The 20th GUKPT Season Bursts Into Action in London on January 8

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Jan 06, 2026 4 min read

In January 2007, the inaugural Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Main Event crowned its champion in Bolton. A field of 197 entrants paid £1,050 for the chance to become the first-ever GUKPT champion. Praz Bansi pipped them all to the post, turning his £1,050 into £75,000. Fast forward to January 2026, and the GUKPT is entering its 20th season. That season bursts into action on January 8 at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in the heart of London.

Unsurprisingly, GUKPT London has been a mainstay of the long-running tour since its creation. The English capital city has a knack for drawing people to it, particularly poker players. Following the grand reopening of the refurbished Grosvenor Victoria Casino in 2025, the GUKPT London now has a venue that is fitting for the talent competing for the first GUKPT titles of 2026.

2026 GUKPT London Schedule

Head to the Grosvenor Victoria Casino on January 7 if you fancy trying to win yourself one of 10 guaranteed seats to the G500 event, a new tournament for the 2026 GUKPT. January 8 sees that £500 buy-in G500's first of four flights kick off at noon, with the popular £250 Pot-Limit Omaha 4/5/6 card event taking place in the evening.

Over the weekend, those grinders who finished high in the National Poker League (NPL) standings but missed out on the biggest prizes, battle it out in the National Poker League Playoff Final, where £5,000 packages make up the prize pool, plus the National Poker League £100K Invitational, where £100,000 will be shared.

The popular £340 No-Limit Hold'em Mini Main starts on January 11 and wraps up on January 13. That is followed by the £1,100 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, the £2,500 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller, and a £200 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo before the £1,250 GUKPT London Main Event commences on January 15.

The Main Event features a trio of flights, including a turbo-structured Day 1c on January 16. Late registration is available on Day 2, with the GUKPT London Main Event wrapping up on January 18.

While the Main Event first grows then whittles its crowd, a £550 No-Limit Hold'em GUKPT Cup, £330 Pot-Limit Omaha Bounty, and £200 Closer take place, with the two-day £110 Online Closer bringing the curtain down on the opening leg of the 2026 GUKPT.

Previous GUKPT London Main Event Champions

The GUKPT London Main Event has boosted the bankrolls of dozens of worthy champions over the years. Wantao Tang is the reigning champion. Tang left a trail of 428 opponents in his wake in July 2025 and was rewarded with an £83,400 prize pool.

As you can see after expanding the table below, several GUKPT London Main Event champions have walked away with the winner's trophy and a six-figure score. Luke Porter was the last player to receive such a sum; he collected £116,710 in January 2024. Timothy Chung's £185,560 score from February 2022 remains the largest GUKPT London Main Event prize awarded in the tour's long history.

Stay tuned to PokerNews throughout the 2026 GUKPT London festival as we bring you results from the biggest events.

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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