a similar set of numbers this time around, not least because attendances for the other GUKPT stops have gone through the roof.
The 2022 GUKPT Grand Final kicks off on December 1 with the £1,250 buy-in GUKPT Main Event. When the GUKPT ran this tournament during the opening leg of the 2022 tour, Timothy Chung came out on top of a 702-strong field, and walked away with a career-best £185,560 payout.
There is plenty of poker action from December 1-18, including a £340 buy-in Mini Main Event, a £2,500 High Roller, and a £900 Mystery Bounty. However, it is the GUKPT Grand Final itself that every grinder has their eye out.
Costing £2,000 to enter, unless you win your way via the many live satellites or online satellites at Grosvenor Poker, the GUKPT Grand Final features a trio of starting flights, with Day 1C featuring a turbo blind structure. The first of those flights is on December 15, with the champion crowned on December 18.
2022 GUKPT Grand Final Schedule
Former GUKPT Grand Final Champions
The list of past GUKPT Grand Final champions reads like a who’s who of British poker. Such luminaries as Paul Foltyn, former soccer star Tony Cascarino, Sam Grafton, Kevin Allen, and a certain Charlie Carrel have all become this tournament’s champion.
Ben Winsor is the only play to capture the GUKPT Grand Final title twice. Winsor won during season nine and banked £178,600 and was the champion on season 13, a result that came with £188,610.
Trung Moc won last year, and received the largest-ever GUKPT Grand Final prize. Moc was one of 607 entrants who fought it out for a slice of the £1,092,600 prize pool. The huge pot meant the top three finishers scooped six-figure prizes. Jack Hardcastle won £110,300 for his third-place finish before Moc resigned Yucel “Mad Turk” Eminoglu to a £183,650 consolation prize. Moc headed home with £265,350 to show for his efforts.
| Season | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £1,050 | 433 | £433,000 | Leo Kam | £119,590 |
| 2 | £3,150 | 184 | £552,000 | Paul Foltyn | £167,050 |
| 3 | £3,150 | 183 | £549,000 | Tony Cascarino | £168,800 |
| 4 | £2,625 | 207 | £517,500 | Luong-Huu Bui | £144,905 |
| 5 | £2,625 | 195 | £487,500 | Fabian Quoss | £119,996 |
| 6 | £2,625 | 137 | £342,500 | Sam Grafton | £102,700 |
| 7 | £2,125 | 294 | £587,300 | Kevin Allen | £158,700 |
| 8 | £2,125 | 212 | £424,000 | Charlie Carrel | £108,625 |
| 9 | £2,125 | 321 | £642,000 | Ben Winsor | £178,600 |
| 10 | £2,125 | 276 | £552,000 | Marc Wright | £132,382 |
| 11 | £2,125 | 304 | £607,400 | Ahmed Abdella | £89,000 |
| 12 | £2,140 | 325 | £650,000 | Jerome L’Hostis | £140,445 |
| 13 | £2,650 | 273 | £668,850 | Ben Winsor | £188,610 |
| 14 | |||||
| 15 | £2,000 | 607 | £1,092,600 | Trung Moc | £265,350 |
2023 GUKPT Schedule Released
There is little time for rest after the 2022 GUKPT Grand Final because the 2023 season, the 17th of the long-running tour, takes place from January 12. The 2023 season features nine stops, most with a £1,250 buy-in Main Event, and the ever-popular Grand Final.
Of course, there will also be the eagerly anticipated Goliath series (dates to be confirmed) and a new addition to the schedule, The UK Poker Open in Coventry from February 25 through March 5. The UK Poker Open is a £1,500 buy-in affair with a £1 million guaranteed prize pool, and sure to attract some of the biggest names in the business.
| Leg | Venue | Dates | Main Event Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Vic, London | January 12-22 | £1,250 |
| 2 | BNR Manchester | February 2-12 | £1,250 |
| 3 | Blackpool | March 16-26 | £1,250 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | May 4-14 | £1,000 |
| 5 | Luton | May 25 – June 4 | £1,250 |
| 6 | The Vic, London | August 17-27 | £1,250 |
| 7 | Luton | September 14-24 | £1,250 |
| 8 | Leeds | October 5-15 | £1,000 |
| 9 | Blackpool | November 9-19 | £1,250 |
| Grand Final | The Vic, London | November 30 – December 17 | £2,000 |