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It is not a great time to be a fan of either of the Manchester-based Premier League clubs right now. Manchester City are a shadow of their former selves, while city neighbors Manchester United are hilariously 15th place in the table. Poker players from Manchester, however, are in a great spot because the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) heads to the Grosvenor Casino Bury New Road from January 29 for the 2025 edition of GUKPT Manchester.
GUKPT Manchester runs from January 29 to February 11. The festival bursts into action on January 29 with a £50 satellite awarding tickets to the £200 Opener and the £1,250 Main Event. Further main event satellites costing £140 run throughout the series, guaranteeing at least 55 seats combined.
The £560 Midi Main is the first non-satellite event on the busy schedule. Cards are in the air on Day 1A from 12:00 p.m. GMT on January 30, with the champion reeling in the lion’s share of the £100,000 guaranteed prize pool some time on February 2.
Similar to other GUKPT stops, the Manchester leg features events such as the £250 Mini Main, £250 PLO 4/5/6 card, £1,650 High Roller, £200 Turbo, £550 GUKPT Cup, £150 Seniors, £330 PLO 4 Card Bounty, and the £200 Closer. The fun ends with a £110 buy-in, £25,000 guaranteed Online Closer at Grosvenor Poker on February 10-11.
£250,000 Guaranteed Main Event
The £1,250 GUKPT Manchester Main Event comes with a guaranteed prize pool of £250,000. Expect a much larger pot because this tournament has paid out more than £250,000 in ten of the last 18 editions.
Day 1A commences at 1:00 p.m. GMT February 6. Day 1B and the turbo-structured Day 1C start at 12:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. GMT on February 7, respectively. This three-day event crowns its worthy champion on February 9.
Vincent Meli is the reigning GUKPT Manchester Main Event champion, having outlasted 435 opponent in 2024. Meli defeated fellow Frenchman Tom Jarry heads-up and returned home with £83,897, the second-largest score of his live poker career.
Vincent Meli Continues His Hot Form and Becomes a GUKPT Champion
2025 GUKPT Manchester Schedule
The 2024 GUKPT Manchester Results
As you can see from the table below, the mid-to-high-stakes GUKPT Manchester events performed admirably in 2024. Meli was the biggest winner, but Euan McNicholas and Mo Abdel-Kader also scooped £30,000+ prize by taking down the £1,650 High Roller and £250 Mini Main, respectively.
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,250 Main Event | 436 | £454,400 | Vincent Meli | £83,897 |
| £1,650 High Roller | 110 | £158,400 | Euan McNicholas | £37,540 |
| £250 Mini Main | 851 | £173,730 | Mo Abdel-Kader | £30,410 |
| £550 GUKPT Cup | 199 | £95,520 | Mike Humphreys | £21,470 |
| £330 Mystery Bounty | 440 | £63,630 | Alex Montgomery | £11,610* |
| £250 PLO | 114 | £24,620 | Paul Rigg | £5,840 |
| £200 Senors | 135 | £16,850 | Wayne Eadsforth | £3,890 |
| £200 Closer | 92 | £15,900 | Calogero Morreale | £3,860 |
| £200 Turbo | 85 | £14,690 | Thomas Cazaletz | £3,660 |
| £330 PLO Bounty | 84 | £12,100 | Guillaume Soumier | £3,010* |
*does not include bounty payments
All the Past GUKPT Manchester Main Event Champions
The GUKPT has stopped in Manchester since its first season in 2007. The late Dave “El Blondie” Colclough was the inaugural champion. Since Colclough’s win, players like Rhys Jones, Ali Mallu, Andy Hills, Richard Trigg, and Calogero Morrale have been crowned king of Manchester.
Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor
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