The 888poker LIVE UK Poker League (UKPL) returns on July 13 after a brief hiatus. Blackpool hosted the last UKPL in early May; now it is the Grosvenor G Casino in Reading that is gearing up to welcome hundreds of tournament players through its doors.
The UKPL has tournaments and satellites at the more affordable end of the buy-in spectrum. Those who have competed at a UKPL stop will know exactly how things pan out because 888poker ensures that each stop is identical so that players enjoy the same experience regardless of where they play.
2026 UKPL Reading Schedule
A £90 buy-in satellite guaranteeing five seats to both the £250 No-Limit Hold’em Opening Voyage and the £560 UKPL Reading Main Event gets the festival underway at 7:00 p.m. BST on July 13.
The first of those target tournaments, the £50,000 Opening Voyage, kicks off at 12:00 p.m. BST on July 14 with the first of three starting flights. Day 1b and 1c fill the schedule on July 15, with the champion crowned on July 16.
Yi Gu is the Opening Voyage’s reigning champion after coming out on top of a 243-strong crowd and scooping £8,768. Gu would later reach the final table of the Main Event.
Those with deeper pockets can enter the £1,100 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller on July 16. That particular event comes with a £50,000 guaranteed prize pool. Last year, Jack Hardcastle topped a field of 53 entrants and turned his £1,100 into £17,620.
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£100,000 Guaranteed UKPL Reading Main Event
The £560 buy-in, £100,000 guaranteed 888poker UKPL Reading Main Event is the highlight of the six-day festival. The first of four flights shuffles up and deals at 3:00 p.m. BST on July 16. Day 1b and Day 1c are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. BST on July 17, with the fourth and final Day 1d starting at 12:00 p.m. BST on July 18.
All UKPL Reading Main Event players start their quest for glory with 50,000 chips and can re-enter as many times as they wish. Blinds increase every 30 minutes on Day 1a and 1c, and 40 minutes on 1b and 1d. The levels remain at 40 minutes throughout Day 2, which commences at 12:00 p.m. BST on July 19.
A field of 334 entrants made up the 2025 UKPL Reading Main Event. They created a £158,650 prize pool that the top 48 finishers shared.
Jack Hardcastle, plus 888poker’s Nick Eastwood, Ian Simpson, and Josh Manley all cashed but fell short of a final table appearance.
Those who reached the final table won at least £3,000, with the top four finishers banking five-figure prizes. The champion, Dale Wilson, got his hands on the coveted UKPL Main Event trophy and a £30,000 prize, which remains his third-largest live result.
2025 UKPL Reading Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dale Wilson | £30,000 |
| 2 | Timothy Ebenezer | £22,500 |
| 3 | Gareth Magee | £16,500 |
| 4 | Yi Gu | £12,500 |
| 5 | Callum Gordon | £9,000 |
| 6 | Ian Burr | £7,000 |
| 7 | Jose Collazo | £5,120 |
| 8 | Robin Gue | £4,000 |
| 9 | Pak Ao | £3,000 |
Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor