As sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the Grosvenor G Casino in Blackpool hosts the penultimate stop of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) each November. Stops have come on gone on the GUKPT since its inception in 2007, but the Blackpool leg has remained constant, with the exception of the COVID-19 hit 2020.
November is fast approaching, and as sure as eggs are eggs, the GUKPT's penultimate stop of its 2024 tour takes place in the British seaside town of Blackpool. From October 30 through November 10, poker players from far and wide will descend on Blackpool, each sharing the common goal of becoming the GUKPT Blackpool Main Event champion.
Although the £1,250 GUKPT Blackpool Main Event is the tournament everyone has their eye on, PokerNews urges you to head to the casino on November 2 and play in the £60 Kav Cup. Now in its eighth iteration, the Kav Cup is a charity tournament in the name of the late Derek "Kav" Kavanagh, an immensely popular and inspirational man.
Kavanagh continued grinding poker tournaments despite fighting through gruelling chemotherapy sessions in his battle against lung cancer. Sadly, Kavanagh passed away in March 2017, a couple of months after reaching the final two tables of the GUKPT Blackpool Main Event.
The Kav Cup is a £40+£20 tournament, with the £20 going to charity. There's an option for a 2,000 bonus chip for £5, with the £5 also donated to charity. So far, the Kav Cup has raised over £63,000 for worthy causes and is intending to smash through £100,000 worth of donations eventually. It's one of the most fun live tournaments you will play, with most of the field gulping on pints of Guinness, Kav's favourite drink. Last year, 257 players bought in, and Bryn Cropper outlasted them all. Cropper collected £5,370 for his win.
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 30 Oct | 7:00 p.m. | £50 Opener+Mini Main Event Satellite |
| Thu 31 Oct | 6:00 p.m. | £200 NLHE Opener Day 1A |
| 8:00 p.m. | £140 Main Event Cashout Satellite | |
| Fri 1 Nov | 6:00 p.m. | £200 NLHE Opener Day 1B |
| 8:00 p.m. | £140 Main Event Cashout Satellite | |
| Sat 2 Nov | 1:00 p.m. | £60 NLHE Kav Cup |
| 8:00 p.m. | £140 Main Event Cashout Satellite | |
| 9:00 p.m. | £200 NLHE Opener Day 1C Turbo | |
| Sun 3 Nov | 1:00 p.m. | £200 NLHE Opener Day 2 |
| 3:00 p.m. | £250 NLHE Mini Main Event Day 1A | |
| 8:00 p.m. | £140 Main Event Cashout Satellite | |
| Mon 4 Nov | 3:00 p.m. | £250 NLHE Mini Main Event Day 1B |
| 6:00 p.m. | £180 High Roller Cashout Satellite Turbo | |
| 8:00 p.m. | £140 Main Event Cashout Satellite | |
| Tue 5 Nov | 12:00 p.m. | £250 NLHE Mini Main Event Day 1C Turo |
| 4:30 p.m. | £250 NLHE Mini Main Event Day 2 | |
| 7:00 p.m. | £200 Pot-Limit Omaha | |
| 9:00 p.m. | £180 High Roller Cashout Satellite Turbo | |
| Wed 6 Nov | 12:00 p.m. | £220 High Roller Cashout Satellite Turbo |
| 3:00 p.m. | £1,650 NLHE High Roller Day 1 | |
| 5:00 p.m. | £200 NLHE Turbo | |
| 5:00 p.m. | Mini Main Event Day 3 | |
| 9:00 p.m. | £140 Main Event Cashout Satellite | |
| Thu 7 Nov | 12:00 p.m. | £1,650 NLHE High Roller Day 2 |
| 1:00 p.m. | £1,250 NLHE GUKPT Main Event Day 1A | |
| 7:00 p.m. | £140 Main Event Cashout Satellite | |
| Fri 8 Nov | 12:00 p.m. | £1,250 NLHE GUKPT Main Event Day 1B |
| 2:00 p.m. | £140 Main Event Cashout Satellite Turbo | |
| 9:00 p.m. | £1,250 NLHE GUKPT Main Event Day 1C Turbo | |
| Sat 9 Nov | £1,250 NLHE GUKPT Main Event Day 2 | |
| 2:30 p.m. | £550 NLHE GUKPT Cup Day 1 | |
| Sun 10 Nov | 12:00 p.m. | GUKPT Main Event Day 3 |
| 12:30 p.m. | £550 NLHE GUKPT Cup Day 2 | |
| 1:00 p.m. | £150 NLHE Seniors | |
| 3:00 p.m. | £330 Pot-Limit Omaha 4/5/6/ Bounty | |
| 6:00 p.m. | £200 NLHE Closer |
The £1,250 GUKPT Blackpool Main Event is the event everyone heading to Blackpool wants to win, adding their name to a long line of past champions. Ludovic Geilich emerged victoriously when the GUKPT stopped in Blackpool in March, something it has done since 2023. Geilich walked away with £56,150 for his efforts.
Ian Gascoigne won the GUKPT Blackpool Main Event last November, earning a career-best £62,198.
Other past champions include Jamie Clossick, whose £109,000 is the second-largest prize in the stop's history. Yiannis Liperis has also been king of Blackpool, as has Tom Middleton, Richard Trigg, Simon Deadman, and Priyan de Mel. Will you add your name to that impressive list?
| Date | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2024 | £1,250 | 207 | £250,000 | Ludovic Geilich | £56,150 |
| Mar 2023 | £1,250 | 305 | £321,081 | Lin Chen | £65,310 |
| Nov 2023 | £1,250 | 347 | £360,430 | Ian Gascoigne | £62,198 |
| Nov 2022 | £1,250 | 543 | £597,300 | Jamie Clossick | £109,000 |
| Nov 2021 | £1,250 | 533 | £574,580 | Richard Horton | £94,150 |
| Nov 2019 | £1,110 | 367 | £367,000 | Matthew Eardley | £84,550 |
| Nov 2018 | £1,110 | 304 | £304,000 | Yiannis Liperis | £84,250 |
| Nov 2017 | £1,100 | 314 | £314,000 | Daniel Corbett | £87,280 |
| Nov 2016 | £1,100 | 251 | £251,000 | Tom Middleton | £56,255 |
| Nov 2015 | £1,090 | 275 | £275,000 | Jonny Gray | £69,050 |
| Nov 2014 | £1,080 | 171 | £200,000 | Justin Astley | £59,000 |
| Nov 2013 | £1,070 | 226 | £226,000 | Richard Trigg | £53,000 |
| Nov 2012 | £1,070 | 173 | £173,000 | Simon Deadman | £49,290 |
| Nov 2011 | £1,070 | 262 | £262,000 | Andrew Peters | £72,020 |
| Nov 2010 | £1,070 | 246 | £246,000 | David Johnson | £67,750 |
| Nov 2009 | £1,060 | 287 | £287,000 | Priyan de Mel | £84,900 |
| Nov 2008 | £1,060 | 341 | £341,000 | Brian Clarke | £96,500 |
| Nov 2007 | £1,050 | 353 | £353,000 | Paul Bracken | £109,700 |
If you head to GUKPT Blackpool and plan to compete in the Grand Final, you won't have much time to rest on your laurels because the final leg of the 2024 GUKPT starts on November 21. For the first time in the tour's history, the Grand Final is not taking place in London but Luton. The full schedule is still being determined, but we know the festival runs from November 21 to December 1 and includes a £2,000 buy-in Main Event. Watch this space.
