button in SafariFirst Female GUKPT Champion: Renee Xie Rewrites History in Luton
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It may have taken six legs into the 20th Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) season, but the long-running tour finally has seen a female player take down one its Main Events. Renee Xie outlasted a 396-strong field in the £560 GUKPT Luton Main Event, taking home £35,435 and a place in the GUKPT history books as the first-ever female GUKPT Main Event champion.
"It means the world," Xie said in her post-victory interview. "I'm lost for words; I can't believe it."
Xie had previously come close to winning a GUKPT Main Event when she finished second in the 2017 Leeds leg. That result earned her a career-best £33,000. This Luton victory came with a new career-high £35,435.
2026 GUKPT Luton Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renee Xie | £35,435* |
| 2 | Sanjay Ranchhoddas | £28,545* |
| 3 | Christopher Gallagher | £26,930* |
| 4 | Gary Nordigian | £12,460 |
| 5 | Ciaran McCullagh | £8,480 |
| 6 | Joseph Phillips | £6,110 |
| 7 | Jay Samani | £4,700 |
| 8 | Timothy Chung | £3,790 |
| 9 | Yifei Dong | £3,120 |
*reflects a three-handed deal
The top 50 finishers won a share of the £188,100 prize pool. The 2025 GUKPT Luton runner-up, Charlie Waters, Adam Wilkinson, John Bousfield, Lorenc Boci, Yucel Eminoglu, Paul Romain, Sinead and Matthew Davenport, and Keith Littlewood were among the in-the-money finishers.
Yifei Dong was the first finalist to be eliminated. His ninth-place finish earned him £3,120. Dong's previous two entries on his Hendon Mob profile both came in Grosvenor events. He won the £300 No-Limit Hold'em event at the 2025 Behemoth for £51,229 and finished second in the G300 in Coventry in February 2026 for another £26,800.
Eighth place and £3,790 went to Timothy Chung, champion of the 2022 GUKPT London Main Event. Jay Samani busted in seventh for £6,100 before Joseph Phillips bowed out in sixth for £6,110, the third-largest live score of his career.
Ciaran McCullagh, who banked $140,000 for a deep run in the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, finished fifth for £8,480, with Gary Nordigian's run ending when he committed his last 11 big blinds with ten-five of diamonds and ran into Xie's pocket aces. Nordigian turned two pair, but Xie spiked a set on the river.
The final three players struck an ICM-based deal that left an additional £9,100 for the eventual champion.
Christopher Gallagher benefited the most from the deal because he was eliminated in third and received £26,930 instead of the advertised £18,600. Gallagher's exit left Xie heads-up against Sanjay Ranchhoddas, the latter a relative newcomer to the live poker scene.
The final hand occurred during the 60,000/120,000 level. Ranchhoddas raised to 300,000 with ace-three of hearts, leaving himself less than a million chips behind. Xie called with ten-eight, and the dealer fanned a ten-nine-nine flop. Xie checked; Ranchhoddas fired a 375,000 bet before quickly calling off his short stack when Xie set him all in.
The turn and river were a seven and a queen, eliminating Ranchhoddas in second place for £28,545 and crowning an emotional Xie the GUKPT Luton Main Event champion, a finish good for £35,435.
There has been a mixed reception to Xie's historic victory on social media, with one player alleging they are owed £15,000 from Xie, and others alleging she reneged on staking deals almost a decade ago.
2026 GUKPT Luton Results
Two of the GUKPT Luton side event champions are returning home with a five-figure haul to their name. Ciaran McCullagh banked £16,620 for his victory in the £1,000 High Roller. McCullagh went on to finish fifth in the £560 Main Event for £8,480.
Reza Moghaddam won the £250 Mini Main for £19,250.
GUKPT regulars Mariusz Czech and Keith Littlewood also tasted success. Czech won the £340 GUKPT Cup for £9,665 while Littlewood won the £200 Closer for £2,600.
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £560 NLHE Main Event | 396 | £188,100 | Renee Xie | £35,435 |
| £250 NLHE Mini Main | 414 | £100,000 | Reza Moghaddam | £19,250 |
| £1,000 NLHE High Roller | 54 | £50,000 | Ciaran McCullagh | £16,620 |
| £340 NLHE GUKPT Cup | 147 | £41,890 | Mariusz Czech | £9,665 |
| £150 NLHE Deepstacj | 129 | £15,930 | Thomas Baggaley | £4,150 |
| £150 PLO | 114 | £14,080 | Simon Chester | £2,750 |
| £200 NLHE Closer | 75 | £15,000 | Paul Denman | £3,695 |
| £200 NLHE Closer | 75 | £9,500 | Keith Littlewood | £2,600 |
| £200 NLHE Turbo | 31 | £5,300 | Arun Sood | £1,910 |
GUKPT Leeds is Less Than Three Weeks Away
The GUKPT heads to Leeds for the seventh leg of the 2026 tour. GUKPT Leeds runs from September 24 through to October 4. It features, among its many tournaments, a £1,000 buy-in Main Event which carries a £200,000 guarantee.
Last year, Keith Littlewood was crowned the GUKPT Leeds Main Event champion. He outlasted 246 opponents and scooped a £40,440 top prize.
