The city that gave the world Oasis, The Stone Roses, and Joy Division is set to host a different kind of entertainment when the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) heads to Grosvenor Casino Bury New Road for the second leg of the 2026 tour.
GUKPT Manchester runs from February 25 until March 9, during which time poker players from far and wide will be putting on their best performances as they look to pad their bankrolls with as much of the £700,000 guaranteed prize pools as they can.
The 2026 GUKPT begins on at 7:00 p.m. GMT February 25 with a £130 buy-in satellite guaranteeing 10 seats to both the G300 and Mini Main. Less than 24 hours later, the first of five flights in the £300 G300 kicks off at 2:00 p.m. GMT. That event promises at least £100,000 in prize money.
Other tournaments to look out for include a £250 Mini Main that has a £100,000 guarantee, the £50,000 guaranteed £1,100 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, the £1,650 buy-in, £100,000 guaranteed No-Limit Hold'em High Roller, and the showpiece of the GUKPT Manchester festival: the £1,250 GUKPT Main Event.
£250,000 Guaranteed GUKPT Manchester Main Event
Day 1a of the £1,250 GUKPT Manchester Main Event kicks off at 1:00 p.m. GMT on March 5, the first of three flights into the £250,000 guaranteed tournament. The second flight starts at the slightly earlier time of 12:00 p.m. GMT on March 6, with a turbo-structured Day 1c scheduled to start at 9:00 p.m. GMT the same day.
Day 2 bursts into action at 12:00 p.m. GMT on March 7. The money bubble will burst on Day 2 as the field is whittled to a more manageable size. The final day's action commences at 12:00 p.m. GMT on March 8 and continues until the 2026 GUKPT Manchester Main Event is known.
Junxian Du is the reigning GUKPT Manchester Main Event champion, having emerged victoriously in 2025. Du left 436 opponents in his wake s he raked in £84,700 of the £455,170 prize pool.
Past GUKPT Manchester Champions
GUKPT Manchester has run every year since the tour's formation; not even the COVID-19 pandemic could stop it!
Some stellar names have left Manchester with the GUKPT Main Event title, including the late Dave "El Blondie" Colclough, Kully Sidhu, Ali Mallu, Andy Hills, Calogero Morreale, Ben Dobson, Rick Trigg, and Vincent Meli.
The £141,000 that Trevor Reardon received in 2022 remains the largest top prize ever awarded at GUKPT Manchester.
Year
Buy-in
Entrants
Prize Pool
Champion
Prize
2025
£1,250
437
£455,170
Junxian Du
£84,700
2024
£1,250
426
£454,000
Vincent Meli
£83,897
2023
£1,250
445
£460,950
Calogero Morreale
£106,700
2022
£1,250
526
£578,600
Trevor Reardon
£141,000
2021
£1,250
472
£519,200
Richard Trigg
£134,250
2020
£1,100
317
£310,600
Ben Dobson
£75,510
2019
£1,100
302
£301,840
Benard Margedze
£69,470
2018
£1,100
241
£241,000
Adam Lulat
£68,930
2017
£1,100
268
£268,000
Andy Hills
£46,988
2016
£1,100
232
£232,000
Anonymous
£58,300
2015
£1,090
198
£200,000
Ali Mallu
£59,000
2014
£1,080
192
£200,000
Rhys Jones
£42,000
2013
£1,070
180
£200,000
Sunny Chattha
£35,000
2012
£1,070
171
£171,000
Anonymous
£49,600
2011
£1,070
207
£207,000
Peter McAdams
£58,100
2010
£1,070
192
£192,000
Kully Sidhu
£54,850
2009
£1,070
298
£298,000
Simon Moorman
£88,630
2008
£1,060
309
£309,000
Marc Goodwin
£90,420
2007
£1,050
285
£285,000
Dave Colclough
£88,300
Double Delight For Sheils as He Takes Down GUKPT London Main Event
Expand the table below to see the full 2026 GUKPT Manchester schedule in all of its glory.
Date
Time (GMT)
Event
Guarantee
Wed 25 Feb
7:00 p.m.
£130 G300 and Mini Main Satellite
10x seats
Thu 26 Feb
2:00 p.m.
£300 NLHE G300 Day 1a
£100,000
6:00 p.m.
£330 Pot-Limit Omaha Bounty
8:00 p.m.
£140 Main Event Satellite
Fri 27 Feb
12:00 p.m.
£300 NLHE G300 Day 1b
£100,000
6:00 p.m.
£300 NLHE G300 Day 1c
£100,000
8:00 p.m.
£140 Main Event Satellite
Sat 28 Feb
12:00 p.m.
£300 NLHE G300 Day 1d
£100,000
6:00 p.m.
£300 NLHE G300 Day 1e Turbo
£100,000
Sun 1 Mar
12:00 p.m.
G300 Day 2
£100,000
1:00 p.m.
£250 NLHE Mini Main Day 1a
£100,000
6:00 p.m.
£250 NLHE Mini Main Day 1b
£100,000
8:00 p.m.
£140 Main Event Satellite
Mon 2 Mar
12:00 p.m.
£250 NLHE Mini Main Day 1c
£100,000
6:00 p.m.
£250 NLHE Mini Main Day 1d
£100,000
8:00 p.m.
£140 Main Event Satellite
5x seats
Tue 3 Mar
12:00 p.m.
£250 NLHE Mini Main Day 1e Turbo
£100,000
4:00 p.m.
£250 NLHE Mini Main Day 2
£100,000
5:00 p.m.
£1,100 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller
£50,000
9:00 p.m.
£185 High Roller Satellite
2x seats
Wed 4 Mar
12:00 p.m.
£185 High Roller Satellite
2x seats
3:00 p.m.
£1,650 NLHE High Roller Day 1
£100,000
5:00 p.m.
Mini Main Day 3
£100,000
8:00 p.m.
£140 Main Event Satellite
10x seats
Thu 5 Mar
12:00 p.m.
£1,650 NLHE High Roller Day 2
£100,000
1:00 p.m.
£1,250 NLHE Main Event Day 1a
£250,000
7:00 p.m.
£140 Main Event Satellite
Fri 6 Mar
12:00 p.m.
£140 Main Event Satellite
12:00 p.m.
£1,250 NLHE Main Event Day 1b
£250,000
9:00 p.m.
£1,250 NLHE Main Event Day 1c Turbo
£250,000
Sat 7 Mar
12:00 p.m.
£1,250 NLHE Main Event Day 2
£250,000
1:00 p.m.
£550 NLHE GUKPT Cup Day 1
£50,000
Sun 8 Mar
12:00 p.m.
Main Event Day 3
£250,000
12:30 p.m.
£550 NLHE GUKPT Cup Day 2
£50,000
1:00 p.m.
£300 NLHE Seniors
£10,000
3:00 p.m.
£200 NLHE Closer
Mon 9 Mar
7:00 p.m.
£110 Online Closer Day 1
£20,000
Tue 10 Mar
7:00 p.m.
Online Closer Day 2
£20,000
2025 GUKPT Manchester Results
Juxian Du: Reigning GUKPT Manchester champion
The 2025 edition of GUKPT Manchester was a success, with every tournament smashing the advertised guarantee. Grosvenor placed a £250,000 guarantee on the Main Event, but it paid out a cool £455,170 by the time Juxian Du claimed the title.
Three other events paid out six-figure sums. The £1,650 NLHE Main Event (£158,180), the £560 Mini Main (£158,180), and the £250 Mini Main (£160,450) are that trio of events. Frenchman Antoine Labat won the High Roller for £49,040 in addition to winning the £550 GUKPT Cup for another £18,000.
Event
Entrants
Prize Pool
Champion
Prize
£1,250 NLHE Main Event
437
£455,170
Juxian Du
£84,700
£1,650 NLHE High Roller
111
£158,180
Antoine Labat
£49,040
£560 NLHE Midi Main
333
£158,180
Jamie Dale
£30,000
£250 NLHE Mini Main
773
£160,450
Mark Dyson
£29,270
£550 NLHE GUKPT Cup
168
£79,800
Antoine Labat
£18,000
£200 NLHE Opener
573
£95,265
Connor Butt
£13,386
£230 PLO 4/5/6 Card
119
£24,870
Keith Littlewood
£6,859
£200 NLHE Turbo
88
£15,050
Paul Judge
£3,750
£200 NLHE Closer
83
£14,200
Manuel Choi
£3,426
£150 NLHE Seniors
104
£13,010
Anthony Butler
£3,190
£330 PLO Bounty
61
£8,700
Justin Devonport
£1,780
Qualify for the 2026 GUKPT Manchester Main Event online at Grosvenor Poker. Satellites start from only £1 and climb to £110. Check out the UK Live Events tab in the Grosvenor Poker lobby for more details.
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.
